{"id":63861,"date":"2026-05-18T20:32:04","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=63861"},"modified":"2026-05-18T20:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T20:32:04","slug":"maryam-nawaz-for-inclusive-development-must-ensure-that-no-citizen-is-left-behind-13th-world-urban-forum-in-azerbaijan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/maryam-nawaz-for-inclusive-development-must-ensure-that-no-citizen-is-left-behind-13th-world-urban-forum-in-azerbaijan\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryam Nawaz for inclusive development must ensure that no citizen is left behind @ 13th World Urban Forum in Azerbaijan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-subtree=\"aimfl,mfl\" data-processed=\"true\" data-copy-service-computed-style=\"font-family: &quot;Google Sans&quot;, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; border-bottom: 0px rgb(230, 232, 240);\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-63863\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/World-Urban-Forum-Maryam-Nawaz-webb.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"428\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/World-Urban-Forum-Maryam-Nawaz-webb.jpg 700w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/World-Urban-Forum-Maryam-Nawaz-webb-300x183.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/World-Urban-Forum-Maryam-Nawaz-webb-696x426.jpg 696w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/World-Urban-Forum-Maryam-Nawaz-webb-687x420.jpg 687w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><strong>ISLAMABAD : Monitoring Desk &#8211; Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz represented Pakistan at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan<\/strong><\/span><strong>. Attending as a special state guest, she showcased Punjab&#8217;s urban revolution\u2014highlighting infrastructure and data-driven reforms.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Her discussions centered around the \u201cApni Chhat Apna Ghar\u201d housing scheme, environmental sustainability, and waste management initiatives.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing the Leaders Summit, she said it was an honour to participate in the global gathering and praised Baku as a symbol of modern urban development, vision, and international connectivity.<\/p>\n<p>She stressed that governments should be evaluated not by rhetoric but by tangible improvements in people\u2019s lives. \u201cFrom housing to urban resilience, every project I undertake is driven by the courage to challenge the status quo,\u201d she said, adding that inclusive development must ensure that no citizen is left behind.<\/p>\n<p>The chief minister underlined that cities become truly resilient only when development is people-centred, environmentally sustainable, and data-driven, noting that \u201cif something is not measured and assessed, it can never be fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She conveyed greetings from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the people of Pakistan, while thanking the government of Azerbaijan for its hospitality.<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting historical ties between Pakistan and Azerbaijan, she said the old city of Baku reflected centuries-old civilisational links, including ancient trade routes such as Multan Sarai. She also praised Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his leadership in transforming Baku into a globally connected and modern city.<\/p>\n<p>Maryam Nawaz said her visit to Baku marked her first trip to Central Asia and described the city as a symbol of resilience and progress. She added that she felt \u201cat home\u201d in Azerbaijan due to the deep-rooted friendship between the two countries.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"pkCF08lDcs\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cm-of-the-largest-province-of-pakistan-in-baku-to-participate-in-wuf13-meets-president-of-azerbaijan-pays-homage-to-national-leader-heydar-aliyev\/\">CM of the Largest Province of Pakistan in Baku to Participate in WUF13 | Meets President of Azerbaijan | Pays Homage to National Leader Heydar Aliyev<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;CM of the Largest Province of Pakistan in Baku to Participate in WUF13 | Meets President of Azerbaijan | Pays Homage to National Leader Heydar Aliyev&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cm-of-the-largest-province-of-pakistan-in-baku-to-participate-in-wuf13-meets-president-of-azerbaijan-pays-homage-to-national-leader-heydar-aliyev\/embed\/#?secret=KejXUsbtf3#?secret=pkCF08lDcs\" data-secret=\"pkCF08lDcs\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>She said she had come to the forum representing Punjab, a province of over 130 million people, and emphasised that urban spaces are not merely physical infrastructure but places where human dignity is either upheld or denied.<\/p>\n<p>Outlining her government\u2019s reform agenda, she highlighted the Punjab Social Economic Registry, a door-to-door data initiative aimed at ensuring inclusive planning and targeted welfare delivery.<\/p>\n<p>She said housing remained a top priority under the flagship \u201cApni Chhat Apna Ghar\u201d programme, which she described as one of the world\u2019s largest interest-free housing initiatives. According to her, 160,000 families have received housing support, while over 100,000 homes have already been completed and occupied.<\/p>\n<p>The chief minister said the \u201cModel Village Programme\u201d is upgrading more than 2,000 villages with clean water, drainage, paved streets, and solar energy systems, while expanding access to safe drinking water across rural and urban areas.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"whMfnZhx6U\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/world-urban-forum-wuf13-baku-on-adequate-housing-by-tazeen-akhtar-islamabad\/\">World Urban Forum WUF13 Baku on Adequate Housing &#8211; by Tazeen Akhtar,  Islamabad<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;World Urban Forum WUF13 Baku on Adequate Housing &#8211; by Tazeen Akhtar,  Islamabad&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/world-urban-forum-wuf13-baku-on-adequate-housing-by-tazeen-akhtar-islamabad\/embed\/#?secret=kpsdQ2Avd0#?secret=whMfnZhx6U\" data-secret=\"whMfnZhx6U\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>She also announced a major urban development initiative worth over $2 billion, focusing on roads, drainage, water storage, and climate resilience infrastructure. More than 30,000 kilometres of roads have been completed in two years, she said, restoring connectivity and economic activity.<\/p>\n<p>On environmental protection, she said Punjab has launched large-scale plantation drives, including 50 million trees under the \u201cPlant for Punjab\u201d campaign, and has allocated funds specifically for climate resilience.<\/p>\n<p>She further highlighted the expansion of electric mobility, including 1,100 electric buses in the first phase, with plans to scale up to 5,000 electric buses, e-bikes, and e-taxis by 2029.<\/p>\n<p>Discussing sanitation reforms, she said the \u201cSuthra Punjab\u201d initiative employs over 150,000 sanitation workers and is evolving into a waste-to-value system through recycling and energy recovery.<\/p>\n<p>On public safety, she said the Safe City programme has been expanded across Punjab using advanced surveillance systems to improve crime prevention and protect women and children.<\/p>\n<p>Concluding her address, Maryam Nawaz said real development demands courage and consistency, adding that the true measure of governance is not in speeches but in transformed lives.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"l9U4CmiOPN\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-april-may-2024\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 April \/ May 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 April \/ May 2024&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-april-may-2024\/embed\/#?secret=PIrMxJZIm9#?secret=l9U4CmiOPN\" data-secret=\"l9U4CmiOPN\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD : Monitoring Desk &#8211; Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz represented Pakistan at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Attending as a special state guest, she showcased Punjab&#8217;s urban revolution\u2014highlighting infrastructure and data-driven reforms. Her discussions centered around the \u201cApni Chhat Apna Ghar\u201d housing scheme, environmental sustainability, and waste [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1764,8440,8441,109,111,8442,349,4462,2843,560,4017,43],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63861"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63861"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63866,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63861\/revisions\/63866"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}