Azerbaijan has been elected as co-chair of the Bureau of the Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG-H2) on“Adequate Housing for All,” established by the United Nations Habitat Assembly, Azernews reports citing the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kenya.

The decision was made on October 23 during the 2nd session of the Working Group, held at the headquarters of the UN-Habitat Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. Alongside Azerbaijan, Somalia was also elected co-chair, with the co-chairmanship covering the years 2025–2026. Previously, the Bureau had been co-chaired by Kenya and France.

The Intergovernmental Working Group on Affordable Housing for All functions as a secretariat of the UN-Habitat Assembly, aiming to accelerate the development and implementation of global housing policies to ensure safe, sustainable, and accessible housing for all. It also provides policy recommendations and coordinates efforts among member states to address global housing challenges.

Azerbaijan's co-chairmanship marks an important milestone in the country's growing role within global urban development processes, reinforcing its commitment to sustainable housing solutions. This position will also serve as a platform for promoting the outcomes and initiatives of the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), to be held in Baku on May 17–22, 2026, under the theme“Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Settlements.”

Cooperation between UN-Habitat and Azerbaijan has been expanding in recent years. In addition to hosting WUF13, Azerbaijan is a member of the UN-Habitat Executive Board, and experts from the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture and ADA University actively contribute to the Working Group on “International Guidelines for Human-Centered Smart Cities.”

Notably, Azerbaijan hosted World Habitat Day 2023 (WHD23), and UN-Habitat has actively supported the country's National Urban Forums held in 2022, 2023, and 2025, further solidifying Azerbaijan's position as a leading voice in sustainable urban development on the global stage.

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