Azerbaijan is hosting the 13th session of the World Urban Forum in Baku from May 17 to May 22, bringing together tens of thousands of participants from around the world to discuss the future of sustainable cities and urban development.

The forum officially opened on Saturday at the Baku Olympic Stadium and is being organized jointly by the Azerbaijani government and UN-Habitat.

According to organizers, more than 40,000 participants from 182 countries have registered for the event, making it the largest edition in the forum’s history and highlighting Azerbaijan’s growing role as a host of major international gatherings.

Government officials, urban planners, investors, academics and representatives from international organizations and civil society are expected to participate in discussions on sustainable urbanization, climate resilience, affordable housing, digital transformation and the development of environmentally friendly cities.

A key focus of this year’s forum will be Azerbaijan’s reconstruction and development projects in Karabakh and East Zangazur. Officials are expected to present the country’s “smart city” and “smart village” initiatives in the formerly conflict-affected territories, alongside plans to develop the region as a green energy zone.

The event is also seen as an opportunity for Azerbaijan to showcase its long-term vision for sustainable urban planning and regional development to a global audience.

For the first time in the history of the World Urban Forum, the event will include a special Leaders’ Summit segment aimed at increasing high-level political dialogue on global urban challenges.

To accommodate the large international audience, simultaneous interpretation is being provided in the six official United Nations languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish — as well as Azerbaijani and Turkish.

Regional media representatives, including reporters covering the forum from Baku, are also attending the event to provide on-the-ground coverage of the discussions and outcomes.

Mosques in northern Gaza ​on Saturday announced ‌that Hamas’ military wing commander had died, ​a day ​after Israel’s military said ⁠that it had ​targeted the armed ​wing chief in airstrikes.

Witnesses said that mosques in ​Gaza City ​had announced Izz al-Din al-Haddad’s “martyrdom”. ‌There ⁠was no immediate comment from Hamas on the fate ​of ​the ⁠group’s military chief, Reuters reported.

Israel has ​not said ​if ⁠he was killed in the air ⁠strikes.

Tehran has “no trust” ‌in the U.S. and is interested in negotiating with Washington only if it is serious, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday, as talks on ending the war remained on hold.

Araqchi told reporters in New Delhi that all vessels can pass through the Strait of ​Hormuz except those “at war” with Tehran, if they coordinate with Iran’s navy.

But the situation around the waterway, ​vital to global energy and commodities markets, was “very complicated”, he added, during a visit to ⁠attend a BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in India.

In a post on X, Araqchi said he told India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam ​Jaishankar that “Iran will always carry out historical duty as protector of security in Hormuz,” according to his post on X.

Iran ​effectively shut the strait, which normally handles about one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and gas supply, to most shipping after the U.S. and Israel began their war on Iran in February.