On a planet where having a safe roof has become an unattainable luxury for billions of people, ministers, mayors and experts from around the world met this Sunday, May 17, 2026, in Baku, Azerbaijan. The reason, the inauguration of the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), a crucial event that seeks to stop the alarming global housing crisis that today affects almost 2.8 billion people.

The global housing crisis has become one of the biggest social and economic challenges on the planet, which is why authorities from around the world, representatives of international organizations and urban development experts met in the Azerbaijani capital to discuss how to expand access to decent, safe and affordable housing amid increasing poverty, armed conflict and the effects of climate change.

The meeting, organized by UN-Habitat, takes place in a context of increasing pressure on the world's cities, where millions of families face unaffordable rents, a shortage of social housing and precarious settlements.

During the opening of the forum, the executive director of UN-Habitat, Anacláudia Rossbach, called for accelerating public policies and investments that will ensure adequate housing before 2036, a key date of the so-called New Urban Agenda promoted by the United Nations.

“Decent housing is not only a basic need, it is also a tool to combat inequality, strengthen the economy and respond to the climate crisis,” Rossbach told delegations from dozens of countries.

Precarious settlements and climate impact grow

According to data presented at the forum, more than 1.1 billion people currently live in slums or informal settlements, while another 120 million joined these areas during the last decade due to accelerated urban growth, displacement and lack of infrastructure.

Discussions focused on how to make cities more resilient to extreme events such as floods, heat waves and storms intensified by climate change.

The issue gained immediate relevance in Baku, where heavy rains affected streets and highways during the first day of the event, forcing local authorities to activate emergency measures.

Experts warned that the most vulnerable populations are often the first affected by climate disasters because they live in unsafe housing or housing built in high-risk areas.

The construction sector was also identified as one of the main sources of polluting emissions globally, so participants discussed sustainable construction projects, resilient infrastructure and low-carbon urban rehabilitation programs.

The crisis also hits the United States

Although much of the discussion focused on developing countries and regions affected by conflict, several specialists stressed that the housing crisis also hits advanced economies like the United States hard.

American architect Lance Jay Brown said that cities like New York face a growing homeless emergency and housing costs out of reach for millions of workers.

“We have hundreds of thousands of people living on the streets of the United States, despite it being one of the richest countries in the world,” Brown stated during interviews at the forum.

Representatives from war-affected cities also outlined their challenges. The mayor of Homs, Syria, Bashar Al Sebaai, explained that thousands of residents have returned to devastated areas after years of conflict, but face lack of electricity, damaged infrastructure and collapsed basic services.

The World Urban Forum will continue throughout the week with ministerial meetings and working groups focused on poverty, social housing, youth, sustainable development and urban financing.

The organizers hope that the conclusions of the meeting will serve as a basis for future decisions of the UN General Assembly and to strengthen international cooperation in the face of a crisis that already affects both rich and poor countries.