The UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has published a report offering solutions to the global housing crisis. Highlighting adequate housing as a fundamental pillar of sustainable urban development and human well-being, the report underscores the importance of safe, affordable, and well-located housing to achieving the SDGs by reducing poverty, improving quality of life, and transforming informal settlements and slums.

Titled, ‘The Global Housing Crisis: Pathways to Action,’ the World Cities Report 2026 estimates that approximately 3.4 billion people worldwide lack access to secure, safe, and adequate housing. This number includes more than 1 billion people living in informal settlements and slums, suffering from insecure tenure, overcrowding, exposure to environmental hazards, and lack of access to basic services. In addition, the report warns, global housing deficit grew from 251 million units in 2010 to 288 million in 2023, driven by forced displacement due to conflict, violence, human rights violations, and climate-related disasters, among other factors.

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The report highlights inclusive, community-driven initiatives for participatory housing development in Brazil, Cambodia, Jordan, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Thailand, among other countries. Drawing on these examples of good practice, it seeks to help governments, cities, and communities develop practical solutions.

The report also describes housing as a critical driver of climate action and urban resilience. Highlighting the need for energy-efficient, low-carbon housing solutions and resilient urban infrastructure, it recommends inclusive and participatory approaches that drive community-led upgrading initiatives.

The report calls for governments and stakeholders to “recommit to housing as a human right” by placing housing at the heart of sustainable development and for giving it greater political priority through the New Urban Agenda.

A UN news story identifies “a broader role for the UN system” in helping countries move from short-term fixes to long-term housing solutions, backed by human rights, climate resilience, and community participation. The UN can help governments develop housing policies, promote housing as a human right, coordinate international cooperation, support climate-resilient urban planning, and back community-led upgrading projects, according to the report.  

Arguing that housing policy must look beyond homeownership to encompass rental housing, cooperatives, and community-led approaches, the report underscores that progress depends on cooperation between governments, international organizations, and residents themselves.

The report was launched on 19 May 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan, during the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF 13). [Publication: The Global Housing Crisis: Pathways to Action] [Publication Landing Page] [ENB Coverage of WUF 13]