Urban Housing Crisis Deepens by IIED, OHCHR, International Union of Tenants 1:28pm 28th Mar, 2025   29 May 2025 (UN News)    The United Nations Habitat Assembly opened today at the United Nations Office in Nairobi, bringing together around 1,200 delegates to address one of the most urgent and interconnected challenges of our time: the global housing crisis.    In a speech marking the start of the Assembly, UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach underscored the scale and urgency of the housing crisis – affecting nearly 3 billion people worldwide – and called for coordinated global action anchored in human rights, dignity, and multilateral solidarity.    “This Assembly represents the highest global platform for discussions on sustainable urbanization and human settlements. It is a moment of collective reflection, renewed political will and forging consensus for the future we seek for our cities and communities,” she said.    “Today, more than 2.8 billion people are inadequately housed. Over 1.1 billion live in informal settlements or slums, and more than 300 million are homeless. Without action, this crisis will continue to undermine efforts to reduce poverty, advance equality, and deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.”    Central to the Assembly is the proposed adoption of UN-Habitat’s new Strategic Plan for 2026–2029. At the heart of the plan is a clear and focused agenda: advancing adequate housing, secure land tenure, and access to basic services – particularly in informal settlements and underserved communities – as a pathway towards peace, climate resilience, and inclusive prosperity.    “We now turn to the future. The Strategic Plan positions housing, land, and basic services at the centre of our mandate. It is a plan to deliver impact where it matters most and to do so in partnership, with urgency, and at scale. This approach is especially critical at a time when our cities are bearing the brunt of multiple, overlapping crises: from conflict and displacement to the escalating impacts of climate change,” the UN-Habitat Executive Director emphasized.    According to UN-Habitat estimates, over 1.1 billion people globally live in slums or informal settlements, and over 300 million experience absolute homelessness. In rapidly urbanizing regions like Africa and Asia-Pacific, the gap between housing demand and infrastructure is widening dramatically. In Africa, 62 per cent of urban dwellings are informal; in Asia-Pacific, over 500 million people lack access to basic water supply, and over 1 billion to adequate sanitation.    Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, pointed out: “As climate change intensifies, more urban dwellers are being exposed to extreme heat, water scarcity and rising sea levels. We must act with urgency to support cities to become more liveable, more sustainable, the centres of action to meet the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, rising pollution and waste.”    http://unhabitat.org/news/29-may-2025/un-habitat-assembly-opens-with-urgent-global-call-to-action-on-housing http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/05/1163851 http://www.carbonbrief.org/third-of-slum-residents-in-global-south-are-exposed-to-disastrous-flood-risks/    May 2025    Extreme Housing Inequalities - Pathfinders    Right now, 2.8 billion people are experiencing some form of housing inadequacy across the world. Housing should be a basic human right, and we know that access to adequate housing has enormous social value, boosts economic growth, and improves well-being. Yet, too often, it’s reduced to one thing: money.    In many cities, there’s a stark tension between the responsibility of political actors to provide housing for the public and the relentless drive to extract wealth. The global real estate market is valued at USD 379.7 trillion, as housing is increasingly treated as a privilege, an asset, and a lucrative investment.    These financial forces distort priorities, favoring wealth accumulation and speculative investments over the basic human right to housing, and broadening the gap between those benefiting from housing systems and those who cannot afford a place to live in.    Rather than an accident or an inevitability, housing inequalities are a result of deliberate public policy decisions. Housing policies are often captured by wealthy elites and powerful interest groups, prioritizing profit over equity. Zoning laws that favor luxury developments, tax benefits for property investors, and weak enforcement of tenant rights are just a few examples of how policy shapes and perpetuates inequality.    Young Africans priced out of Cities as Urban Housing Crisis Deepens, by Promise Eze. (IPS UN Bureau Report)    After graduating in 2019, Jeremiah Achimugu left Sokoto State in northwestern Nigeria for Abuja, the nation’s capital, in search of better opportunities. But life in the city brought unexpected challenges, especially the high cost of housing.    At first, Achimugu stayed with his uncle and worked as a marketer, earning 120,000 naira (USD 73) a month. However, his salary barely covered his basic needs.    “The cost of living in Nigeria’s rapidly developing capital soon ate deep into my salary,” he said. “By the end of the month, I was always broke. Transportation, food, and other expenses were just too much.”    When he began searching for a place of his own, he was shocked by the prices. Even a small one-room apartment in a remote area costs about 500,000 naira (USD 307) a year.    “There was no way I could afford that kind of rent even though the apartment was nothing to write home about,” he said.    Few months later, Achimugu resigned from his job and returned to Sokoto. His dream of building a life in the city was cut short by the soaring cost of living.    “The cost of living and rent in Nigerian cities is too high for young people,” he said. “But these are the places where the opportunities are. Some landlords are taking advantage of young people coming into the cities by raising the rent.”    A Continental Rental Crisis    Achimugu’s experience reflects a larger problem faced by young people across Nigeria. About 63 percent of the country’s population is under the age of 24, and cities are growing rapidly. The United Nations has warned that Nigeria’s urban population is increasing almost twice as fast as the national average. However, housing hasn’t kept up with this growth. As a result, the few available homes are now overpriced. The World Bank estimates the country has a housing shortage of over 17 million homes.    In major cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, rent prices can range from around 400,000 naira (USD 246) to as much as 25 million naira (USD 16,000) per annum, depending on the location and kind of apartment.    With a monthly minimum wage of 70,000 naira (USD 43), which is often unpaid or delayed, and high unemployment, many young people cannot afford decent housing. This makes it harder for them to settle down, build strong social connections, or feel financially secure.    Nigeria is not alone. Across Africa, young people are being priced out of the rental market, with the lack of affordable housing a pressing concern. In interviews with young people in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria, IPS confirmed that the same challenges exist across the continent.    Formal housing remains beyond the reach of most Africans, with only the top 5 to 10 percent of the population able to afford it. The majority are left to live in informal settlements, many of which lack essential services such as clean water, electricity, and proper sanitation.    Experts have warned that without increased investment in affordable housing, a growing number of young people will struggle to find a place to live.    Kwantami Kwame in Kumasi, Ghana, blames capitalism and the greed of real estate owners for the high cost of rent. He told IPS that the rush for quick profits in the cities is affecting the welfare of young people, most of whom are low-income earners.    “A few weeks ago, I was looking for a one-bedroom apartment in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and I was asked to pay an upfront two-year rent fee of 38,275 Ghanaian Cedis (USD 2,500). The apartment wasn’t even up to standard. The fee didn’t cover water, electricity, or waste bills. It’s really unfair,” said Kwame, who noted that in a country where the monthly minimum wage is just 539.19 Ghanaian cedis (USD 45), there should be provisions for young people to access affordable housing in cities where opportunities exist.    Kwame believes governments should regulate rents and check the excesses of landlords. But Olaitan Olaoye, a Lagos-based real estate expert, sees it differently. He points to limited land availability as a major factor driving up rent and argues that price controls won’t solve the problem..    “For instance, in a country like Nigeria, the removal of the fuel subsidy caused prices to skyrocket. This had a ripple effect on everything else, including construction. It led to an increase in the cost of building materials,” Olaoye argued.    While he does not excuse the greed of some landlords and estate developers, Olaoye worries that if young people already struggle to rent homes, the dream of owning one may become increasingly unrealistic.    Inadequate Social Housing Programs    Olaoye’s concerns are echoed by Phoebe Atieno Ochieng in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. After securing a teaching job in the capital, she left her family home in the countryside of Busia. However, with a monthly salary of only 18,000 Kenya Shillings (USD 140), renting a place in the city was out of her reach.    “I had no choice but to live in a small space provided by the school management within the school premises,” she told IPS. “The houses here are not affordable. A basic one-bedroom apartment costs 120,000 Kenyan shillings per month. I can’t balance my income because I still have to pay taxes, buy food, and take care of other daily needs. Unless I get a better-paying job, I can’t manage.”    Ochieng criticizes the Kenyan government for its failure to provide adequate social housing and ensure access to affordable mortgages.    