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.
This side event, co-hosted by the United Nations Global Disability Fund with the Government of Germany, in partnership with national and local governments, UN entities, organizations of persons with disabilities and civil society, will showcase the critical importance of catalytic funding and support for building safe, resilient and inclusive cities. It will highlight the role of the United Nations Global Disability Fund as a catalytic fund that enables local-level partnerships to drive disability-inclusive urban transformation. The event will demonstrate how targeted financing, when aligned with strong local leadership and inclusive governance, can accelerate change in cities and communities. The discussion will focus on UNGDF's flagship initiative, the Resilient and Inclusive Cities Hub (RICH), launched at the Global Disability Summit in April 2025 with the support of the Government of Germany. RICH works directly with cities, municipalities, and local partners—connecting local governments, organizations of persons with disabilities, UN agencies, development banks, private sector and civil society to co-design and implement inclusive and resilient urban solutions. Through catalytic funding and technical support, RICH enables cities to strengthen local systems, pilot and scale innovative practices, and embed accessibility, universal design, climate resilience, and disaster risk reduction into urban planning, housing and service delivery. Central to the initiative is the leadership of organizations of persons with disabilities as local partners, ensuring that solutions are grounded in lived experience and local realities. The event will showcase how UNGDF's global role translates into practical, locally driven impact—supporting cities to learn from one another, adapt solutions to context, and build durable partnerships that sustain inclusive urban development over time. Facilitator: Dr. Ola Abualghaib Partners: United Nations Global Disability Fund (United States of America) BMZ - Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (Germany) Panelists: Ms. Birgit Pickel, Director-General for Sustainable Development and Climate, German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ (Germany) Mr. Prof. Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, Governor of Kisumu County, County Government of Kisumu (Kenya) Mr. Arnulf Rybicki, Director of Construction and Infrastructure, City of Dormund (Germany) Mr. Sanjay Seth, Senior Director for Sustainable Infrastructure Programme, The Energy and Resource Institute (India) Mr. Santosh Kumar Rungta, President, World Blind Union (India) Ms. Francine Pickup, Deputy Director, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP (United Kingdom)
