At the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, issues of clean air and sustainable urban development were discussed at WUF13

At the initiative of the Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, founder and head of the IDEA Public Association Leyla Aliyeva, and in partnership with the Clean Air Fund (CAF), a high-level forum on the topic "Breathing Life into the New Urban Agenda: Integrating Air Quality and Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Cities" was organized within the framework of the 13th session of the UN World Urban Forum (WUF13).

As reported by AZERTAJ, at the opening of the forum, Leyla Aliyeva's address to the participants of the event was read out. In her address, Leyla Aliyeva noted that air quality is of great importance in terms of health, well-being of urban residents, and ensuring a safe living environment for future generations. It was emphasized that the issue of clean air should become one of the priorities of the modern urban development agenda. Information was also provided about the activities carried out by the IDEA Public Association, the improvement of courtyard areas within the framework of the "Our Yard" project, as well as the work being done in the direction of tree planting, education, and promotion of sustainable transport. The importance of international efforts to reduce air pollution and create greener, more sustainable, and people-centered cities was brought to the attention of the participants.

Those who spoke at the official part of the event — Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Head of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Office in Azerbaijan Anna Soave, Deputy Head of the Office of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan Gulshan Rzayeva, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Umayra Taghiyeva, and CAF representative Cecilia Vaca Jones — noted in their speeches that reducing air pollution in cities is of great importance in terms of protecting human health, strengthening climate resilience, and creating a higher-quality living environment.

The event then continued with panel discussions. Expert of the IDEA Public Association Elnur Safarov, UNEP Regional Coordinator Mahir Aliyev, Programme Manager at the European Office of the World Health Organization Dorota Jarosinska, representative of the CAF Breathe Cities initiative Manuel Trujillo, and Head of the Climate Policy Division of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Fuad Gumbatov discussed international experience and practical approaches towards improving air quality in cities, addressing environmental challenges, and reducing the impact on human health.

At the conclusion of the event, a communiqué titled "Baku Call for Breathing Cities" was adopted. The communiqué reflected calls to recognize clean air as one of the fundamental principles of modern urban development, to include this topic as a permanent item on the agenda of future World Urban Forums, and to encourage closer cooperation in the areas of urban planning, transport, housing policy, green infrastructure, and public health.

It should be noted that within the framework of the high-level forum, various visual materials from the Clean Air Fund, UNEP, and other partners were also presented, as well as an exhibition consisting of works by participants of the international photography project Children's Eyes on Earth.