While the Kenyan government has launched a social housing scheme like the Affordable Housing Programme to help low- and middle-income earners secure decent homes, the initiative has faced growing criticism. Many argue that the houses being built are still unaffordable. Also, the introduction of a mandatory housing tax has sparked outrage, with many questioning why they are being compelled to fund homes they may never qualify for or benefit from.    Similarly, the Nigerian government has made several attempts to address the housing crisis through various national housing programs designed to provide affordable homes in cities. However, these programs have often failed due to poor implementation, inadequate funding, and corruption. Many housing projects have been abandoned, leaving the promise of affordable housing unfulfilled for the majority of Nigerians.    South Africa’s housing crisis is worsening due to rapid urbanization, economic challenges, and the legacy of apartheid. Cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban are seeing an increasing number of people move from rural areas in search of better job opportunities, putting pressure on housing infrastructure.    During apartheid, many Black South Africans were confined to overcrowded townships on the outskirts of cities, areas that still lack proper infrastructure and services. As young people flock to cities for better prospects, they face the challenge of unaffordable rent, which, according to Ntando Mji, a receptionist in Cape Town, is limiting their potential.    Although the government has attempted to provide subsidized housing for those with a limited income, the scale of the problem is overwhelming, and millions are still waiting for homes.    “In Cape Town, getting a house is so difficult. The agents require a three-month rent deposit, and they scrutinize your income, but even getting approved for a space is really hard,” Mji said.    “Because it is mainly commercial entities that build houses, they are so expensive. This is why the South African government should intervene by providing accommodation at lower prices and engaging the private sector in building lower-cost housing in safer areas,” said Bhufura Majola, who told IPS that he waited a year before he could even get a small apartment in a student area far from where he works.    He added, “The high cost of rental prices in South Africa is a big deterrent to young professionals in particular because it takes away their choices of where to stay, especially near places where there is employment. This has forced many to abandon their dreams.”    Peace Abiola, who lives in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria, spent all her savings—600,000 naira (USD 369)—on an apartment last year. She works as a content creator for brands, earning an irregular income. Now, with her rent due, she is considering returning to her village because she can no longer afford to keep up.    “I think one solution to this problem is the proper implementation of laws to control the irregular hike in rental prices,” she said, echoing the frustration of many Nigerians who have started protesting and calling on the government to act.    The Nigerian government has repeatedly promised to enforce policies that protect tenants, but none of those pledges have materialized.    “Here, we are just focused on survival or how to pay the next rent or how to get the next meal. This is not how life should be,” Abiola said.    http://www.ipsnews.net/2025/05/young-africans-priced-out-of-cities-as-urban-housing-crisis-deepens/ http://cic.nyu.edu/resources/soaring-housing-inequality-in-kinshasa/ http://www.sdg16.plus/resources/who-will-cities-be-for-inequality-housing-and-the-future-of-african-urbanization/    Slum Upgrading is Climate Action - Slum Dwellers International    Over one billion people live on the frontlines of climate change in informal settlements. This number is projected to double by 2050.    The urban poor are forced to live in climate-vulnerable settlements, using inadequate building materials and construction methods highly susceptible to climate shocks.    We are not statistics. We are people.    For over 30 years, Slum Dwellers International (SDI) has practised locally-led climate adaptation in informal settlements in over 22 countries. Despite limited institutionalisation or policy support, urban poor communities are imagining their own futures through precedent setting pilots. We upgrade our communities because we cannot afford to wait.    Despite the growing crisis, world leaders and global institutions are not treating climate action—let alone climate justice—with the urgency it demands. SDG 11, which aims for inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities, remains far from reality for our communities.    Governments and all stakeholders must urgently honour and fast-track the implementation of the Global Action Plan (GAP) for transforming informal settlements and slums by 2030, using more appropriate and inclusive approaches. We live with the problems. We must lead the solutions.    