Call to Action addressing global housing crisis adopted in Baku
Baku, May 22, AZERTAC
The 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku in May 2026 under the auspices of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), was remembered as one of the most significant international events in the field of sustainable urban development in recent years.
Bringing together more than 58,000 participants from 176 countries, the forum once again demonstrated Azerbaijan's growing role as a platform for global dialogue and cooperation.
As an outcome of the WUF13, the Baku Call to Action was adopted. The document presents a set of diverse contributions from stakeholders across sectors and spheres of governance, including civil society organizations, women, older persons, children and youth, Indigenous Peoples, professionals, academia, researchers, local and regional governments, persons with disabilities, parliamentarians, the private sector, and other actors working in the housing domain.
The document recognized the continued commitments that have shaped multilateral action on housing, from inclusion of Adequate Housing as an internationally recognized human right, to the Habitat processes and leading up to the 2030 Agenda and the Pact for the Future. In a year that marks the tenth anniversary of the New Urban Agenda, we call on Member States to accelerate implementation and strengthen UN-Habitat's catalytic function as a partnership and convening agency in addressing the global housing crisis.
The messages emerging from this Ministerial Meeting will inform the wider deliberations of WUF13, the Baku Call to Action, and preparations for the High-level Meeting of the General Assembly on the midterm review of the New Urban Agenda happening on 16 and 17 July 2026 in New York.
This document is the result of months of work involving comprehensive stakeholder consultations ahead of the World Urban Forum.
Discussions throughout WUF13 repeatedly highlighted that the housing crisis is shaped by interconnected pressures including rising costs, land speculation, displacement, weak governance systems and climate impacts. The Baku Call to Action asserts that addressing these challenges requires moving beyond fragmented approaches toward more integrated and people-centred solutions.
The document also places strong emphasis on the growing relationship between housing and climate change. It highlights that those facing the greatest housing insecurity are often the same communities most exposed to climate risks, including floods, extreme heat and environmental degradation.
Local and national processes contribute towards building strong political momentum towards the housing agenda. The summaries of the Ministerial Meeting on the New Urban Agenda (NUA), the Nairobi Declaration of the Second Africa Urban Forum (April 2026) and many regional agreements set out ambitious priorities on adequate, affordable, inclusive and climate-resilient housing. This document also opens the possibility of new forms of south-south and north-south collaboration, learning and cooperation.
At the same time, the profound gratitude was expressed to the Government of Azerbaijan for the high-level organization of the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), the hospitality shown, as well as for the fruitful dialogue environment.
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