Today more than 120 million people live in slums - Anaclaudia Rossbach
On May 17 in Baku, during the ministerial meeting on the New Urban Agenda (NUA) held on the first day of the World Urban Forum, UN-Habitat Executive Director and UN Deputy Secretary-General Anaclaudia Rossbach spoke.
At the beginning of her speech, she thanked the government of Azerbaijan for organizing the meeting, emphasizing the symbolic nature of holding the forum ten years after the adoption of the New Urban Agenda in Quito.
"2026 is not only a time to take stock, but also a moment to adjust course. It is time to ask ourselves: what worked, what did not move fast enough, and what now needs to be done differently," Rossbach stated.
According to her, the New Urban Agenda remains a key global platform for housing policy development and sustainable urbanization.
"Cities and human settlements are not only places where challenges concentrate, but also spaces where solutions can be scaled," she emphasized.
Anaclaudia Rossbach noted that significant progress has been made in urban policy over the past decade. According to her data, about 160 countries have already adopted or are developing national urban policy frameworks, and more than two-thirds of states have implemented national housing strategies centered on the issue of housing affordability.
She also drew attention to the growing role of cities in the global climate agenda.
"The share of national climate commitments containing a significant urban component has increased from 49% in 2021 to 80% in 2025," the UN Deputy Secretary-General reported.
However, according to Rossbach, despite the results achieved, progress remains insufficient and highly uneven.
"Too often, commitments do not translate into sustainable investments, tangible results on the ground, or measurable improvements in people's lives," she noted.
The head of UN-Habitat paid special attention to the global housing crisis. She emphasized that today more than one billion people worldwide continue to live in slums and informal settlements.
"In just the past decade, more than 120 million people were born in slums or were forced to move there," Rossbach stated.
According to her, the problem of housing affordability today affects almost all countries regardless of income levels, since the pace of construction in many cities continues to lag behind growing demand.
She also highlighted the direct link between the housing issue and climate threats and population security.
"People living in inadequate housing conditions are often the most vulnerable to floods, extreme heat, landslides, and other climate disasters," Rossbach said.
In addition, the UN-Habitat Executive Director recalled that, according to the UN Secretary-General's report, over the past two decades temperatures have risen substantially in more than 80% of the world's cities.
