At least 3 billion people do not have adequate homes, and over 1 billion are living in slums and informal settlements, according to UN-Habitat, which is calling for action in the midst of a "global crisis" in housing.
Most of those suffering reside in Asia and Africa, and the agency is urging decision-makers to recognise that without intervention as many as 3 billion could end up living in slum conditions by 2050 – a threefold jump.
To bring discussions and debates to the fore, more than 28,000 people are expected to gather in Azerbaijan's capital Baku for the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), the United Nations’ leading global conference on sustainable urbanisation, to take place between 17 and 22 May.
The event, held every two years and organised by UN-Habitat, is now arguably one of the world’s most significant platforms for discussing the future of cities, housing and urban resilience. The theme this year is “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities.”
Anna Soave, Head of UN-Habitat’s Country Office in Azerbaijan, said that as WUF13 prepares itself to welcome delegates from all over the world, “the housing question is increasingly understood as inseparable from the future of our cities, climate resilience, social-economic prosperity and quality of life.”
