As global attention turns to the 13th session of the World Urban Forum 13 in Azerbaijan's capital Baku, Uzbek media are highlighting the country’s rapid urban transformation and growing role in shaping the future of sustainable cities.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is set to address the Leaders Summit at the UN-backed forum, which is being held under the theme “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Communities”, The Caspian Post reports via UzDaily.

The major international gathering is organized by the UN-Habitat together with Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture. The forum’s agenda focuses on tackling the global housing crisis, improving urban resilience and building smarter, more sustainable communities.

Uzbek media emphasized that urbanization has become one of the country’s top national priorities under Mirziyoyev’s leadership. Over the past eight years, more than 120 million square meters of housing - including over 600,000 homes and apartments - have been built across Uzbekistan. Authorities also provided preferential mortgages and subsidies worth 103 trillion sums to more than 541,000 citizens.

As a result, Uzbekistan’s urbanization level has risen from 40.3% in 1991 to 51% today, with nearly 20 million people now living in cities.

The report also highlighted sweeping reforms in the construction sector. Nearly 10,000 construction companies have launched operations over the last nine years, while building permit procedures have been dramatically simplified. More than 140 new urban planning standards have also been introduced.

The United Nations sees cities as a key battleground in addressing climate change, infrastructure pressures and migration challenges. Discussions at WUF13 are expected to focus heavily on affordable housing, smart cities, transport systems, waste management and climate-resilient urban infrastructure.

The forum’s final document - the anticipated “Baku Call to Action” - is expected to outline practical global measures to tackle the worsening housing crisis and guide future urban development policies worldwide.

With more than 40,000 participants from 182 countries attending, World Urban Forum 13 has turned Baku into one of the world’s leading platforms for discussions on the future of cities, sustainability and urban innovation.