Baku: President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the Baku Olympic Stadium on May 12 to review the preparations for the upcoming 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13). The forum, themed "Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities," is set to occur from May 17 to 22.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, and Adil Mammadov, Executive Director of the WUF13 Azerbaijan Operating Company, briefed President Aliyev on the progress. The event venue spans a total operational area of 53 hectares at the Baku Olympic Stadium and its surroundings. Of this, 43 hectares are dedicated to the primary event site, while 10 hectares serve as the main transport terminal and parking-transfer zone. The site is organized into a unified operational system that includes registration, session halls, exhibitions, media facilities, transport, technical support, volunteer hubs, and venue services.
Special zones have been allocated for high-level guests and delegations, featuring spaces for the reception of heads of state and government, bilateral meetings, lounge areas, and catering services. The main hall for the opening and closing ceremonies can accommodate up to 6,000 participants. The level of preparedness allows for efficient management of high participant traffic, numerous parallel events, and the reception of international delegations.
The primary discussion and side-event zone covers 3.55 hectares, housing conference rooms for thematic sessions, UN events, and bilateral negotiations. The infrastructure allows for various official and business meetings to be held simultaneously. During the forum, approximately 300 parallel sessions, meetings, and events are planned per day. Simultaneous translation will be provided in the six official UN languages, Azerbaijani, and Turkish, with international sign language services available for persons with disabilities.
More than 35 catering points have been arranged across the venue to ensure convenient access and balanced participant flow. A 2-hectare zone houses the Media Center, which features workstations, live broadcast and interview rooms, a press conference hall, TV studios, and a media lounge, accommodating up to 400 media representatives working simultaneously.
The site includes a recreational zone inspired by Icherisheher and traditional Azerbaijani carpet motifs. Participants will also have access to the open-air WUF13 Boulevard, covering 2.5 hectares, designed as a public urban-style space.
The Urban Expo Zone covers 3.5 hectares, featuring exhibition spaces for national pavilions, international organizations, government agencies, local authorities, the private sector, NGOs, foundations, and academic institutions. In total, 121 pavilions have been established, including 41 national pavilions.
A dedicated flag square has been prepared for official ceremonies and designed with fortress-wall motifs. An additional 10-hectare zone for transport terminals and parking-transfer functions has been integrated into the operational area, managing bus and taxi services, parking, and participant orientation.
The registration area can serve up to 70 people simultaneously and process approximately 1,000 participants per hour. Separate accreditation and registration desks have been set up for persons with disabilities. Digital needs are met with primary and backup data centers, large-scale fiber-optic networks, wireless network equipment, and a 24/7 operations center to ensure uninterrupted internet, broadcasting, and digital operations.
WUF13, organized by UN-Habitat and the Government of Azerbaijan, expects to place Azerbaijan at the center of global attention. To date, 32,225 participants from 180 countries have registered, marking a record in WUF history. Azerbaijan will showcase its reconstruction and urban development model in Garabagh and East Zangezur, highlighting "smart city" and "smart village" concepts and the transformation into "green energy zones." WUF13 marks the first time a Leaders' Summit segment is included in the program.