BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 15. UN-Habitat is set to begin collaboration on the design of two villages in Azerbaijan’s liberated territories, marking a new phase in the organization's regional involvement, Anna Soave, Head of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Azerbaijan, said, Trend reports.

She announced the initiative during the international conference “Shaping Human Capital for Sustainable and Resilient Urban Development" in Baku.

She noted that work is currently underway on the development of a national urban policy.

"In the near future, in partnership with two other UN agencies - UNEP and IOM - we will implement a project in Azerbaijan aimed at climate change adaptation, funded by the Adaptation Fund," Soave said. She added that the organization looks forward to discussing ways to strengthen technical assistance with national institutions, particularly for local authorities.

Reflecting on the agency's growth, Soave reminded participants that UN-Habitat’s presence in Azerbaijan is relatively recent.

"We opened an office here almost three years ago. We were the last agency to be established here and the first UN-Habitat office in the South Caucasus and Central Asia region," she noted.

Soave emphasized that the organization takes great pride in the interest shown by the country's leadership in establishing their presence and initiating operations in the region.