At the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, urban development and climate experts examine how informal settlements and slums have become some of the places most exposed to the impacts of climate change. David Dodman (IHS, Erasmus University Rotterdam), Sarah Sabry (Save the Children), Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (UNEP), and Jose Antonio Puppim De Oliveira (FGV) discuss how flooding, extreme heat, inadequate infrastructure, and uneven access to urban services are affecting vulnerable communities, particularly children and families living in informal settlements. They reflect on the interconnected nature of urban systems and the need for faster, more inclusive, and climate-resilient approaches that strengthen informal settlements and support safer, more sustainable cities.
Video Producer Rosalie Boyle
Videographer Andres Felipe Carvajal Gomez
For more information about WUF13, please visit: https://enb.iisd.org/world-urban-forum-wuf13
#WUF13 #HousingTheWorld #Baku2026 #RoadtoBaku
The music we used is called "Euphoria Art" by Cody Martin.
Ambassador Lewis Garseedah Brown II, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Liberia to the United Nations, on behalf of the ICC Caucus (Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Panama, UK), spoke to reporters, following the ICC Deputy Prosecutor’s briefing to the Security Council on Libya.
Noon Briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
– Ukraine/Russia
– security council
– Deputy Secretary-General/Azerbaijan
– Ebola
– MONUSCO
– Lebanon/Humanitarian
– UNIFIL
– Occupied Palestinian Territory
– Bangladesh
– Afghanistan
– Nigeria
– Cuba
– Colombia
– Biological Biodiversity
– International Days
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UKRAINE/RUSSIA
We are following with concern the reports of the overnight attack on
college building and dormitory in the town of Starobilsk in the Luhansk
region of Ukraine, under temporary occupation by the Russian Federation,
resulting in multiple deaths and persons injured, including children.
We strongly condemn any attacks against civilians and civilian
infrastructure, wherever they occur. As the Secretary-General has
repeatedly underscored, such attacks are prohibited under international
humanitarian law and must end immediately. We urge all concerned to
refrain from any actions that would further escalate the already dangerous
situation.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This afternoon, the Security Council is scheduled to meet on Ukraine, at the
request of the Russian Federation. Edem Wosornu, the Director of the Crisis Response Division, together with the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa
Frazier. And this morning, the Security Council heard a briefing on Libya by the
ICC. ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan briefed via VTC.
DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL/AZERBAIJAN
The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, participated today in the
closing ceremony of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku.
She stressed that the next decade of the New Urban Agenda demands
greater ambition, increased climate resilience and faster execution.
Ms. Mohammed also joined a discussion entitled “the Women’s Roundtable
on Adequate Housing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of
Women.” In her remarks, she underscored the need to place women and
girls at the heart of housing and urban development, and to ensure that this
is reflected in discussions and outcomes across the World Urban Forum.
Later in the day the Deputy Secretary-General visited Azerbaijan’s
“ASAN Khidmat”, a network of one-stop, citizen-friendly service hubs that
bring multiple government services together under one roof. The concept
has received international recognition and serves as an inspiring model for
other countries. This evening, the Deputy Secretary-General will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates to meet with senior government officials.
EBOLA
Today, Tom Fletcher, the Emergency Relief Coordinator, has allocated up to
$60 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to accelerate the
response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
and the wider region. A first tranche of $10 million has
just been released for the DRC.
The humanitarian community is fully mobilized, he said, with the
World Heath Organization (WHO) leading the response on our side. Mr.
Fletcher said we are applying lessons from previous
outbreaks: containment depends on fast, coordinated action at the
community level. More staff from key UN agencies and partners are
deploying this weekend to reinforce the effort.
Full Highlight:
https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-05-22
“In Gaza, delays in the implementation of UNSCR 2803, alongside daily violence and a continuing humanitarian crisis, have replaced the early momentum following the ceasefire,” the UN’s Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process said.
As the Security Council held its monthly briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov said, “In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settlement expansion, settler-related violence, and incitement continue to drive tensions. As talks on advancing to Phase II of the ceasefire continue, calls are emerging in some circles for a resumption of widespread hostilities.”
Alakbarov also said, “As diplomatic efforts continue, people’s lived reality in Gaza is marked by deep uncertainty. Israeli strikes continue on a nearly daily basis, killing dozens, alongside armed activity by Hamas and other Palestinian groups. Israeli authorities have said that strikes by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have targeted Hamas militants and related infrastructure. The Israeli Government said that it now controls 60 percent of Gaza, up from 52 percent since the ceasefire.”
