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 ONE UN event, co-organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UN-Habitat, and the Government of Azerbaijan, will spotlight how AI-enabled solutions are transforming urban planning and decision-making, supporting the development of smart, resilient, and people-centred cities and communities. The session will showcase the work of the United for Smart Sustainable Cities (U4SSC) Initiative, a UN initiative supported by 20 UN entities, and its globally recognized Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Smart Sustainable Cities, which have been implemented in more than 250 cities worldwide. The KPIs demonstrate how cities use data and evidence to improve housing policy, infrastructure resilience, service delivery, and overall quality of life. During the session, selected U4SSC deliverables will be officially launched, offering practical tools to support policymakers and city leaders in evidence-based urban decision-making. In addition, the event will present key outcomes from the 3rd UN Virtual Worlds Day (11 May 2026), highlighting how AI, spatial intelligence, digital twins, virtual worlds, agentic AI systems, and embodied AI applications can support cities in translating global digital principles into trusted, people-centred urban planning and resilience strategies. Participants will also be introduced to the intersection of AI, the emerging concept of spatial intelligence, and the Citiverse, and how this convergence can support inclusive urban planning, housing design, disaster preparedness, and participatory decision-making. Designed as an interactive, solution-oriented dialogue, the session will connect global frameworks with real urban practice, offering participants concrete tools, partnerships, and insights that can be applied beyond WUF13. Facilitator: Farid Nakhli Partners: ITU - International Telecommunication Union (Switzerland) UN-Habitat (Kenya) Government of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan) Panelists: Mr. Seizo Onoe, Director, Telecommunication Standardization Bureau, International Telecommunication Union ITU (Switzerland) Ms. Yining Zhao, Project Officer, International Telecommunication Union ITU (Germany) Ms. Matthew Bach, Director, ICLEI (Germany) Mr. Dmitry Ontoev, Advisor to the Minister, The Government of Moscow (Russian Federation) Ms. Nicholas You, Executive Director, Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation (China)
