The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. António Guterres, yesterday called for stronger investment in adequate housing provision and transforming informal settlements to reduce poverty, tackle inequality, and foster peaceful and inclusive societies.

He led the call in a message to mark the 2026 World Habitat Day held on the first Monday of October each year. Guterres pointed out that the housing crisis demands coordinated action at all levels, with national and local governments shaping bold policies, building partnerships, and grounding decisions in sound data.
World Habitat Day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme, ‘Shelter is my right ’. This year’s theme centres on: “Adequate housing for all” and considers how to realise the ambition of ensuring access to adequate housing for all as a cornerstone for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda.
He argued that adequate housing is the foundation of dignity, security, and opportunity, yet, he said, 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. The international financial architecture must also be reformed to mobilise 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,” he said.

The Executive Director, UN-Habitat, Anacláudia Rossbach, said housing must be treated as a public priority, alongside land and basic services.
She said the scale of the housing challenge requires stakeholders to do more, and build differently by putting people at the centre of housing policies, investing in communities and working across levels of government and with the private sector and civil society.
“Housing is where much of life begins. Adequate Housing for All. It is where children grow up, where families find security, and where people build their livelihoods and their futures. For many more, housing costs are taking an ever-larger share of their income. This is not only a housing crisis. It is a challenge to our cities, our economies, and our efforts to reduce inequality.

Adequate housing gives people a foundation from which they can participate in society and the economy. It can help children learn, families stay healthy, and communities withstand shocks. Adequate housing is not a luxury. It is a foundation for a dignified life and for sustainable cities. On World Habitat Day, this is the future we should be building: adequate housing for all,” she said.

Also speaking, the President of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, Nga Kor Ming, observed that true urban stewardship means building a foundation where future generations can thrive. However, he said, the fundamental right to shelter and housing is coming under tremendous pressure, with factual evidence describing a dire situation all across the world:
“Globally, an estimated 2.8 billion people face housing inadequacy. Nearly 1.1 billion people live in slums and informal settlements; millions are exposed to heatwaves, flooding, and economic displacement. Behind these numbers are real human lives.

Without legal security, families face constant fear of eviction. Without basic sanitation and clean water, children suffer preventable diseases. And without climate-resilient housing, vulnerable communities continue to suffer the hardest hits of environmental disaster,” he said.

He further appealed to leaders to treat housing as a public good, upgrade informal settlements and align with global frameworks, including SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda.
“When we secure a home, we transform a life. When we plan inclusive cities, we build a resilient planet. Let the vision of Muscat inspire us to plant the seeds of equitable, dignified housing for everyone, everywhere. Let us turn today’s pledge into tomorrow’s built reality,” he said.