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High-level event on “Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities in the Age of Migration – Towards WUF13” held at UN Headquarters

High-level event on “Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities in the Age of Migration – Towards WUF13” held at UN Headquarters

11:59 7 May 2026

As part of the second International Migration Review Forum held 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 to be hosted in Baku.

Co-organized by the Republic of Azerbaijan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and UN-Habitat, the event was selected as one of the 18 high-level side events scheduled within the Forum at the UN Headquarters.The event aimed to support the global promotion of WUF13 and discuss the nexus between migration and urbanization processes.

Opening the event, Vusal Huseynov, Chief of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, emphasized that Azerbaijan is both the host country of the upcoming WUF13 and the co-chair of the “Champion Countries” Initiative for the current year.He noted that this creates significant opportunities for ensuring synergy between discussions held within the International Migration Review Forum and WUF13.He noted that this creates significant opportunities for ensuring synergy between discussions held within the International Migration Review Forum and WUF13.Highlighting the relationship between migration and urban governance, he underlined the role of this connection in expanding opportunities to harness the development potential of migration.Vusal Huseynov noted that the discussions held at the current event will be continued during the WUF13 to be held in Baku.

Speeches were also delivered by Arthur Erken, IOM’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, and Toni-Shae Freckleton, Director of the UN-Habitat New York Liaison Office.

The event continued with a panel discussion and interactive session moderated by Tofig Musayev, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations.Representatives of 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, foster inclusive and sustainable cities, strengthen social cohesion, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.

Additionally, a policy debate summarizing the outcomes of the roundtable discussions was held on the second day of the Forum.

During the session chaired by the Director-General of the IOM, Vusal Huseynov presented the summary of discussions held within Roundtable 1.During the event, attended by senior officials including the Director-General of the IOM, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Asylum and Migration of the Netherlands, the Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, and the Minister for Migration of Sweden, he shared Azerbaijan’s experience in expanding implementation of the GCM as a Champion Country and stressed the importance of effective technical and financial support in achieving migration governance goals.

High-level event on “Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities in the Age of Migration – Towards WUF13” held at UN Headquarters

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