Turning to the West Bank again, he said, “Throughout the West Bank, the frequency and severity of settler attacks have significantly increased in 2026, with some 220 Palestinian communities having faced attacks, which are increasingly leading to the displacement of entire communities.”
At the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, global leaders and housing experts reflect on the growing pressures shaping the global housing crisis and the urgent need to rethink housing as a foundation for dignity, opportunity, and sustainable development. Dr. Koldo Casla (Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing), Xenya Scanlon (UNCCD), Thembisile Simelane (Minister of Human Settlements, South Africa), and Jonathan Reckford (Habitat for Humanity International) discuss the structural inequalities, environmental pressures, rapid urbanization, and governance challenges affecting cities and communities around the world. They emphasize the importance of inclusive housing systems, stronger public leadership, and cross-sector partnerships that place communities at the center of efforts to build more equitable, resilient, and sustainable urban futures.
Video Producer Rosalie Boyle
Videographer Andres Felipe Carvajal Gomez
For more information about WUF13, please visit: https://enb.iisd.org/world-urban-forum-wuf13
This press conference will mark the closing of the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) and highlight key outcomes and messages from the week.
Organizers: UN-Habitat and State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
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.
At the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, global leaders and housing experts reflect on the growing pressures shaping the global housing crisis and the urgent need to rethink housing as a foundation for dignity, opportunity, and sustainable development. Dr. Koldo Casla (Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing), Xenya Scanlon (UNCCD), Thembisile Simelane (Minister of Human Settlements, South Africa), and Jonathan Reckford (Habitat for Humanity International) discuss the structural inequalities, environmental pressures, rapid urbanization, and governance challenges affecting cities and communities around the world. They emphasize the importance of inclusive housing systems, stronger public leadership, and cross-sector partnerships that place communities at the center of efforts to build more equitable, resilient, and sustainable urban futures.
Video Producer Rosalie Boyle
Videographer Andres Felipe Carvajal Gomez
For more information about WUF13, please visit: https://enb.iisd.org/world-urban-forum-wuf13
Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.
Highlights:
Briefing – Tomorrow
General Assembly resolution on the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on climate change
Bolivia
UNRWA
Security Council
Occupied Palestinian Territory
UNIFIL
Lebanon
Deputy Secretary-General
Democratic Republic of the Congo/Ebola
Sudan
International Days
Financial contribution
BRIEFING – TOMORROW
Tomorrow, 22 May, at 6:30 p.m., there will be a briefing by Ambassador Do Hung Viet, President of the Eleventh Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION ON THE ICJ’S ADVISORY OPINION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Yesterday, the Secretary-General issued a statement welcoming the adoption by the General Assembly of a resolution following up on the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on climate change.
The world’s highest body has spoken, he said and yesterday, the General Assembly has answered.
The Secretary-General said this is a powerful affirmation of international law, of climate justice, of climate science, and the responsibility of states to protect people from the escalating climate crisis.
He commended the leadership of Pacific Island countries and other Small Island Developing States — together with the young people whose moral clarity helped bring the world to this moment.
Those least responsible for climate change are paying the highest price, he said. That injustice must end, Mr. Guterres explained.
The science is clear: fossil fuels are the primary driver of the climate crisis. The path to climate justice runs through a rapid, a just, and an equitable transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. Renewables have proved to be the cheapest and the most secure form of energy supply.
The task ahead is clear the Secretary-General concluded: keep 1.5°C within reach and build a safer, fairer, and more resilient future for all.
BOLIVIA
The Secretary-General is following developments in Bolivia with concern, including reports of violence and protests that have disrupted essential services.
The Secretary-General encourages all relevant actors to engage in inclusive and constructive dialogue to address grievances peacefully, with a view to de‑escalating tensions and safeguarding the country’s democracy and stability.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-05-21
Joint comments to the media by Frank Grütter, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations, on behalf of 86 Member States having endorsed the Joint Commitments to the Protection of Civilians amid Reforms and Constraints.
‘First symptoms of Ebola can appear suddenly’, tells Emergency Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Marie Roseline Belizaire, adding that they can deteriorate to extensive bleeding.
Speaking in an interview with UN News, Dr Belizaire stresses that WHO’s response relies on community-based approaches: ‘Every epidemic begins in a community and ends in a community’, she concludes.
#worldhealthorganisation #ebolavirus
