8 October 2026 - Representatives from governments, civil society and academia meeting in Muscat, Oman on Monday called for urgent action to address a global housing crisis affecting nearly 3.4 billion people. They gathered to commemorate World Habitat Day which this year focuses on the theme of Adequate Housing for All.
¡°Adequate housing is not a luxury. It is a foundation for a dignified life and for sustainable cities,¡± said Anacl¨¢udia Rossbach, Executive Director of , the agency that promotes sustainable urbanization.
She stressed that ¡°housing needs to be treated as a public priority alongside land and basic services¡±, underlining the need for greater investment in communities and cooperation across government, the private sector and civil society.
Millions living in slums
In his message for the day, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres called adequate housing for all ¡°the foundation of dignity, security, and opportunity.¡±
He noted, however, that more than three billion people worldwide are denied this universal human right.
¡°Over one billion live in informal settlements and slums, and many more experience homelessness or have been displaced by conflict, disasters, and climate change,¡± he added.
Trapped in poverty
The President of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, Nga Kor Ming, reminded participants that behind the numbers are real people.
Mr. Ming ¨C Malaysia¡¯s Minister of Housing and Local Government ¨C highlighted the plight of families living in homes without legal protection, or even basic sanitation and clean water, whose children suffer preventable diseases.
¡°A house without clean water, safety or legal security is not a home. It is a poverty trap,¡± he said in a video message. ¡°Therefore, to deliver adequate housing for all, we must move away from quick fixes to systemic transformation.¡±
More than four walls
Ms. Rossbach explained that under , housing is considered adequate when it meets seven criteria that include availability of services, habitability, affordability, location and accessibility.
¡°Adequate housing means much more than a physical structure with four walls and a roof,¡± she said.
¡°A family may have a roof and still spend so much on rent that there is little left for food, education, or healthcare. A home may be affordable, but located far from jobs, schools, or transport.¡±
Everyone at home
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General upheld that ¡°investing in adequate housing and transforming informal settlements reduces poverty, tackles inequality, builds climate resilience, and fosters peaceful and inclusive societies.¡±
He called for coordinated action by national 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 developing countries need to invest in housing at scale,¡± he added.
The Secretary-General ended his message with an appeal to the international community.
¡°On this World Habitat Day, let us 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 observed annually on the first Monday in October.
It marks the start of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Habitat¡¯s ¨C a month-long campaign to advocate for housing and sustainable urban development that concludes on World Cities Day, 31 October.