They gathered to commemorate World Habitat Day which this year focuses on the theme of Adequate Housing for All.

“Adequate housing is not a luxury. It is a foundation for a dignified life and for sustainable cities,” said Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, the agency that promotes sustainable urbanization.

She stressed that “housing needs to be treated as a public priority alongside land and basic services”, underlining the need for greater investment in communities and cooperation across government, the private sector and civil society.

Millions living in slums

In his message for the day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called adequate housing for all “the foundation of dignity, security, and opportunity.”

He noted, however, that more than three billion people worldwide are denied this universal human right.

“Over one billion live in informal settlements and slums, and many more experience homelessness or have been displaced by conflict, disasters, and climate change,” he added.

Trapped in poverty

The President of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, Nga Kor Ming, reminded participants that behind the numbers are real people.

Mr. Ming – Malaysia’s Minister of Housing and Local Government – highlighted the plight of families living in homes without legal protection, or even basic sanitation and clean water, whose children suffer preventable diseases.

“A house without clean water, safety or legal security is not a home. It is a poverty trap,” he said in a video message. “Therefore, to deliver adequate housing for all, we must move away from quick fixes to systemic transformation.”

More than four walls

Ms. Rossbach explained that under the UN human rights framework, housing is considered adequate when it meets seven criteria that include availability of services, habitability, affordability, location and accessibility.

“Adequate housing means much more than a physical structure with four walls and a roof,” she said.

“A family may have a roof and still spend so much on rent that there is little left for food, education, or healthcare. A home may be affordable, but located far from jobs, schools, or transport.”

Everyone at home

The UN Secretary-General upheld that “investing in adequate housing and transforming informal settlements reduces poverty, tackles inequality, builds climate resilience, and fosters peaceful and inclusive societies.”

He called for coordinated action by national and local governments, building stronger partnerships, and better use of data in decision-making.

“The international financial architecture must also be reformed to mobilize the adequate, predictable, and affordable financing developing countries need to invest in housing at scale,” he added.

The Secretary-General ended his message with an appeal to the international community.

“On this World Habitat Day, let us treat housing as a public good and build a world where everyone has a place to call home,” he said.

A month of action

World Habitat Day is observed annually on the first Monday in October.

It marks the start of UN-Habitat’s Urban October – a month-long campaign to advocate for housing and sustainable urban development that concludes on World Cities Day, 31 October.