Eastern European and Central Asia Caucus
Organisers
The EECA Regional Caucus is convened by UN-Habitat, through its Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (RoEECA), in collaboration with regional and international partners.
Contact
For further information, please contact:
UN-Habitat Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (RoEECA)
May 21, 2026 | 08:00 - 09:00
(passed)
Summary
The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan, represents a significant milestone for the Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) region. As the largest global platform on housing and sustainable urbanisation convenes in the region, it offers a timely opportunity to elevate regional perspectives, strengthen partnerships, and accelerate implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities.
Cities across EECA are navigating complex and interrelated challenges, including housing affordability, demographic change, climate risks, infrastructure gaps, and evolving governance systems. At the same time, the region demonstrates strong potential for innovation, reform and practical solutions - from housing policy development and urban regeneration to climate adaptation and digital transformation. These experiences position the region as both a contributor to and a beneficiary of global urban dialogue.
Against this backdrop, the EECA Regional Caucus at WUF13 will serve as an informal yet strategic platform for daily coordination, exchange and reflection among regional stakeholders. Convened in the early morning, the Caucus will create space for dialogue, alignment and partnership-building, enabling the region to articulate more coherent priorities and contribute meaningfully to the key outcome of WUF13, the Baku Call to Action.
Building on UN-Habitat’s emphasis on moving from evidence to policy and from policy to action, the Caucus aims to strengthen regional coherence and support a shift from dialogue to delivery.
Objectives
The Caucus aims to provide a dedicated space for participants from Eastern Europe and Central Asia to connect, exchange and coordinate throughout WUF13, while identifying common priorities, challenges and opportunities - particularly in relation to housing, climate resilience and SDG localisation. It seeks to foster partnerships among governments, cities, international organisations, financial institutions, academia and civil society, and to promote peer learning through the exchange of experiences, tools and emerging practices. The Caucus will further strengthen regional visibility and coherence of messaging, including coordinated contributions to the Baku Call to Action, while laying the groundwork for sustained collaboration and engagement beyond WUF13.
Format and Approach
The Caucus will take place from 19 to 22 May 2026 as a daily informal morning gathering from 08:00 to 09:00. It is designed to be interactive, concise and action-oriented, providing a space for both structured reflection and open exchange.
Each session will include a brief framing of the day’s theme or key WUF13 highlights, followed by short interventions from selected participants, open discussion, and the identification of key takeaways and potential collaboration opportunities. The format will prioritise dialogue over formal presentations, encouraging direct engagement, relationship-building and the identification of synergies across countries and institutions.
The four-day sequence is designed to move progressively from setting the scene, to informing policy, to driving implementation, and ultimately to strengthening partnerships and ensuring continuity beyond WUF13.
Participants
The Caucus will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders from the EECCA region, including national and local government representatives, mayors and city officials, UN agencies and international organisations, development banks and financial institutions, civil society and community representatives, academia and think tanks, as well as private sector and innovation actors. Participation is open to all WUF13 attendees from the region, as well as partners engaged in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Expected Outcomes
The Caucus is expected to strengthen connections and partnerships among regional stakeholders, while enabling a clearer articulation of shared priorities and messages across the EECA region. It will support coordinated inputs to WUF13 discussions and the Baku Call to Action, and identify concrete opportunities for collaboration, including joint programmes, events and knowledge exchange. In doing so, it will enhance the visibility of EECA perspectives within the global urban agenda and lay the foundation for continued regional engagement, cooperation and implementation beyond WUF13.