BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. No single organization can solve the global housing crisis on its own, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) Anacláudia Rossbach said, Trend reports.
She made the statement during the NGO Forum on “Global Partnership and Decision-Making” as part of WUF13.
According to her, the current period is strategically important for UN-Habitat, as the organization has begun implementing its new strategic plan for 2026–2029.
“This is the first year of implementing our new strategic plan, which has a very clear focus on ensuring housing for all, expanding access to land and basic services, transforming informal settlements, and supporting vulnerable areas,” Rossbach said.
She noted that 50 years after the creation of UN-Habitat and ten years after the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, the international community has come to realize that simply building housing is not enough.
“Today, we understand that it is not enough to simply build houses. We need to build systems that actually work. We need to create communities, cities, social cohesion, and a social contract,” UN-Habitat’s Executive Director emphasized.
“There is no single entity that could fully carry out this task and bring together all the necessary knowledge, experience, and diverse perspectives. We have different pieces of a single large mosaic that need to be put together,” she said.
Rossbach emphasized the importance of collaboration at the local and national levels, as well as the need for various sectors of society to participate in the development of urban and housing policies.
“We must collaborate at the city level, ensure public participation in urban planning, and establish sustainable participation mechanisms involving various sectors. At the same time, the local level must work in tandem with the national level, and civil society, academia, public organizations, and the private sector must participate in the development of housing and urban policies,” she added.
Meanwhile, the third day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) is underway in Baku.
On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban well-being were held. A ceremony for raising the flags of the United Nations and Azerbaijan also took place within the framework of the forum.
The second day of the forum drew attention with the first-ever Leaders Summit. High-level discussions on the global housing crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience were held that day. At the same time, the Mexico City pavilion was inaugurated within the framework of WUF13. The pavilion was presented as an important platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin American region and preparing for WUF14.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities,” the forum brings together governments, international organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development.
