BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. Faster action is
needed to implement the New Urban Agenda globally, Anaclaudia
Rossbach, Executive Director of the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), said during the Ministerial
Meeting on the New Urban Agenda held within the framework of WUF13
in Baku, Trend
reports.
In her address, she expressed gratitude to the Government of
Azerbaijan and the event organizers, emphasizing that 2026
represents a crucial milestone for the implementation of the New
Urban Agenda.
"This year is not only a year for reporting, but also a year
for defining new approaches. We must identify which steps have
yielded results, where we are lagging behind, and what we need to
do differently moving forward," she noted.
The head of UN-Habitat stated that the New Urban Agenda remains
the core global framework for the sustainable development of human
settlements and cities. According to her, cities are not just
places where problems are concentrated, but are also the primary
platforms where large-scale solutions can be deployed.
Rossbach noted that a number of significant achievements have
been made over the past decade: "Currently, approximately 160
countries have adopted or are developing national urban policy
frameworks. More than two-thirds of countries have approved
national housing policies, and hundreds of cities have submitted
voluntary local reviews."
According to her, urban priorities are also beginning to
feature more prominently in climate policies: "Thus, the share of
national climate commitments that include urban components has
risen from 49 percent in 2021 to 80 percent in 2025.
However, the implementation of the New Urban Agenda is still
uneven and, in many cases, not fast enough."
"Commitments often do not translate into sustained investments,
real results at the local level, and measurable changes in people's
lives," she emphasized.
Rossbach stated that housing remains one of the most serious
challenges on a global scale. According to her, more than 1 billion
people worldwide currently live in slums or informal settlements:
"The problem of housing affordability is deepening in both
developed and developing countries. People living in inadequate
housing conditions are also more exposed to floods, heatwaves,
landslides, and other climate risks. In the last two decades, a
significant increase in temperature has been recorded in more than
80 percent of cities."
The UN-Habitat chief emphasized that the housing issue cannot
be viewed merely as a construction sector.
"This issue is directly linked to land policy, infrastructure,
finance, governance, climate action, and human rights," she
said.
Rossbach noted that the coming decade must be a period of
large-scale implementation. According to her, this requires
strengthening inclusive housing policies, especially for people
living in informal settlements and those at risk of
homelessness.
She also stressed the importance of linking housing policy with
land, transport, employment, public spaces, and basic services.
Concluding her speech, Rossbach stated that UN-Habitat stands
ready to support member states, local and regional authorities, as
well as partners in this direction.
