New york: As part of the second International Migration Review Forum at the United Nations Headquarters, a high-level side event titled 'Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities in the Age of Migration - Towards WUF13' was held to promote the upcoming World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) to be hosted in Baku. Co-organized by the Republic of Azerbaijan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UN-Habitat, the event was one of 18 high-level side events scheduled within the Forum at the UN Headquarters to discuss the nexus between migration and urbanization processes.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Vusal Huseynov, Chief of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, opened the event. Emphasizing Azerbaijan's role as both the host country for WUF13 and the co-chair of the 'Champion Countries' Initiative for the current year, he highlighted the opportunities for synergy between discussions held within the International Migration Review Forum and WUF13. Huseynov underlined the relationship between migration and urban governance, emphasizing its role in harnessing the development potential of migration. He noted that discussions from the current event will continue during WUF13 in Baku.
Arthur Erken, IOM's Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, and Toni-Shae Freckleton, Director of the UN-Habitat New York Liaison Office, also delivered speeches at the event. The session continued with a panel discussion and interactive session moderated by Tofig Musayev, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations. Participants from governments, international organizations, academia, and civil society emphasized the importance of implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration to support migrant integration into urban environments and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
A policy debate summarizing the outcomes of the roundtable discussions was held on the second day of the Forum. During this session, chaired by the Director-General of the IOM, Vusal Huseynov presented a summary of the discussions held within Roundtable 1. He also participated as a panel speaker at the high-level dialogue titled 'Migration Solutions: From Commitments to Action.' Senior officials, including those from the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Sweden, attended the event, where Huseynov shared Azerbaijan's experience in expanding the implementation of the GCM as a Champion Country. He stressed the importance of effective technical and financial support in achieving migration governance goals.