BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Political will and
collaboration can help to create sustainable housing solutions for
people around the world, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Volker Türk said in a video message during the dialogue on the
topic "The Global Housing Crisis: What's the Plan?", held as part
of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), Trend reports.
"Tonight, billions of people will sleep in homes that are
unsafe, unhealthy, or at risk of foreclosure. In cities across
every continent, people are facing forced evictions, soaring costs
of living, and a severe shortage of affordable housing.
Homelessness is on the rise. Large-scale development projects are
displacing millions. The climate crisis is forcing families to flee
their homes and destroying their livelihoods. And in conflict
zones, people are forced to flee and live in extremely precarious
conditions for years," he explained.
According to Türk, those hardest hit by the housing crisis are
those living in poverty and the most marginalized groups, including
women and girls.
"Inequality is deepening both between and within countries. Many
of you are seeing this reality firsthand in your cities and
communities," he noted.
At the same time, the high commissioner emphasized that despite
the scale of the challenges, the global community has a growing
capacity to respond through solidarity, creative solutions, and a
commitment to human rights.
"Some cities are making significant progress thanks to policies
that put people first," Türk announced.
According to him, national, regional, and local authorities must
be guided by human rights principles when developing housing
policy.
Türk underscored that housing policy must be based on the
principles of equality, justice, and human rights, and that housing
should be viewed as a right, not a commodity.
He also emphasized the need to develop sustainable urban
infrastructure amid the worsening climate crisis.
"We need homes and urban infrastructure that are carbon neutral
and able to withstand extreme weather events," Türk pointed
out.
He stressed that national and local budgets play a key role in
financing housing and sustainable infrastructure.
"We now have a window of opportunity. With political will and
collaboration, we can create sustainable housing solutions for
people around the world," he 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.
