BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18. The global housing crisis requires faster, more coordinated and inclusive action from the international community, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Anaclaudia Rossbach said, Trend reports.
She made the remark at the official press conference dedicated to the opening of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held in Baku.
According to her, today about 3 billion people live in conditions of inadequate housing, more than 1 billion - in informal settlements and slums, and over 300 million face homelessness.
She noted that these are not separate problems, but a systemic global crisis reflecting structural shortcomings in financing, planning and management of cities.
"This is not only a housing crisis. This is a crisis of inclusiveness, opportunity, sustainability and human dignity. Housing is the starting point, but the solution lies in how we plan, manage and invest in our cities," she said.
Rossbach emphasized that housing is a human right and the foundation for achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular Sustainable Development Goal No. 11, aimed at ensuring openness, safety, resilience and environmental sustainability of cities and human settlements.
According to her, the central message of the forum is that housing issues must be at the center of integrated urban solutions that combine land policy, basic services, climate measures, mobility and economic opportunities.
The Executive Director of UN-Habitat noted that since its establishment by the UN General Assembly, the World Urban Forum has become the leading global platform for dialogue and action in the field of sustainable urbanization.
She also stated that WUF13 has become the largest forum ever organized by UN-Habitat. More than 40,000 people from 182 countries are participating in the event, including heads of state, ministers, mayors, representatives of the UN, business, academic circles and civil society.
According to Rossbach, despite the growing global consensus, the gap between political commitments and their implementation remains significant.
She emphasized that WUF13 is a platform for practical actions and brings together a global coalition aimed at promoting transformational changes in cities.
Within the framework of the forum, six high-level dialogues, more than 370 events organized by partners, as well as the Global Urban Exhibition, including over 130 expositions, are provided.
In addition, new initiatives aimed at accelerating the exchange of experience and scaling solutions are presented this year, including the Practices Hub, WUF Academy, as well as the Business and Innovation Hub with the Startup Pavilion.
