In Baku this week, amid torrential rains that brought 103 millimetres of water in nine hours—more than five times the average monthly rainfall for May—world leaders gathered to declare that housing is no longer a luxury but a human right that demands urgent political action. The 13th World Urban Forum, organised by UN-Habitat in partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan, drew a record number of participants and held the first-ever World Leaders Summit in the gathering's history, elevating affordable housing and urbanisation to the highest levels of global governance at a critical moment when cities are buckling under deepening inequalities, rapid urbanisation and climate pressures.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres set the tone in his video address, emphasising that housing directly affects people's health, education and future opportunities. "Housing is a human right, and fundamental for human dignity," he said, calling on participants to make affordable housing a shared reality across all nations. He stressed that the crisis transcends borders: no society is immune, whether fast-growing cities in the developing world or advanced economies struggling with high rents and rising homelessness. Both the Pact for the Future—a landmark 2024 UN agreement aimed at strengthening global cooperation—and the Doha Political Declaration from last year's World Social Summit now recognise housing as a priority, signalling that this issue has finally reached the top of the world's agenda.
Yet President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock offered a sobering reminder: there are no quick fixes. "Building more houses is necessary, but it will not be enough on its own," she said. Her message called for a comprehensive approach linking housing with infrastructure, climate resilience, financing and urban planning—one that cannot succeed without the full participation of local communities, civil society and residents themselves.
The scale of the challenge is staggering. Around 1.5 million people move into cities every week, and by 2050, more than two-thirds of the world's population will be living in urban areas. The growth will be concentrated overwhelmingly in Africa and Asia, with nearly 90 per cent of new urban residents settling there. In developing countries today, more than 30 per cent of urban residents already live in informal settlements and neighbourhoods lacking adequate infrastructure—a reality that demands both immediate action and long-term strategy.
Azerbaijan and Somalia now serve as co-chairs of the UN-Habitat Intergovernmental Working Group on Adequate Housing for All for 2025–2026, tasked with coordinating member states' efforts and developing global recommendations on safe, sustainable and affordable housing. President Ilham Aliyev, welcoming participants to Baku, described his country as "the place where East meets West" and pointed to the forum itself as evidence of Azerbaijan's commitment to urban planning and improving people's lives.
The forum's scale reflects the moment. Despite severe weather that forced key events from the Olympic Stadium to the Baku Congress Center and delayed the opening of the largest Urban Expo in WUF history, participants arrived with what UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach called "resilience, determination and a shared sense of purpose." The expo itself—sprawling across 3.5 hectares—brings together 217 organisations from 66 countries, showcasing projects in affordable housing, digital technologies, climate resilience and inclusive urban development. For the first time, housing has the stage it deserves.