The World Urban Forum, which opened Sunday in Baku, Azerbaijan, continued Tuesday with a special session focused on Afghanistan and the country’s growing urban and environmental challenges.

Ariana News correspondent Naweed Bahar, reporting from Baku, said the panel is expected to feature remarks from the head of UN-Habitat in Afghanistan and will examine key issues affecting the country.

According to forum reports, discussions will focus on the impact of climate change in Afghanistan, the social and economic pressures caused by the return of millions of migrants, and the country’s worsening housing crisis.

An Afghan delegation led by officials from the National Environmental Protection Agency is also participating in the forum and is expected to hold meetings with representatives of several countries and international organizations.

Talks are expected to include environmental projects, international assistance for climate-related challenges, and possible cooperation to help address Afghanistan’s housing and urban development needs.

During the forum’s general session on Monday, several world leaders called on the United Nations to strengthen efforts toward creating safe, sustainable and accessible cities around the world.

Speakers also urged developed nations to expand support for vulnerable countries dealing with climate change, rapid urbanization and housing shortages.

The World Urban Forum will continue through May 23, with a series of sessions dedicated to climate change, urban development and housing issues affecting vulnerable nations globally.

The Iran war is “supercharging” the world’s shift to renewable energy, as countries scramble to reduce their exposure to volatile oil and ​gas markets, the U.N. climate secretary said on Thursday.

The U.S.-Israeli war ‌with Iran has upended oil and gas supplies, prompting some countries to ration fuel and others to roll out subsidies and tax cuts to shield consumers from surging prices, Reuters reported.

Early signs indicate the ​war, which began two months ago, is speeding up some countries’ low-carbon ​transition.

Demand for rooftop solar systems across Europe has surged, while countries ⁠including Pakistan have reported a jump in electric vehicle sales.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called this month ​to speed up the construction of a new energy system to safeguard energy ​security, emphasising hydropower development and the expansion of nuclear power.

“Those who’ve fought to keep the world hooked on fossil fuels are inadvertently supercharging the global renewables boom,” said Simon Stiell, Executive ​Secretary of the U.N.’s climate secretariat UNFCCC.

“Renewables offer safer, cheaper, cleaner energy ​that can’t be held captive by narrow shipping straits, or global conflicts,” Stiell told a meeting ‌of ⁠government officials at the International Energy Agency in Paris.

However, the war has also prompted some nations to increase the use of highly polluting coal or furnace oil-based power generation as they struggle to replace gas from the Middle East.

Turkey’s Climate Minister ​Murat Kurum – who will ​preside over the ⁠U.N.’s COP31 climate summit this year – said fossil fuel dependency now topped the global political agenda.

“The best way to protect ​citizens from the violent convulsions of global energy markets is ​to accelerate ⁠the clean-energy transition,” he said in a statement after the IEA event.

Around 60 governments including Brazil, Germany, Canada and Nigeria, met in Colombia this week for a summit to ⁠discuss how ​to phase out fossil fuels.

Conference hosts Colombia and ​the Netherlands said on Thursday countries had agreed to continue working, over the next year, on ​how to do this in their trade systems.

At a regional water summit in Astana on Wednesday, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the importance of involving Afghanistan in broader regional cooperation on water, climate, and environmental issues.

He underlined that Afghanistan’s participation is essential for effective management of shared water resources in Central Asia, particularly in the Aral Sea basin, where upstream and downstream countries are closely interconnected.

The Uzbek president also called for increased international support for environmental protection and land reclamation projects inside Afghanistan.

He further stressed that long-term stability in the region will depend on the development of a legal framework governing water allocation that clearly defines the rights and obligations of all countries in the basin.

Uzbekistan’s authorities have expressed concern over the construction of the Qosh Tepa canal in Afghanistan, saying it could “radically change the water regime and balance” in Central Asia.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), however, has said that Uzbekistan will not be harmed by the canal.