📅 17 – 22 May 2026
Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Join ADB experts at the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) for dynamic high-level dialogues, roundtables, partner-led sessions, bilateral meetings, and the Urban Expo. Discover how ADB is driving sustainable urbanization in Asia and the Pacific – with housing at the heart of resilient, inclusive, and future-ready cities.
The World Urban Forum (WUF) is the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization, convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) every two years since 2001. First held in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2002, WUF has grown in size and scope, bringing together thousands of participants from governments, academia, business, civil society, and communities to exchange knowledge, innovations, and best practices for tackling today’s major urban challenges. In 2024, WUF12 made history, drawing over 25,000 participants from 182 countries.
Objectives
With the theme: “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” WUF13 will spotlight the global housing crisis, with nearly 3 billion people living in inadequate housing, including over 1.1 billion in informal settlements and more than 300 million experiencing homelessness.
Housing inadequacy affects health, well-being, and productivity, while undermining human rights and progress toward sustainable development. Central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, housing intersects with 15 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and lies at the heart of SDG 11, which calls for access to adequate housing and basic services and for slum upgrading. The New Urban Agenda—on its 10th year of implementation—reaffirmed housing’s role in sustainable urbanization and broader development, making it imperative for housing to be placed at the core of dialogue and action at WUF13.
Key focus areas
Dialogue 1: The global housing crisis: what is the plan?
Dialogue 2: Transforming Informal Settlements and Slums
Dialogue 3: Housing at the centre of crisis recovery and reconstruction
Dialogue 4: The climate-housing nexus
Dialogue 5: The social and economic power of housing
Dialogue 6: A new deal for housing finance
Program at a glance
WUF13 brings together main and partner-led events to explore solutions for housing the world and advancing safe, resilient, and inclusive cities and communities. Main events feature opening and closing ceremonies, assemblies, dialogues, special sessions, roundtables, and an Urban Expo hosted and facilitated by UN-Habitat, the Government of Azerbaijan, and other partners. Meanwhile, partner-led events include SDGs in Action, ONE UN, Voices from Cities, Networking Events, WUF Academy Events, Urban Library, Urban Cinema, and hosting an exhibition at the Urban Expo.
At WUF13, ADB will spotlight its commitment to affordable housing, resilient communities, and inclusive urban development across Asia and the Pacific. As global attention turns to the future of cities, ADB will use the Forum to share practical experience, showcase innovative approaches, and deepen collaboration with governments, development partners, and investors.
For the first time, ADB will feature a physical booth at WUF13, presenting its work in affordable housing and urban development. The Forum will also serve as a platform for ADB to launch new knowledge products, including a forthcoming working paper on affordable housing priorities, and to mark its partnership with UN-Habitat through a press event. By bringing together ideas, partnerships, and operational experience, ADB aims to use WUF13 to support stronger policy dialogue, build new collaborations, and help shape future investments in livable and inclusive cities. The delegation will be led by ADB’s Senior Director, alongside the Country Director and Directors from the regional and Emerging Areas teams of the Water and Urban Development Sector Office. See WUF13 Event Details and Programme.