Housing is our first line of defense against climate change, but it’s more than just about four walls. Housing inequalities and injustices are driving climate vulnerability.    Basic rights, such as land tenure security, have not been widely secured. Forced evictions, driven by the commodification of land, are accelerating under climate pressure.    Over the past 20 years, only 3.5% of global climate finance was allocated to the urban poor. This gap is likely to widen. While informal settlements lack essential infrastructure and basic services, households are forced to spend a significant portion of their already limited income on climate adaptation.    Governments, donors, climate finance agencies, and all stakeholders must move beyond top-down funding mechanisms and support climate action aligned with the principles of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA).    Direct investment in community-led adaptation is a high-impact, cost-effective strategy that delivers better value for money in building resilient and inclusive cities.    Community participation in urban planning must be inclusive to be effective. Community-collected data for evidence-based policy approaches makes the invisible visible, and fills the gaps in official data to ensure that local knowledge informs decision-making.    http://sdinet.org/2025/05/cba19/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2025/10/how-do-we-protect-the-right-to-housing-amid-the-growing-threat-of-climate-change/    * Community led co-design climate adaption in informal settlements. IIED/World Bank report (Apr. 2025): http://tinyurl.com/3dy3p39f    Apr. 2025    Advancing housing rights across Europe - International Union of Tenants    Housing is a fundamental human right, not a privilege. A decent and affordable home is the foundation upon which people and families build their lives, participate in society, and contribute to economic stability.    Yet, across the world, tenants face increasing challenges: skyrocketing rents, inadequate legal protections, and an ever-growing housing market often prioritising profit over people.    It is our duty, as decision-makers, policymakers, and advocates, to ensure that tenants’ rights are upheld, and their voices heard.    As representatives of the International Union of Tenants (IUT), we strongly urge governments, legislators, and stakeholders at all levels to take the needs of tenants seriously and let these needs be reflected in concrete policy. Secure and affordable housing is not merely an economic issue — it is a matter of dignity, social cohesion, and justice. In short it is an important building block of our societies. Therefore, housing policies must prioritise long-term stability, affordability, and fairness to protect tenants from exploitation, displacement, and uncertainty.    In preparation for the 2024 European Parliament elections, the International Union of Tenants developed the Delft Declaration in 2023. This declaration outlines ten key principles affirming the fundamental right to affordable housing across Europe. Building on this foundation, we have now produced a series of position papers that further explore and clarify the main housing policy challenges identified in the lead-up to the elections.    They highlight the pressing issues faced by tenants today and providing concrete policy recommendations to safeguard and strengthen their rights. It also highlights the urgent need for robust rent regulations and other measures, increased public and affordable    housing, tenant protections against financialisation, and fair access to    sustainable and energy-efficient homes. These are not radical demands but essential measures to ensure a just and equitable housing market serving our society as a whole.    The papers offer detailed analysis and recommendations, reinforcing the IUT’s commitment to advancing housing rights across Europe during the coming years. But, also to serve as an inspiration for other continents as the housing crisis is a truly global challenge.    http://www.iut.nu/news-events/new-iut-position-papers-expand-on-the-delft-declaration/ http://endhomelessness.org/expanding-the-affordable-housing-supply/ http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/07/europe-financial-sector-house-prices-politics http://www.openglobalrights.org/cities-and-the-human-right-to-housing/ http://www.anglicare.asn.au/publications/2025-rental-affordability-snapshot/ http://www.bigissue.com/news/housing/rents-in-the-uk-are-rising-at-the-highest-rate-for-14-years-will-they-keep-going-up/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/06/repeal-uk-vagrancy-act-marks-major-step-toward-ending-criminalisation http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc5661add3-breaking-cycle-ending-criminalization-homelessness-and    Defining housing justice: an audiovisual exchange of struggle and action. (IIED)    The lived experiences of those on the front line of housing injustice are exposed in a series of videos which collectively shows what housing justice would look like for them.    