Baku Continuity Coalition Advances Urban Climate Action at UN-Habitat Assembly
Tanbir Hossain Emon
The Baku Continuity Coalition convened on the sidelines of the second resumed session of the UN-Habitat Assembly on 28 May 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss progress and plan future initiatives in urban, multilevel, and multisectoral climate action.
Since its establishment on 20 November 2024 during the Third Ministerial and Mayoral Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change at COP29, the Coalition has made significant strides. Azerbaijan, the chairing country and COP29 Presidency, updated participants on the development of draft Terms of Reference for both the Coalition and the Special Envoy for Urban Climate Action, key components of the COP29 Declaration on Multisectoral Action Pathways to Resilient and Healthy Cities. Preparatory briefings and side events were also held in Geneva, Switzerland, and Bangkok, Thailand, while a meeting with IPCC representatives further strengthened the Coalition’s work.
Looking ahead, members agreed on plans for high-level meetings, including the First Ministerial Meeting in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, and the Second Ministerial Meeting within the framework of WUF13 in May 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Proposals were also discussed to host a joint pavilion at both COP30 and WUF13 and to align one of the high-level roundtables at COP30 with WUF13’s theme, “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities.”
The Coalition tentatively scheduled its next virtual meeting for the end of June 2025. The Secretary-General of ICLEI attended the Nairobi meeting, highlighting the growing collaboration between cities, governments, and international organizations.
Founding members of the Baku Continuity Coalition include Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Brazil, and the UN-Habitat Secretariat.
