WUF13 has gone down in history as the largest forum ever organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Anacláudia Rossbach said during her speech at the official opening press conference held within the framework of WUF13, APA reports.
She stated that the event is being held at a decisive period for cities and communities, and that global challenges related to urbanisation require faster, coordinated and inclusive action.
“WUF13 is the largest forum ever held by UN-Habitat. Thousands of participants are represented here, including heads of state, ministers, mayors, UN officials, representatives of business, academia and civil society from 182 countries,” she stressed.
The head of UN-Habitat noted that Baku has become one of the main platforms where the global dialogue on sustainable urban development is being conducted.
“We are grateful to the Government of Azerbaijan for hosting this global platform and for its contribution to strengthening cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development,” Rossbach said.
She noted that currently around 3 billion people worldwide face housing insecurity, more than 1 billion people live in informal settlements and slums, while over 300 million people experience homelessness.
“We must recognise that this is not only a housing crisis. It is a crisis of inclusivity, opportunity and resilience,” she said in her speech.
It was noted that housing is a human right and one of the main conditions for building sustainable cities.
“Housing must stand at the centre of integrated urban solutions. This approach should be linked with land governance, basic services, climate action, mobility and economic opportunities,” Rossbach stressed.
