World Habitat Day: UN urges stronger, inclusive cities to ensure safety, belonging for all
On World Habitat Day, the UN called on the world to join forces to build stronger cities that ensure safety and belonging for all, WAM reports.
The 2025 theme, Urban crisis response, focuses on addressing multiple crises affecting urban areas, including climate and conflicts, that are contributing to inequality, and promotes existing tools and approaches to effective crisis response. It highlights the urgent need for cities to respond to overlapping challenges, from housing insecurity to climate shocks.
The day will highlight sustainable, scalable, and transformative solutions to urban displacement that help stabilise populations, while promoting prosperity and fostering social cohesion for all. It will put the spotlight on the importance of urban and territorial planning, inclusive urban governance, and the role of local governments in sustainable solutions for displacement.
In our rapidly urbanising world, cities often shoulder the impacts of today’s crises. Conflict, political instability, and the climate emergency have forced 123 million people from their homes, most seeking safety in cities and towns already under pressure. About one in eight people live in informal settlements, and more than 300 million have no home at all. Health services, water systems, and transport networks are stretched, while the risks of new disasters loom, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a message to mark the Day celebrated on the first Monday of October each year, to reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.
“Yet,” he noted, “cities are where solutions can take root and grow. When we plan for inclusion, newcomers help to drive economies, strengthen communities, and enrich culture.”
On this World Habitat Day, we shine a light on solutions, from better housing, to land rights, to water and sanitation. We recognise the vital leadership of mayors and local governments, and the resilience of urban communities, especially women and youth, he added.
‘’Most of all, we seek to share the innovations that help guarantee access for the most vulnerable, including people with disabilities, older persons, and children. A city is more than bricks and mortar. It is the promise of home,’’ he said.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Marinheiro Centeno Rossbach called on call on governments, partners, and communities to act with urgency.
Let us put housing at the heart of crisis response globally. Let us invest in cities as places of safety, opportunity, and resilience for all, she said
She added that in 2024, a record 123 million people were forced from their homes, most of them seeking safety in cities that are already under strain. At the same time, nearly 3 billion people suffer from inadequate housing, and more than 1.1 billion live in informal settlements and slums.
Earlier, it was reported the Kazakh PM and UN Assistant Secretary-General discuss climate and sustainable development cooperation.
