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A high-level event on “Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities in the Age of Migration – Towards WUF13” held at the UN Headquarters
Within the framework of the second International Migration Review Forum (Forum) held at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters, a high-level side event on “Safe, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities in the Age of Migration – Towards WUF13” has been held to draw attention to the World Urban Forum (WUF13) to be hosted in Baku.
Co-organized by the Republic of Azerbaijan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the event was selected as one of the 18 high-level side events scheduled at the UN Headquarters within the Forum. The main objective of the event was to support the global promotion of the upcoming World Urban Forum to be held in our country, as well as to discuss the nexus between migration and urbanization processes.
Opening the event with an introductory speech, Vusal Huseynov, Chief of the State Migration Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, emphasized that Azerbaijan is both the host country for the upcoming WUF13 and the co-chair of the “Champion Countries” Initiative for the current year. He stated that this creates exceptional opportunities for ensuring synergy between the discussions to be held within the International Migration Review Forum and WUF13. Highlighting the migration and urban governance nexus, the Chief of the Service spoke about the role of this relationship in expanding the opportunities for utilizing the development potential of migration. Vusal Huseynov noted that the discussions held at the current event will be continued during the WUF13 to be held in Baku.
Later, speeches were delivered by Arthur Erken, IOM’s Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, and Toni-Shae Freckleton, Director of the UN-Habitat New York Liaison Office.
Subsequently, a panel discussion and an interactive session were held, moderated by Tofig Musayev, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United Nations. During speeches by representatives of state and local governments, international organizations, academia, and civil society, special emphasis was placed on implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) to promote migrant integration into urban environments, foster inclusive and sustainable cities, strengthen social cohesion, and advance Sustainable Development Goals, as well as on the importance of joint efforts in this direction.
In addition, a policy debate was held on the second day of the Forum, summarizing the results of the roundtable discussions. At the session, chaired by the Director-General of the IOM, the Chief of the State Migration Service presented the summary on the results of the discussions within Roundtable 1.
The head of the Azerbaijani delegation, Vusal Huseynov, also participated as a panel speaker in the high-level dialogue on “Migration Solutions: From Commitments to Action”. At the event, attended by the Director-General of the IOM, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – Minister of Asylum and Migration, Secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Minister for Migration of the Kingdom of Sweden, as well as other high-ranking officials, Vusal Huseynov shared Azerbaijan's experience in expanding the implementation of the GCM as a Champion Country, and emphasized that the effective use of technical and financial support plays a crucial role in achieving the goal.