Addressing the current global housing requires a justice lens. According to UN figures, 2.8 billion people experience some form of housing inadequacy, and of these over one billion live in informal settlements.    This is a ‘crisis’: not in the sense of being the product of exceptional circumstances – on the contrary, it is a permanent reality for most people. This is a human rights crisis sustained by housing systems that are failing to respond to the needs and aspirations of the world’s majority.    http://www.iied.org/defining-housing-justice-audiovisual-exchange-struggle-action http://www.iied.org/collection/housing-justice http://www.hubforhousingjustice.org/hub-approach#housing-justice-provocations http://www.hubforhousingjustice.org/news/understanding-housing-justice http://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2023/call-inputs-place-live-dignity-all-make-housing-affordable http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/annual-thematic-reports http://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2023/07/sdg_11_synthesis_report_2023_executive_summary_final.pdf http://www.right2city.org/themes/fulfilled-social-functions/ http://www.habitat.org/home-equals    Oct. 2023    UN expert urges action to end global affordable housing crisis. (OHCHR)    A UN expert today warned of a severe affordable housing crisis, despite housing being a fundamental human right long recognised under international law.    “The world is grappling with a situation where more and more people are unable to afford their housing costs. Millions lack the financial means to access safe, secure and habitable housing,” said Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing.    In his report to the UN General Assembly, the expert stressed that thousands of people are evicted every day simply because they cannot pay their housing costs, contributing to rising homelessness.    He noted that a staggering 1.6 billion people around the world lack adequate housing and basic services, with projections that this could rise to 3 billion by 2030. It is estimated that 100 million people worldwide are homeless.    “States, intergovernmental organisations and institutions should make more concerted efforts to address the underlying causes of housing unaffordability,” Rajagopal said. He pointed to several causes, including housing financialisaton, lack of local government authority, and weak tax policies.    In his report, the Special Rapporteur highlighted the ripple effects that occur when people are unable to afford housing, putting their well-being and physical and mental health at risk. “When their rights to security of tenure, livelihoods and access to energy, safe water and sanitation are weakened, it ultimately violates the right to a life in dignity,” Rajagopal said.    The expert outlined concrete steps that States can take to achieve the goal of affordable housing for all. “There is no one-size-fits-all approach to ensuring affordable housing for all, and States should choose options that best suit their specific needs and circumstances,” he said.    “Inclusive participation can tailor responses to different needs,” Rajagopal said. He stressed the importance of pursuing policy and institutional options that hold the promise of better outcomes, including co-housing, land banks, and rent regulation.    The Special Rapporteur warned that the affordable housing crisis does not affect everyone equally, but falls disproportionately on vulnerable groups who already face discrimination.    He urged States to recognise affordability as an integral part of the right to adequate housing in their national or constitutional law, which is lacking in most cases.    “As a global call to action to counteract and prevent the negative effects of the escalating trend towards unaffordable housing, this report should serve as a major catalyst for achieving affordable housing for all,” the expert said.    http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/un-expert-urges-action-end-global-affordable-housing-crisis    July 2023    World Leaders need to prioritize the more than 1 Billion People living in Informal Settlements, by Jonathan Reckford - CEO of Habitat for Humanity International and Joseph Muturi - Chair of Slum Dwellers International.    When representatives from dozens of countries gathered recently at the UN High Level Political Forum in New York to share progress on their efforts to achieve the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this disturbing reality was clear: the world is not even close to meeting the goals by 2030 as intended.    According to the report released at the meeting, progress on more than half of the SDG targets is weak and insufficient, with 30% of targets stalled or in reverse. In particular, progress towards SDG 11, which centers on making “cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” is stagnating, signaling regression for the third year in a row.    Unless governments take urgent action to address the plight of more than 1 billion people struggling daily to survive in slums and other poorly constructed informal settlements, we will not achieve the SDGs.    