Ahead of the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 17 to 22 May 2026a high-level panel on “Addressing the Global Housing Crisis Together” was held in Geneva organized in partnership with UN-Habitat, Azerbaijan and other partners.
Moderated by our co-director Kamelia Kemileva, the session convened high-level representatives from UN Habitat (Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director), Azerbaijan (Anar Guliyev, WUF13 National Coordinator), the city of Geneva (Alfonso Gómez, Mayor), Belgium (Yves Leterme, former Prime Minister) and Singapore (Penny Low, former Member of Parliament), to exchange on systemic responses to the global housing crisis.
According to UN-Habitat and other UN sources, nearly three billion people worldwide currently live in inadequate housing conditions, with over one billion residing in informal settlements. Further, rising housing costs, rapid urbanization and climate-related risks are deepening inequalities and placing increasing pressure on cities and national systems. The panel emphasized that housing can no longer be treated as a sectoral issue but must be addressed as a core public policy priority linked to social inclusion, resilience and sustainable development.
The discussion highlighted the critical role of local and regional governments in accelerating housing delivery, while underscoring the importance of strong national enabling frameworks, innovative financing mechanisms and multi-level governance. The mayor of Geneva highlighted that Geneva was also affected by the housing crisis. He pointed out to some solution-oriented approaches, such as the possibility for local government to acquire properties and build cheaper housing or the very example of “cooperative housing” which allows access to housing and moderate prices for middle-range revenues.
UN Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach underlined the importance of dialogue among all levels of governments. She also focused on the strategic importance of WUF13, under the theme “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities.” The Forum was highlighted as a unique global platform to galvanize political commitment, foster partnerships across sectors and regions, and shape a strong Call to Action on housing, prepared by co-organisers.
In closing, panellists identified priority actions to be advanced in the lead-up to WUF13 and beyond, reaffirming the need to position housing at the heart of national and urban development strategies and to strengthen collaboration across all levels of governance.