Reconstruction In Karabakh And East Zangezur Based On Unified Territorial Vision, UN-Habitat Chief Says

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Reconstruction efforts in Azerbaijan's Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions are being carried out based on a unified territorial development vision, Anacláudia Rossbach, executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), said during an event held as part of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Trend reports.

Speaking at a panel titled“Cities at the Center of Connectivity: Urban Reconstruction and Regional Cooperation,” Rossbach said urban planning should be carried out alongside the development of entire territories rather than focusing solely on individual cities.

She noted that when connections between urban and rural areas are considered at the earliest stages of planning, rural communities gain access to markets and services, while cities benefit from food systems, water resources and labor supplied by surrounding regions.

According to Rossbach, transport corridors should serve not only as transit routes but also as pillars for broader territorial development.

“When planning cities, we must plan entire territories,” she said.“When investing in transport corridors, investment should also be directed toward the communities located along those routes - their housing, markets, services, land and livelihoods.”

Rossbach emphasized that this approach is particularly important in post-conflict settings.

“Azerbaijan's reconstruction and redevelopment efforts in the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions are facing these challenges on a large scale,” she said.

Recalling her visit to the region during the National Urban Forum held last October, Rossbach said one of the most impressive aspects was the integration of housing, public services, digital connectivity and green energy networks within a single territorial framework.

“The goal here is not simply to rebuild cities and towns separately, but to restore a functional human geography,” she added.

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