Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Nearly three billion people worldwide lack adequate housing, making it one of the most pressing human rights challenges, according to UN-Habitat, the UN agency for sustainable urban development and housing. Over one billion people live in informal settlements, and homelessness affects more than 300 million individuals across both the Global South and North. In Africa, 62% of urban dwellings are informal, while in the Asia-Pacific region, over 500 million lack basic water services and more than a billion live without adequate sanitation.
Actor and humanitarian Richard Gere emphasized the urgency of addressing housing insecurity, stating in a video message for an upcoming conference that without safe homes, individuals lack access to health, education, and stable employment. He described homelessness as a denial of fundamental rights including security, healthcare, privacy, and human dignity.
Housing insecurity will be central at the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, where stakeholders will discuss solutions to create safe and resilient cities. The forum is organized under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities.”
The Gere Foundation, HOGAR SÍ, a Spanish housing organization, and UN-Habitat are working together to promote global access to adequate housing. They emphasize that homelessness is the result of societal failures and that addressing it requires long-term political will, stronger social protection systems, and housing-centered policies. UN-Habitat’s Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach noted that this collaboration reflects the need for global cooperation in tackling urban challenges.