Anar Guliyev: The housing crisis is not caused by a single factor

As part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), held in Baku, a session titled "NGIC, UN-Habitat and SCUPA - Advancing Housing through Multilateralism: From Global Commitments to Local Impact" took place. Participants broadly discussed the global housing crisis and ways to address it.

As reported by BAKU.WS, Chairman of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture Anar Guliyev, who spoke at the event, stated that the housing crisis has long ceased to be solely a social issue and has transformed into a multifaceted development challenge.

According to him, discussions within WUF13 once again demonstrated that the housing crisis is not generated by a single factor, and solving this problem through fragmented measures is impossible.

The committee chairman emphasized that the crisis directly impacts economic productivity, social cohesion, climate resilience, public health, and political stability. He drew attention to the close interconnection between migration and economic inequality. The consequence of this is the expansion of informal settlements, rising land prices beyond affordability, and the persistent unequal access to basic urban services.

During his speech, Anar Guliyev also raised a key question: "Why do commitments agreed upon at the global level often struggle to have sufficient impact at the local level?"

He noted that today the national housing strategies of many countries have already been aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the New Urban Agenda. This creates an important foundation for further action.

Anar Guliyev also added that at the next stage, the main focus should be concentrated on expanding the capacities of local government bodies. This involves strengthening financial instruments, building technical knowledge, more effective use of spatial data, and developing institutional coordination. The ultimate goal is to transform adopted global commitments into real and sustainable results.