Baku, July 16, AZERTAC“WUF13 brought together 58,000 participants from 176 countries. As a key global platform for advancing the New Urban Agenda, WUF13 placed strong emphasis on moving from global commitments to local implementation,” said Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, during his speech at the Local 2030 Coalition Special Event on the margins of the 2026 High-Level Political Forum.“The Forum welcomed 130 mayors, alongside ministers and other senior officials, demonstrating the strong engagement of local leadership in shaping the global urban agenda.Civil society had a particularly visible role. For the first time at WUF, an NGO Forum was convened, creating a dedicated platform for civil society organizations to bring locally rooted perspectives and solutions into the global urban dialogue.In this way, the outcomes of WUF13 provide an important contribution to the ten-year review of the New Urban Agenda, reinforce its alignment with SDG 11 and the wider 2030 Agenda.As we move towards the SDG Summit 2027, our message is clear: the final path to 2030 must be a local one, but also a shared one. Azerbaijan stands ready to contribute its experience and work closely with the Member States and partners to promote the outcomes of WUF13,” Chairman of the State Committee emphasized. Malahat Najafova Special Correspondent