BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. The future of democracy in the housing agenda is under threat, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Emilia Saiz, said during a dialogue entitled "The Global Housing Crisis: What's the Plan?" held at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), Trend reports.
According to her, the housing crisis is no longer a problem solely of the Global North or the Global South, but has become a structural challenge to both development and democracy.
"The future of democracy is at stake in the housing agenda because we are no longer talking only about upgrading slums or informal settlements as a problem. We are also talking about people who have jobs but still face housing difficulties. This is not a new problem, but today it is becoming increasingly visible, and its scale is rapidly growing," she said.
Saiz noted that the municipal community recognizes the need to review existing approaches to housing policy.
"We continue to build social housing in the wrong places. And we continue to do so with the participation of many institutions represented in this room today. This must change," she emphasized.
According to her, many countries continue to evict people who have built their own housing in informal areas.
"People are evicted either because services cannot be provided in these areas, or because land values have risen, and land is viewed solely as a source of income. In many parts of the world, both land and housing are perceived as commodities," said the UCLG Secretary General.
She underscored that local and regional authorities are an integral part of both the problem and its solution.
"We need to change approaches. We must encourage national governments to develop new strategies, engage communities in defining how they want to live, and take into account indigenous knowledge," Saiz said.
According to her, in the face of climate change and increasing migration, it is especially important to jointly shape the living environment and approaches to housing.
"In a changing world, where climate change and population displacement are altering demographics, it is crucial to jointly create housing and the urban environment, protect people from displacement, and provide essential services," she added.
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.
