Summary
• Young Liberian climate policy and diplomacy practitioner Ezekiel Nyanfor represented Liberia at the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, participating in six speaking engagements, high-level discussions, and strategic bilateral meetings.
• During the forum, Nyanfor highlighted Liberia’s urban challenges, including flooding, poor waste management, housing deficits, weak infrastructure, rapid urbanization, and growing climate vulnerabilities affecting communities in Monrovia and beyond.
• He called for greater inclusion of youth, women, and local communities in climate and urban development decision-making, emphasizing the need for direct access to climate finance, skills development, and leadership opportunities to build resilient and sustainable cities.
BAKU, Azerbaijan – As cities across the developing world grapple with flooding, poor waste management, inadequate housing, and growing climate threats, a young Liberian voice is helping ensure the realities facing communities in Monrovia are part of the global conversation.
At the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, climate policy and diplomacy practitioner and youth leader Ezekiel Nyanfor represented Liberia in six speaking engagements, high-level discussions, and a series of strategic bilateral meetings with government officials, civil society actors, and international development partners.
Nyanfor used the global platform to spotlight some of Liberia’s most pressing urban challenges, including recurring floods, weak infrastructure systems, rapid urbanization, housing shortages, and the increasing impact of climate change on vulnerable communities.
Throughout the forum, he emphasized that the people most affected by these challenges—particularly young people, women, and local communities—must play a central role in shaping solutions.
“Frontline communities are not just beneficiaries of sustainable city initiatives; they are drivers of the solutions needed to build resilient cities,” Nyanfor stressed during his engagements.
He argued that meaningful progress toward sustainable urban development will require greater investment in local actors, including direct access to climate financing, technical skills, and decision-making opportunities.
His participation also highlighted the growing contribution of Liberian youth to international discussions on climate justice, urban governance, and sustainable development. Through engagements with global stakeholders, Nyanfor strengthened partnerships and helped elevate Liberia’s voice in conversations about the future of cities in the Global South.The World Urban Forum, convened by the UN-Habitat, is one of the world’s leading conferences on sustainable urbanization, bringing together governments, development organizations, researchers, and civil society representatives to address the challenges facing cities worldwide.
For Liberia, Nyanfor’s participation reflects a growing recognition that local experiences and youth perspectives are critical to addressing urban and climate challenges. From the streets of Monrovia to one of the world’s largest urban development forums, his message remained consistent: resilient cities can only be built when communities are empowered to lead the change they seek.
