Turkish Expert Praises WUF13 Organization In Baku As Milestone Event

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The execution of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku stands as a tremendous source of pride not only for Azerbaijan but for the entire Turkic world, Ilyas Demirci, a Turkish urban planning expert and Chairman of the Union of Engineers and Architects of the Turkic World (TDMMB), said, Trend reports.

He made the remark during a panel discussion titled "Developing Azerbaijan's First National Sustainability Standard: The Sustainable Practices Standard (SPS)" held within the framework of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

According to him, the high-level organization of the forum and the management of such a large-scale international event in the capital of Azerbaijan represent a significant institutional achievement.

"Managing a global forum of this magnitude, which draws tens of thousands of international delegates daily, remains an incredibly complex task. I extend my sincere congratulations to everyone whose hard work and dedication contributed to the seamless organization of this event," he pointed out.

The official noted that humanity currently confronts severe systemic challenges linked to accelerating climate change impacts, prolonged droughts, devastating floods, expansive forest fires, and other compounding environmental threats. Under these critical conditions, he explained, modern cities must evolve strictly upon the principles of planned urbanization, ecosystem preservation, and structural resilience against natural disasters.

Demirci emphasized that the comprehensive protection of freshwater resources, forest reserves, and the broader environment constitutes a shared collective responsibility spanning all segments of society-ranging from central government entities and local municipalities to non-governmental organizations and individual citizens.

He concurrently highlighted the vital necessity of raising ecological awareness among the younger generation, noting that the Union of Engineers and Architects of the Turkic World has actively deployed diverse initiatives since 2006 to increase literacy regarding global climate change consequences.

"We systematically collaborate with leading academic universities, organizing high-level scientific symposiums and technical meetings to educate youth on environmental threats, natural catastrophe risks, and the foundational principles of a sustainable lifestyle," the Turkish expert underlined.

According to Demirci, the preservation of strategic water resources persists as one of the most critical global challenges, given that climate change, rapid demographic growth, and irrational consumption patterns severely intensify stress on global freshwater reserves. To safeguard the natural environment, he concluded, nations must fortify scientific approaches to water resource management, scale the deployment of clean green technologies, and heavily back regional renewable energy infrastructure projects.

Today marks the fifth day of WUF13 in Baku.

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