BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Existing housing systems are failing to meet the needs of millions of people worldwide, while emerging housing models still require stronger support and long-term stability, said Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Trend reports.
Speaking Tuesday during a dialogue titled “The Global Housing Crisis: What’s the Agenda for Action?” at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum 13, Rossbach said access to affordable housing remains one of the world’s most pressing urban challenges.
“We all understand the importance of housing for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including healthcare, education, employment and access to water,” she said. “Cities that provide affordable, quality and well-located housing become more productive, competitive and inclusive, while also building a more sustainable economic foundation.”
Rossbach noted that housing has remained central to the mission of UN-Habitat since its founding 50 years ago and was reaffirmed as a priority in the New Urban Agenda adopted a decade ago. Despite those efforts, she said, the global housing crisis continues to deepen.
“This is not simply a housing shortage — it affects one in three people worldwide,” Rossbach said. “It is a systemic failure. Existing housing systems are not working for everyone, and new systems still need to be strengthened and stabilized.”
She identified housing affordability as the central issue driving the crisis, adding that challenges once associated mainly with developing nations are now increasingly affecting cities across the developed world as well.
World Urban Forum 13 is being held in Baku from May 17-22 in cooperation with UN-Habitat and the Azerbaijani government. The forum has brought together government officials, urban planners, private-sector representatives, civil society groups, academics and international organizations from around the world.
