WUF Calls for Urgent Action to Address Global Housing Crisis

At the conclusion of its 12th edition, on Friday, the World Urban Forum (WUF) called for urgent action to address the global housing crisis.

The declaration issued at the conclusion of the forum “Call to Action” stressed that addressing the global housing crisis is a prerequisite for accelerating the 2030 Agenda, achieving poverty eradication, climate action, crisis response and recovery.

The declaration issued at the conclusion of the work of the World Urban Forum (Call to Action) stated that the participants in the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum in Cairo realized that urbanization represents an irreversible trend and a transformative force, which can be invested to advance social justice, economic growth, protect the environment and achieve well-being depends on how we plan, govern and manage urban areas.

Participants affirmed the commitment to promote sustainable urbanization through the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the 2030 Agenda, which contributes to accelerating progress towards other global development goals.

They pointed out that the “Pact for the Future”, adopted at the Future Summit in September 2024, includes commitments to ensure universal access to adequate, safe and affordable housing; support sustainable, equitable, healthy and resilient city plans; and promote the localization of sustainable development, taking into account future generations and the role of digital technology in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

They recognized that the beginning starts locally, where local action is essential for achieving sustainable development; it also begins with solidarity, where accelerating progress towards sustainable cities and communities requires the cooperation of all parties across different sectors, levels and locations; and the beginning now, where it is necessary to confront unprecedented and interconnected crises.

They highlighted that effective participation and cooperation among all stakeholders, including local governments, non-governmental and community-based organizations, the humanitarian and development sector, the private sector, financial institutions, women, children and youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, professions and academic institutions, trade unions, employers, refugees and displaced persons, service providers, faith-based organizations and cultural associations, is essential to making cities inclusive, safe, healthy, resilient and sustainable.

According to the Cairo Declaration, participants stated that access to adequate housing is a human right, but the scale of the global housing crisis is unprecedented, with about 3 billion people around the world facing some kind of housing shortage, and 1.1 billion of them live in informal neighborhoods and informal areas. Addressing this crisis requires a collective commitment to policies and investments that make housing the basis for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

They noted that cities are at the forefront of climate action and achieving global goals for climate change mitigation and adaptation, stressing that urban climate action is essential to manage greenhouse gas emissions while reducing climate impacts that threaten lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

They realized that conflicts and humanitarian crises continue to destroy lives and homes, as cities have become havens and hosts for displaced populations, and the humanitarian challenges posed by these crises highlight the need for resilient urban systems that can adapt and respond to the needs of all people, and promote social cohesion and the reconstruction of homes.

They called for the following actions to be taken and promoted in the context of sustainable urbanization, and urgent action to address the global housing crisis by addressing the global housing crisis is a prerequisite for accelerating the 2030 Agenda, achieving poverty eradication, climate action, crisis response and recovery.

They pointed out that the fragility of informal areas and slums requires their urgent transformation, through local action, and the response to the housing affordability crisis remains critical in the context of the challenge of homelessness. Access to basic services is at the core of adequate housing, and digital technology can be used to support the provision of these services.

They called for the right to adequate housing to be prioritized in local, national and global frameworks to ensure dignity and empowerment for all and as a pillar of social protection.

They called for achieving the global goals through local action through the achievement of the global goals at the local level that requires effective localization in line with national frameworks and the priorities of communities, as it is necessary to strengthen multi-level governance through meaningful cooperation between all parties, coordination across sectors to coordinate policies and implementation, and given the specifics of each place and society, we call for local actors to be empowered with the necessary institutional and financial resources and capacities to turn the global goals into local action.

They also called for systematic and continuous representation of local actors at all levels and for SDG localization to occur only when all parties, cities and communities have decision-making power.

They stressed the role of youth, women and persons with disabilities essential to local action, calling for systematic and sustainable representation of communities as political actors in local and national decision-making processes, and the representation of local and regional governments and other parties in multilateral systems.

They also called for the comprehensive sharing of urban spaces and opportunities, as the localization of the SDGs must include everyone without exception and access to public spaces, infrastructure, services and economic opportunities for all is essential for inclusive cities.

Participants called for nurturing cities where everyone feels safe and belonging, where women, children and young people, people with disabilities, the elderly, indigenous groups, low-income families, migrants and refugees are safe and integrated.

Participants urged urban planning to achieve better local results, as urban planning is essential to addressing challenges and achieving the benefits of urbanization, and effective urban planning is the backbone for achieving inclusiveness, flexibility and sustainability.

They demanded that convergence and the circular economy be made central to urban development to ensure efficient resource consumption, economic prosperity and social justice.

Participants called for funding for cities and communities by bridging the funding gap to achieve urban development needs is urgent, and this requires increased funding flows to local and regional governments and communities, while improving urban planning and legislation to make the best use of revenue sources and enhance access to financial markets.

They highlighted the importance of achieving justice and equality for sustainable cities, where meeting the needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups is an essential part of urban planning and resource allocation, including promoting equitable access to housing, services and economic opportunities.

They called for the promotion of justice and equality to ensure equal opportunities for all residents, and for local data to be used in decision-making, as local data is a means to empower communities.

They pointed to the need to use local and participatory data as a means to achieve social inclusion and develop more local urban policies.

They also called for the use of culture and heritage as ingredients for sustainability, as cultural diversity is essential for sustainable cities and communities. We need to integrate local traditions and indigenous knowledge into urban development, we call for the employment of cultural heritage to drive social inclusion, promote resilience and provide sustainable economic opportunities.

They pointed to the importance of building alliances to increase local impact, as the scale and nature of urban development challenges require stronger cooperation to achieve progress, alliances that bring together communities, local and national governments, the private sector and civil society can be effective tools to address local challenges in line with national and global goals.