WUF: Key Takeaways Towards a 360° Global Gateway Approach
Between 17-22 of May, SALAR International attended the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, and organized the partner-led networking event Towards a 360° Global Gateway: Building Housing, Infrastructure and Local Economies Through Integrated Local Action.
The event convened an important discussion on how the EU’s Global Gateway strategy can be implemented in practice through a comprehensive 360-degree approach, linking infrastructure investments with housing, local economic development, climate resilience, and democratic local governance. The panel brought together valuable perspectives from across institutions and regions, with interventions from the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, UN-Habitat, SALAR International and Regional Council of Rabat Sal Kenitra (Morocco).
A key takeaway from the session is that infrastructure alone is not enough. Sustainable impact depends on connecting investments in transport, energy, housing and infrastructure with:
- strong local governance
- territorial and urban planning
- local economic development
- service delivery systems
- citizen engagement
- institutional capacity
Across the discussion, participants stressed that governance is not separate from investment — it is fundamental to whether investment succeeds.
The conversation also highlighted the importance of multilevel governance, integrated urban development, and placing local and regional authorities at the centre of implementation. In this context, the SymbioCity approach was highlighted as a useful framework to bring together national-level strategies and local action, supporting a more integrated perspective where infrastructure investments are planned alongside social, environmental and economic dimensions, and ensuring stronger linkages between corridor development and urban development on the ground.
During the session, SALAR International shared a new policy brief, “A 360-Degree Approach to the Global Gateway: Strengthening Local Governance for Sustainable and Inclusive Investments”. This explores how governance, territorial development and local institutional capacity can help maximise the long-term impact of Global Gateway investments.
The discussion also dovetailed strongly with parallel WUF13 conversations on growth and transport corridors, reinforcing that major infrastructure investments cannot be delinked from broader urban development processes. Participants stressed that transport corridors, logistics investments, and regional connectivity initiatives only generate sustainable and inclusive outcomes when linked to territorial planning, housing, local economies, and capable local governance systems. Here, the SymbioCity approach was further echoed as a practical way to operationalise these linkages, offering a structured methodology to align corridor planning with local development priorities and institutional capacities.
These reflections closely echoed the emerging priorities of the Baku Call to Action, particularly the emphasis on integrated urban planning, stronger financing frameworks, locally grounded implementation, and the need to connect housing, infrastructure, climate resilience, and economic development through coordinated multilevel governance. The session reinforced that achieving the ambitions of the Global Gateway will require not only investment capital, but also stronger municipal institutions, more effective public financing systems, and long-term partnerships capable of translating large-scale infrastructure investments into inclusive and resilient urban development.