Azerbaijan Can Play Critical Role In Supporting Urban Agenda - Director Of UN Office For South-South Cooperation (Exclusive Interview)

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Azerbaijan is already leading on many initiatives in South-South cooperation, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation Dima Al-Khatib said in an exclusive interview with Trend on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

"Azerbaijan has a fantastic model of public service delivery which is called ASAN. It is now also being shared with many countries in the Global South. I think some 30 countries between Africa and Asia are collaborating with ASAN to try to take the success of this model into other countries. This is one example. The second example is the launch of the Global South NGO Platform, which also consists of some 100 NGOs amplifying the voice of the civil society, also to advance the urban agenda. There are many other initiatives where Azerbaijan can definitely play a critical role in supporting the urban agenda and South-South cooperation," she said.

Dima Al-Khatib pointed out that the focus of the WUF13 is on housing, which is an important topic for the Global South.

"For us, it is important that all of the messages that come out of the WUF13 are also relayed to the countries of the South in terms of actions. The different challenges that come with the urban agenda, whether it's climate change, inequalities, challenges related to gender equality, engagement of the youth, can be accelerated and advanced via South-South cooperation, because countries that share common cultural heritage, geography, challenges, can learn from each other much faster. It saves a lot of time and creates solidarity among the countries," she said.

She noted that cities are not only sources of problems and suffering from challenges, they are also sources of solutions.

"Many cities have already come up with solutions that can be shared with other countries, whether in the area of health, agriculture, waste management or even water management. All of these challenges that every city can face also present themselves as sources of solutions. Through the South-South and Triangular cooperation, these solutions can travel from one place to another. Of course, it has to be tailored to the country context, but these are definitely an important mechanism for addressing issues through South-South cooperation.

As you know, by 2050, it is estimated that 70% of the world population will live in cities, in urbanizing environments. And 90% of those 70% are in the countries of the South. There will be lots of pressures on cities. This is why it's very important that the urban agenda is addressed from all levels, policy level, financial instruments level, solutions level. On all of those levels, South-South and Triangular cooperation can be a key mechanism," Dima Al-Khatib explained.

--

MENAFN21052026000187011040ID1111150994