UNITED NATIONS, Oct 05 (APP):The United Nations Monday reaffirmed adequate housing as a fundamental human right during the global observance of World Habitat Day 2026 under the theme “Adequate Housing for All”.
According to Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, the agency that promotes sustainable urbanization, an estimated 2.8 billion people face housing inadequacy worldwide, with nearly 1.1 billion living in slums and informal settlements.
“Adequate housing is not a luxury. It is a foundation for a dignified life and for sustainable cities,” she said.
Ms. Rossbach 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.
In a message for the day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on national and local leaders to treat housing as a public good rather than a pure commodity or privilege, urging reforms in international financial architecture to help developing nations fund affordable housing.
The main international events and discussions took place in Muscat, Oman, bringing together governments, urban planners, and civil society.
The initiative reinforces Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and the New Urban Agenda to prioritize climate-resilient and inclusive urban development.
In his message, the UN chief 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.
The President of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, Nga Kor Ming, reminded participants in Muscat that behind the numbers are real people.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
