The global housing crisis is hitting wealthy nations as hard as poor ones, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Monday, telling delegates at the World Urban Forum in Baku that “no society is immune, from fast-growing cities in the developing world to advanced economies with high rents and rising homelessness.”
In a video message to the world leaders and policymakers gathered for the forum’s second day of talks, Guterres said the crisis affecting nearly 3 billion people was “accelerating” amid “wider economic and geopolitical instability” and called on governments to put housing “at the centre of sustainable development.”
He linked the issue to personal experience, recalling his volunteer work in poorer neighbourhoods in his native Lisbon. “I saw how profoundly housing affects people’s health, education and future,” he said.
Host country’s leader, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, addressed delegates on the country’s urban transformation.
He pointed to the redevelopment of what was once Baku’s oil-contaminated industrial district into a mixed-use area now known as White City.
“Baku was the first city in the world where oil was produced, back in 1846,” Aliyev said. “Today we have White City, the model of urban development. It’s a city inside the city.”
“In the last 20 years, we created over 100 parks and squares, gardens in Baku,” Aliyev said.
Annalena Baerbock, president of the United Nations General Assembly, told delegates that the consequences of inadequate housing now extended far beyond shelter.
“Without safe housing, health erodes, education is disrupted, insecurity deepens, inequality hardens, and communities become more vulnerable to climate shocks and disasters,” she said.
More than 1.1 billion people live in informal settlements or slums and more than 300 million are homeless, she added. She said construction alone was not the answer.
“What is required is a systematic approach that connects housing with infrastructure, basic services, climate resilience, financing and inclusive planning.”
More than 40,000 registered participants from 182 countries attended the forum, making it one of the most attended editions in its history.
Anar Guliyev, Azerbaijan’s WUF13 national coordinator, said it was the first time in the forum’s history that a dedicated session at heads of state level had been convened, at Azerbaijan’s initiative.
“The World Urban Forum is more than a conference,” Guliyev told delegates. “It is a key platform for advancing global urban policy, strengthening partnerships and supporting the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
“Cities now sit at the centre of challenges linked to climate change, housing affordability, migration and infrastructure resilience,” he said.
Delegates also heard from Nga Kor Ming, president of the UN-Habitat Assembly, who praised Azerbaijan’s hosting of the forum and framed Baku as a symbol of urban transformation and international cooperation.
“It is a profound honour to stand before you in the historic city of Baku, at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road and a city of the future with its modern skyline on the Caspian Sea,” Kor Ming said.
He thanked “the government and the people of Azerbaijan for their extraordinary hospitality and vision.”
“As Baku becomes the capital of the world during this 13th World Urban Forum, let us recall a fundamental promise: when we fail to provide housing, we are breaking a promise to our children,” he said.
The forum’s Urban Expo brought together more than 200 organisations from 66 countries, presenting solutions in housing, transport, energy and climate adaptation. The gathering runs in Baku through 22 May.