World Urban Forum (WUF): in Baku, the delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine discussed housing reconstruction and community development in the post-war period
22 May 2026, 14:04
A delegation of Ukrainian parliamentarians has concluded its working visit to the capital of Azerbaijan, where it took part in the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF) — a global forum dedicated to examining the impact of urbanisation on urban communities, economies and the climate.
Today, it is one of the most important global platforms under the auspices of the United Nations, where the future of cities and communities is being shaped.
This year, more than 40,000 participants from around 180 countries gathered in Baku, including world leaders, parliamentarians, government officials, mayors, experts, and representatives of civil society and international organisations.
According to Volodymyr Kreidenko, Co-Chair of the group for interparliamentary relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan, the delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine held more than a dozen bilateral meetings with colleagues from other countries and discussed the challenges Ukraine has faced during the fourth year of the full-scale war.
In particular, the Ukrainian parliamentarians met with Azerbaijani colleagues from the working group on interparliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine — Alibala Sattar oglu Maharramzade and Asim Nazim oglu Mollazade.
The parties discussed instruments for mobilising international assistance for the rapid reconstruction of housing and social infrastructure in the affected regions of Ukraine.
The central theme of the World Urban Forum (WUF) was “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities.” For Ukraine, participation in such high-level international events is of crucial importance in the context of preparing the country for large-scale post-war reconstruction.
According to Volodymyr Kreidenko, the voice of Ukraine and its parliamentarians was heard in unison across all platforms and panel discussions.
The parliamentarian drew attention to the importance of uniting the efforts of partners around the issue of rebuilding Ukrainian cities destroyed by russia.
According to him, international support today must be translated into practical programmes of an economic, security, and social nature.
“Our main task at the Forum is to bring partners together around transparent recovery, reconstruction, and the security of Ukrainian communities. We are talking about planning, transparent support for communities, infrastructure recovery, and the return of people to their homes,” Volodymyr Kreidenko emphasised.
He stressed that discussions of these issues in Baku make it possible to see how ready the world is for sustainable urban development after the end of the war in Ukraine, and how far partners have progressed in creating safe cities in their own countries.
The Head of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, Olena Shuliak, took part in the panel discussion “Housing at the Centre of Crisis Recovery and Reconstruction,” dedicated to housing recovery after wars, humanitarian crises, and disasters.
Olena Shuliak emphasised that Ukraine’s experience in this discussion is one of the most illustrative: during the years of full-scale war, russia has destroyed more than 13% of Ukraine’s housing stock.
“When the world talks about a housing crisis, it refers to prices, housing affordability, or chaotic urbanisation. When it comes to Ukraine, it is about missiles, destroyed buildings, and people who have lost their homes in an instant. Today, much is said about reconstruction, but the truth is that a country is rebuilt not by concrete, but by the very moment when a person receives the keys to their home again and understands that they have a future,” Olena Shuliak said.
The MP stressed that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has already taken steps towards recovery, starting to develop new housing mechanisms during the full-scale war.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law “On the Basic Principles of Housing Policy,” which introduced a Unified Information and Analytical Housing System and new approaches to the strategic planning of housing policy.