The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 17 to 22 May 2026. The theme of WUF13 is: Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities.
Co-hosted by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, this session focuses on expanding access to finance at the subnational level to address critical urban infrastructure needs. As cities continue to grow, municipal governments, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, face investment requirements that far exceed available public and development finance, underscoring the need for stronger fiscal frameworks and greater use of commercial and repayable financing. The session will examine the key constraints that limit municipal access to finance and explore practical policy and institutional solutions to address them. Drawing on World Bank Group's analytical work, the discussion will highlight reforms to strengthen municipal creditworthiness, improve enabling environments, and mobilize private capital. The session will include perspectives from city leaders, national institutions, and private investors. Objectives: • Examine the key constraints that limit municipal access to finance. • Explore practical policy and institutional solutions to address these constraints. • Highlight reforms to strengthen municipal creditworthiness and improve enabling environments. • Discuss pathways to mobilize private and repayable finance for urban infrastructure. Facilitator: Priscilla Negreiros Partners: The World Bank Group (United States of America) Asian Development Bank ADB (Philippines) Panelists: Mr. Ming Zhang, Global Director for Urban, Subnational Finance, Tourism, and Disaster Management, The World Bank Group (China) Ms. Valerie Levkov, Vice President for Infrastructure, The World Bank Group (Croatia) Mr. Sanjay Kulshrestha, Chairman, Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) (India) Mr. Srinivas Sampath, Director, Emerging Business Areas, Asian Development Bank ADB (Philippines) Ms. Roland White, Global Lead for City Finance and Institutions, The World Bank Group (Germany)
