Housing crisis takes centre stage at World Urban Forum in Baku

Key points

• His video address set the tone for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), which comes at a critical moment as cities grapple with deepening inequalities, rapid urbanisation and a growing climate crisis.
• Organised by UN‑Habitat in partnership with the Government of Azerbaijan, the forum, which has drawin a record number of participants, officially opened today following Sunday’s ceremonial events, which included the first-ever World Leaders Summit in the history of the gathering.
• Housing rises up the global agenda Tweet URL UN‑Habitat officials describe the summit as a major step in elevating housing and urbanisation to the highest political level.
• Guterres stressed that housing directly affects people’s health, education and future opportunities.
• “As Secretary-General, I am proud that the Pact for the Future and the Doha Political Declaration recognize housing as a priority,” he added, referring respectively to a landmark 2024 UN agreement aimed at strengthening global cooperation...