The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to champion socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities, serving as the focal point for urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. 

Establishment of the Partnership

27 February 2023: The Organization of Turkic States and UN-Habitat signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote urban development that fosters socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements across Turkic States at the OTS Secretariat in Istanbul. Key focus areas:

• Building capacity in urban governance.
• Supporting city-level governance frameworks and participatory budgeting.
• Conducting data collection and analysis on urban governance.
• Organizing public awareness campaigns to advocate for governance reforms.
• Establishing a Regional Urban Forum for the Turkic States.

Advancing Cooperation Frameworks

18 September 2023: During the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, the OTS Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, and UN-Habitat Executive Director convened to discuss:

• A draft Work Plan for collaboration, outlining specific action items, milestones, and timelines.
• The upcoming 2nd Azerbaijan National Urban Forum, envisioned as a platform for advancing urban development discussions and initiatives.
• Preparations for the official opening of a UN-Habitat office in Istanbul, expected to play a key role in regional collaboration for sustainable urban development.

High-Level Urban Planning Meetings

Ministers responsible for urban planning from OTS Member States met in Baku on 30 September 2023. Hosted by the Chairman of the State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture, the meeting included representatives from member states and UN-Habitat. Discussions addressed the need for coordinated urban planning to tackle challenges faced by cities.

Strategic Themes and Commitments

The OTS Secretary General emphasized key themes for collaboration:

• Leveraging green technologies and smart cities in the digital age, as discussed during the 8th Istanbul Summit of the OTS.
• Establishing a platform of experts and IT specialists on smart cities under OTS.
• Advancing resilient, sustainable, and inclusive urban planning.
• The UN-Habitat Executive Director shared insights on global and regional mechanisms for addressing urban challenges.

Focus Areas and Future Collaborations

Heads of Delegation highlighted the importance of:

• Sustainable urbanization and housing.
• Climate change adaptation and funding mechanisms.
• Joint projects on urban renewal and regional partnerships.