On May 12, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the Baku Olympic Stadium to review the preparations for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13). The forum, themed "Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities," is scheduled to take place from May 17 to 22.

Anar Guliyev, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture, and Adil Mammadov, Executive Director of the WUF13 Azerbaijan Operating Company, briefed the President on the progress of the work.

The event venue encompasses a total operational area of 53 hectares at the Baku Olympic Stadium and its surroundings. Of this, 43 hectares serve as the primary event site, while 10 hectares are designated as the main transport terminal and parking-transfer zone. The site is organized into a unified operational system covering registration, session halls, exhibitions, media facilities, transport, technical support, volunteer hubs, and venue services.

Special zones have been allocated for high-level guests and delegations, featuring dedicated spaces for the reception of heads of state and government, bilateral meetings, lounge areas, and catering services.

The main hall for the opening and closing ceremonies has a capacity of up to 6,000 participants. The current level of preparedness allows for the efficient management of high participant traffic, numerous parallel events, and the reception of international delegations.

The primary discussion and side-event zone covers 3.55 hectares, housing conference rooms for thematic sessions, UN events, and bilateral negotiations. The infrastructure allows for various official and business meetings to be held simultaneously. During the forum, approximately 300 parallel sessions, meetings, and events are planned per day.

Simultaneous translation will be provided in the six official UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish), as well as in Azerbaijani and Turkish. Furthermore, international sign language services will be available for persons with disabilities.

More than 35 catering points have been arranged across the indoor and outdoor sections of the venue to ensure convenient access and balanced participant flow throughout the site.

A 2-hectare zone houses the Media Center, as well as halls for Roundtables, Special Sessions, and Dialogues. The Media Center features workstations, live broadcast and interview rooms, a press conference hall, TV studios, and a media lounge. It has a total capacity of 600 people and can accommodate up to 400 media representatives working simultaneously.

The site includes a recreational zone with a visual and architectural design inspired by Icherisheher and traditional Azerbaijani carpet motifs.