3 October 2016: UN leaders highlighted the role of sustainable urban development in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda during their observation of the annual World Habitat Day. The theme for the 2016 Day was ‘Housing at the Centre,’ and related activities aimed to raise awareness about adequate housing as a universal human right for all in cities, towns and urban areas.

Providing access to adequate housing for all is one of the priorities in the New Urban Agenda, which governments are expected to adopt at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III). In addition, SDG target 11.1 aims to, by 2030, “ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.”

In his message for the Day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that achieving the SDGs “will depend, in large part, on whether we can make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” The New Urban Agenda, he said, will help to achieve this aim by setting standards for sustainable urban development and rethinking “how we plan, manage and live in cities.” Ban further underscored the importance of access to adequate housing for all in achieving these goals and guaranteeing dignity and opportunity for all.

According to the UN, approximately one quarter of the world’s urban populations lives in slums and informal settlements. This lack of access to adequate housing contributes to additional urbanization challenges, including lack of access to basic services and isolation from livelihood opportunities. A further challenge is the increasing demand for housing, particularly in urban centers, with the UN estimating that one billion new houses will be needed by 2025 to accommodate 50 million new urban dwellers annually.

UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) Executive Director Joan Clos reflected, “our cities and homes define who we are, in many ways.” He said they determine access to education and job opportunities, the ability to lead a healthy life, and the level of engagement in community life. Clos stressed that adequate housing is “much more than having four walls and a roof” but also requires affordability, location and availability of basic services, such as water and sanitation. Finally, he said that housing policies have been under-prioritized in national and international development agendas for the past 20 years, and called for “coherence and continuity of a public policy pursuing housing affordability regardless of the level of development of the country or the price of its land.”

The Global Network of Cities, Local and Regional Governments (UCLG) reaffirmed its commitment to the Right of the City for all, including the right to housing and social production of habitat, and called for making the New Urban Agenda a reality. [UN Press Release] [UN Secretary-General Statement] [UN-HABITAT Executive Secretary Statement] [UCLG Press Release] [UN World Habitat Day Website] [Urban October Website]