Access to affordable, safe housing is a fundamental human right, and intrinsically linked to building sustainable and resilient communities. It’s time world leaders turned their attention to improving housing conditions in informal settlements as a critical first step in helping to solve the most pressing development challenges of our time, from health and education to jobs and climate resilience.    Consider Milka Achieng, 31, who lives among the more than 250,000 residents of Kibera, a bustling hub of mud-walled homes and small businesses that make up one of the world’s largest informal settlements on the south side of Nairobi, Kenya.    Every day, Milka heads out for work and walks past the kiosk where she pumps water that isn’t clean enough to drink without boiling. She passes neighbors who live with the constant fear of eviction and the threat of deadly fires sparked by jerry-rigged electrical lines.    Yet despite these conditions, Milka remains upbeat. She works for a Kenya-based startup that, from its production facility in the heart of Kibera, cranks out firesafe housing blocks designed to make homes in informal settlements safer and more resilient. These are the kinds of innovative, scalable solutions that not only hold promise for the future of Kibera, but also for the millions of families struggling to keep their loved ones healthy and safe in informal communities around the globe.    By 2050, nearly 70% of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas, making the proliferation of informal settlements inevitable – unless world governments take bold, collective action.    A new report reveals the incredible, transformational benefits – in terms of health, education, and income – if world leaders invest in upgrading housing in informal settlements.    The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) modeling from 102 low- and middle-income countries shows that if people living in informal settlements gained access to adequate housing, the average life span would jump 2.4 years on average globally, saving 730,000 lives each year.    This translates to more deaths prevented than if malaria were to be eliminated. The report also found that as many as 41.6 million additional children would be enrolled in school worldwide.    Economic growth, meanwhile, would jump by as much as 10.5% in some countries, whether measured as GDP or gross national income per capita. The resulting increase in living standards would exceed the projected cost of improving informal settlements in many countries.    These findings provide a long-overdue wake-up call to governments and municipal authorities that prioritizing safe and secure housing would have far-reaching implications for advancing not just community wellbeing, but national and global economic prosperity.    World leaders who don’t prioritize improving informal settlements are making a grave mistake. Their goals related to education, health, and other areas of human wellbeing hinge on how well the world responds to trends such as growing inequities, rapid urbanization, and a worsening global housing crisis.    As the heads of an international housing organization and a global network of slum dwellers, respectively, we believe governments have an urgent responsibility to invest in comprehensive solutions to our global housing crisis.    This includes supporting start-ups, such as Milka’s factory, which are pioneering innovative, low-cost, and community-driven solutions to strengthen the foundation of unsafe housing settlements worldwide.    Simultaneously, officials at the global, national and municipals levels must ensure that residents have land tenure security, climate-resilient homes, and basic services such as clean water and sanitation.    Importantly, IIED researchers also concluded that, while they couldn’t put a precise number on it, the rehabilitation of informal settlements would have a clear and positive “spillover effect” by strengthening environmental, political and health care systems for all. This, in turn, would improve overall societal wellbeing for generations to come.    Upgrading the world’s supply of adequate housing is a lever for equitable human development and a cornerstone for sustainable urban development. Global, national and community stakeholders must join forces with the more than 1 billion voices clamoring for greater access to safe and secure homes.    When residents of informal settlements do better, everyone does better. Strikingly, it’s that simple.    * IIED Home Equal report: http://tinyurl.com/2fvn7hp2    http://www.habitat.org/ap/home-equals-ap http://www.iied.org/better-for-everyone-exposing-hidden-value-equitable-housing-informal-settlements http://www.iied.org/tag/informal-settlements-slums http://sdinet.org/ http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/01/states-obligated-safeguard-equitable-access-and-use-land-un-committee http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-housing/annual-thematic-reports
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