Following is Secretary-General António Guterres’ message to commemorate World Habitat Day, to be observed 5 October:
Adequate housing is the foundation of dignity, security, and opportunity.
Yet more than 3 billion people are denied this universal human right. Over 1 billion live in informal settlements and slums, and many more experience homelessness or have been displaced by conflict, disasters and climate change.
Investing in adequate housing and transforming informal settlements reduces poverty, tackles inequality, builds climate resilience, and fosters peaceful and inclusive societies.
This demands coordinated action at every level, with national and local governments shaping bold policies, building partnerships and grounding decisions in sound data. 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.
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.