The UN upholds housing as a human right on World Habitat Day

They gathered to commemorate it World Habitat Day This year’s theme is Decent Housing for All.

“Decent housing is not a luxury. It is the foundation for a dignified life and a sustainable city,” said Anacláudia Rossbach, Executive Director PBB-Habitatinstitutions that promote sustainable urbanization.

He emphasized that “housing needs to be treated as a public priority alongside land and basic services”, and underscored the need for greater investment in communities and cooperation between governments, the private sector and civil society.

Millions of people live in slums

In his message for today, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls adequate housing for all people “the foundation of dignity, security, and opportunity.”

But he noted that more than three billion people around the world do not have this universal human right.

“More than a billion people live in informal settlements and slums, and many more are homeless or forced to flee as a result of conflict, disasters and climate change,” he added.

Stuck in poverty

The President of the UN 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 from preventable diseases.

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

More than four walls

Ms Rossbach explains that below UN human rights frameworkhousing is considered appropriate if it meets seven criteria which include service availability, livability, affordability, location and accessibility.

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

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

Everyone is at home

The UN Secretary General emphasized that “investing in adequate housing and transforming informal settlements can reduce poverty, address inequality, build climate resilience, and foster peaceful and inclusive societies.”

He called for coordinated action by central 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 that developing countries need to invest in housing on a large scale,” he added.

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

“On this World Habitat Day, let’s 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 celebrated every year on the first Monday of October.

This marked the start of UN-Habitat Urban October – a month-long campaign to advocate for housing and sustainable urban development that ends World Cities DayOctober 31.