Date: Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Time: 16:00 – 17:30 (UTC+4, Baku time)
Location: One UN Room A, UN Building — Baku, Azerbaijan
Virtual/livestream link: TBC
WUF13 ONE UN High-Level Event | Convened by UN-Habitat, UNEP, IOM, and Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan
About the Event
UN-Habitat, UNEP, and IOM are implementing a four-year, USD 10 million Adaptation Fund programme on Building Climate Resilient Cities and Communities in Azerbaijan. Building on the momentum from Azerbaijan’s hosting of COP29 and WUF13, the programme aligns global climate and urban agendas to strengthen the resilience of cities and communities to climate shocks, translating high-level commitments into coordinated, multi-level action with tangible outcomes for vulnerable populations. Focusing on coastal urban communities in Greater Baku, Neftchala, and Astara, it addresses escalating climate risks, including extreme heat, coastal flooding, water salinity, sea-level fluctuations, and ecosystem degradation affecting housing, basic services, and livelihoods.
The programme advances climate resilience through three interlinked outcomes: strengthening national and local institutional capacities; demonstrating integrated adaptation measures through pilot interventions; and scaling up successful approaches across Azerbaijan, with spillover effects across the wider Caspian Sea region. Integrated solutions combine housing, land-use planning, flood management, early warning systems, nature-based solutions, public space rehabilitation, and neighbourhood upgrading to protect people in high-risk areas — including climate migrants, low-income households, older persons, women, and persons with disabilities. The project also aligns with regional environmental commitments under the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention), for which UNEP plays a key convening role.
Moving beyond a traditional panel format, the session will combine short framing inputs with targeted case examples and a facilitated exchange focused on translating evidence into policy options, financing pathways, and regional cooperation. Participants will jointly shape key messages and next steps, including the possible development of a Caspian Call to Action on Climate-Resilient Cities and Communities, to be shared through WUF13 and the Tehran Convention network.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the event, please contact mahir.aliyev@un.org.
