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.
