Delegates from 176 countries attending the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, have called for urgent and coordinated global action to address the worsening housing crisis affecting billions of people worldwide.

The call was contained in the “Baku Call to Action,” a comprehensive document issued at the end of the forum, outlining shared priorities and practical steps for governments, development partners and private sector actors to strengthen housing systems globally.

57,000 Participants Shape Global Housing Roadmap

The forum brought together more than 57,000 participants, including over 3,000 online attendees, alongside governments, local authorities, civil society groups, researchers, businesses and grassroots organisations.

The wide participation made WUF13 one of the most inclusive global gatherings on urban development, reflecting diverse perspectives on housing, infrastructure and sustainable cities.

Housing Crisis Linked to Infrastructure and Climate Risks

The Baku Call to Action noted that approximately 2.8 billion people globally live in inadequate housing, underscoring the scale of the challenge.

It stressed that housing must not be viewed only as shelter provision, but as part of a wider system connected to land, infrastructure, transport, public services and economic opportunity.

The document also highlighted how housing inequality is worsened by rising costs, land speculation, displacement, weak governance and climate-related risks such as floods and extreme heat.

Call for Climate-Resilient Housing Systems

A key emphasis of the declaration is the need to integrate climate resilience into housing development.

It called for investment in nature-based solutions, retrofitting of existing housing stock, community-led housing initiatives and improved disaster preparedness systems.

According to the document, vulnerable communities often face the dual burden of housing insecurity and exposure to climate shocks.

Stronger Governance and Financing Urged

The Baku Call to Action also called for improved multilevel governance, expanded housing finance systems and better access to reliable housing data.

It emphasised the importance of empowering local governments and communities to play a stronger role in delivering housing solutions.

UN Highlights Africa’s Housing Deficit

Speaking at a special session on the Africa Affordable Housing Compact, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed described housing as central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

She stressed that secure and adequate housing creates the foundation for progress across health, education, gender equality and climate action.

UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach further warned that Africa’s housing deficit already exceeds 60 million units and could surpass 130 million by 2030 if current trends continue.

She also noted a financing gap of over $1.4 trillion, while highlighting Africa’s rapidly growing urban population as both a challenge and an investment opportunity.

Africa’s Housing Finance Gap and New Compact

Rossbach said Africa receives less than 3 percent of global housing finance despite accounting for nearly one-fifth of the world’s urban population.

To address this imbalance, the African Affordable Housing Compact was introduced, focusing on policy reform, financing pipelines and data systems.

The initiative is built around four key pillars: housing fellowships, deal platforms, data hubs and country-level housing compacts.

A Global Push for Implementation

The WUF13 declaration and associated discussions reinforce a global shift from policy discussions to implementation-focused housing solutions.

Stakeholders agreed that addressing the housing crisis requires coordinated action across governments, investors, and development institutions, with strong emphasis on sustainability, climate resilience and inclusive urban growth.

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The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has warned that the world is facing an unprecedented housing crisis, with about 3.4 billion people currently living without secure, safe, or adequate housing.

The warning was contained in its latest World Cities Report 2026, titled “The Global Housing Crisis: Pathways to Action,” which highlights worsening global inequality in access to decent housing.

According to the report, more than 1.1 billion people are living in informal settlements and slums, where residents face daily risks such as overcrowding, insecure land tenure, exposure to natural disasters, and lack of basic services, including safe sanitation.

The UN agency noted that housing is often delivered in isolation, without proper integration into community planning, environmental conditions, or cultural and social contexts.

It warned that the global housing crisis is being driven by rising construction costs, limited housing supply, forced displacement, and deepening urban inequality.

The report also revealed that only 19 per cent of cities globally have strong civil society participation in urban planning, limiting inclusive decision-making and worsening housing outcomes.

UN-Habitat identified five major interconnected drivers of the crisis: affordability challenges, displacement, informality, sustainability concerns, and poor liveability conditions.

The report stressed that housing must be treated as a global priority and not merely as a market commodity, urging governments to adopt people-centred and inclusive housing systems.

It called for stronger coordination between national and local governments, noting that weak policy integration and fragmented governance structures continue to undermine effective housing delivery.

“Governments should re-establish housing as a public priority,” the report stated, adding that housing policies must align with human rights obligations and broader urban development strategies.

It further highlighted that housing prices have risen sharply worldwide, with global price-to-income ratios increasing from 9.5 in 2010 to 11.7 in 2023, making affordability a growing global concern.

The report warned that inequality is worsening housing pressure, leading to rising rents, overcrowding, and reduced access to decent shelter, especially for low-income groups.

It recommended targeted interventions such as public housing schemes, rental subsidies, and expanded access to affordable credit, particularly for vulnerable groups such as informal workers, migrants, young adults, and female-headed households.

However, it cautioned that demand-side support alone is not sufficient, stressing that supply-side reforms in land management, infrastructure, and housing delivery systems are also critical.

UN-Habitat also noted that climate change is increasingly worsening housing vulnerability, especially in flood-prone and disaster-prone urban areas.

Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Anacláudia Rossbach, described the situation as the result of decades of underinvestment, rapid urbanisation, economic pressures, and repeated crises that have displaced millions of people worldwide.

She noted that despite global commitments under the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, housing shortages have continued to grow rather than decline.

According to the report, the global housing deficit increased from 251 million units in 2010 to 288 million in 2023, while about 133 million people were displaced globally in 2024 due to conflict, violence, persecution, and disasters.

The report also estimated that about 64 million people were evicted between 2003 and 2023, warning that such displacement often pushes affected households deeper into poverty and housing insecurity.

UN-Habitat emphasized that many displaced persons now move into cities, where they often end up in informal settlements with limited access to safe and adequate housing.

It concluded that addressing the global housing crisis requires urgent, coordinated, and long-term reforms that place adequate housing at the centre of sustainable development and human dignity.

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