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UN PhotoBAKU / WORLD URBAN FORUM CLOSING
STORY: BAKU / WORLD URBAN FORUM CLOSING
TRT: 06:17
SOURCE: UNTV / UN-HABITAT
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 MAY 2026, BAKU, AZERBAIJAN
1. Various shots, WUF13 venue, audience
2. Various shots, performance
3. Wide shot, WUF13 venue
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations: “By declaring 2026 the Year of Urban Planning and Architecture Azerbaijan has elevated urbanism to the global stage, honoring centuries old traditions while advancing progressive approaches that meet the new challenges of our world. Across Azerbaijan, we see reconstruction, development, reintegrating communities, rebuilding infrastructure and peace, and transforming territories into engines of cultural vitality, social cohesion and economic growth.”
5. Wide shot, DSG at the podium
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations: “Home is where dignity begins. It is essential starting point for a healthy, a safe and a dignified, productive life. Yet the global housing crisis we have heard described this week is enormous in scope and the human cost. And we all know why. Because of rapid urbanization, because of conflicts, more of which are taking place now than in any point of history since World War II. Because of the deep inequalities and injustice that has been allowed to continue, because of the climate we have changed and are still changing.”
7. Wide shot, DSG at the podium
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations: “So, we are leaving Baku with a clear message. The next decade of the new urban agenda cannot look like the last one. We need more ambition. We need more financing. We need more inclusion. We need more action and resilience, more cooperation across levels of government, more political urgency and less patience for the gap between what we promise and what we deliver.”
9. Wide shot, DSG at the podium
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations: “Can we do this, Baku? Thank you, thank you!”
11. Various shots, applause
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Anar Guliyev, National Coordinator, WUF13:
“The same of WUF13 placed housing at the center of the global urban agenda, and reaffirmed that access to adequate, affordable, safe and resilient housing remains one of the defining challenges of our time. Throughout the forum, discussion highlighted that housing is not only a basic human necessity, but also a foundation for dignity, resilience, social inclusion, economic opportunity, and sustainable urban growth.”
13. Wide shot, Anar Guliyev at the podium
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Anar Guliyev, National Coordinator, WUF13:
“From Baku the message is clear. The time for ambition alone has passed. The next decade must be defined by delivery: delivering adequate housing, resilient communities and sustainable urban futures for all.”
15. Wide shot, Anar Guliyev at the podium
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Anar Guliyev, National Coordinator, WUF13:
“And as highlighted in article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, housing is a human right, and this right must be ensured for the benefit of all. May the spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility that defined WUF13 inspire concrete action toward the implementation of the new urban agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly SDG11.”
17. Med shot, audience applauds
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat:
“As we mark the implementation midpoint of the New Urban Agenda, the message from Baku is clear the next decade must be defined by accelerated implementation, scaled delivery and measurable impact in people's lives.”
19. Wide shot, Anacláudia Rossbach at the podium
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat:
“As we carry this momentum forward, my message is simple. From Baku to New York through the high-level political forum on SDG 11 and the UN General Assembly mid-term review of the New Urban Agenda this July, we must place housing at the center of the second decade of implementation and recognize it as a key accelerator of the SDGs.”
21. Wide shot, Anacláudia Rossbach at the podium
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director, UN-Habitat:
“And now I declare WUF13 closed.”
23. Various shots, WUF13 venue
24. Wide shot, closing press conference
25. SOUNDBITE (English) Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations: “Much progress has been made since the adoption of the New Urban agenda, but we still have a lot of unfinished business. The energy partnerships and solutions showcased at this forum give us a lot of reason for hope. Baku's call to action is clear: sustainable urbanization is one of the strongest pathways to restoring trust, SDG acceleration and renewing multilateralism.”
26. Wide shot, closing press conference
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations:
“We leave Baku with a renewed determination to work together, to build communities and cities inclusive, resilient, sustainable and centered on human dignity. It is time to house the world and to give every person a life of dignity.”
28. Wide shot, end of closing press conference
29. Various shots, general views of the WUF13 venue
UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, participated Friday in the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum that took place in Baku in Azerbaijan. During her remarks, she stressed that the next decade of the New Urban Agenda demands greater ambition, increased climate resilience and faster execution.
"The next decade of the new urban agenda cannot look like the last one," the Deputy Secretary-General said.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan today (22 May), Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, said, “We need more ambition. We need more financing. We need more inclusion. We need more action and resilience, more cooperation across levels of government, more political urgency and less patience for the gap between what we promise and what we deliver.”
She added, “Home is where dignity begins. It is essential starting point for a healthy, a safe and a dignified, productive life. Yet the global housing crisis we have heard described this week is enormous in scope and the human cost.”
Mohammed said, “Because of rapid urbanization, because of conflicts, more of which are taking place now than in any point of history since World War II. Because of the deep inequalities and injustice that has been allowed to continue, because of the climate we have changed and are still changing.”
Turning to Azerbaijan's role in elevating the forum, she said, “By declaring 2026 the Year of Urban Planning and Architecture Azerbaijan has elevated urbanism to the global stage, honoring centuries old traditions while advancing progressive approaches that meet the new challenges of our world.”
She added, “Across Azerbaijan, we see reconstruction, development, reintegrating communities, rebuilding infrastructure and peace, and transforming territories into engines of cultural vitality, social cohesion and economic growth.”
On the path ahead, Mohammed said, “Much progress has been made since the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, but we still have a lot of unfinished business. The energy partnerships and solutions showcased at this forum give us a lot of reason for hope. Baku's call to action is clear: sustainable urbanization is one of the strongest pathways to restoring trust, SDG acceleration and renewing multilateralism.”
Also addressing the closing ceremony, National Coordinator of WUF13, Anar Guliyev, said, “The theme of WUF13 placed housing at the center of the global urban agenda, and reaffirmed that access to adequate, affordable, safe and resilient housing remains one of the defining challenges of our time.”
He added, “Housing is not only a basic human necessity, but also a foundation for dignity, resilience, social inclusion, economic opportunity, and sustainable urban growth.”
Guliyev said, “And as highlighted in article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, housing is a human right, and this right must be ensured for the benefit of all. May the spirit of cooperation and shared responsibility that defined WUF13 inspire concrete action toward the implementation of the new urban agenda and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and particularly SDG11.”
He concluded, “The time for ambition alone has passed. The next decade must be defined by delivery: delivering adequate housing, resilient communities and sustainable urban futures for all.”
Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Anacláudia Rossbach, said, “As we mark the implementation midpoint of the New Urban Agenda, the message from Baku is clear — the next decade must be defined by accelerated implementation, scaled delivery and measurable impact in people's lives.”
She added, “From Baku to New York through the high-level political forum on SDG 11 and the UN General Assembly mid-term review of the New Urban Agenda this July, we must place housing at the center of the second decade of implementation and recognize it as a key accelerator of the SDGs.”
Wrapping up at the closing press conference, Mohammed said, “We leave Baku with a renewed determination to work together, to build communities and cities inclusive, resilient, sustainable and centered on human dignity. It is time to house the world and to give every person a life of dignity.”
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