ILO/M. Crozet Over 300 million people around the world face homelessness, in both the Global South and the North. Richard Gere: “Housing is the door to all other rights” Human Rights
“Housing is the gateway to all other rights,” said actor and humanitarian activist Richard Gere, who joined the UN effort to combat homelessness.
According to UN-Habitat, an agency dedicated to sustainable urban development, the global housing crisis has become one of the world’s most pressing human rights issues, with nearly three billion people around the world lacking access to decent housing.
More than a billion live in informal settlements; over 300 million face homelessness in both the Global South and the North.
In Africa, 62 percent of urban housing is in the informal sector. In the Asia-Pacific region, more than 500 million people lack access to basic water services, and over a billion live without adequate sanitation.
In a video message in support of the upcoming conference, Gere emphasized the need for global action: “Without a safe home, there is no health, no education, no stable job.”
Homelessness is not just a lack of a roof over your head. This often means the deprivation of basic rights: safety, health care, privacy and human dignity.
This theme will be central to the 13th session of the World Urban Forum – the main UN global conference on sustainable urbanization, which will be held May 17-22 in the capital of Azerbaijan Baku.
Housing for Peace: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Communities Forum will bring together governments, civil society organizations, urbanists, the private sector and youth to find solutions to the growing housing crisis.
Richard Gere’s housing foundation HOGAR SÍ and UN-Habitat join forces efforts to develop approaches that guarantee everyone access to decent housing. UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach said the partnership aims to enhance global cooperation in the face of growing urban challenges.
Homelessness is a consequence of a society’s failure to provide the basic needs of its citizens, experts say. Addressing the crisis requires long-term political will, stronger social safety nets, and public policies that put housing at the center.
“Homelessness is not inevitable. This is a deep injustice – and we can overcome it if we focus on dignity and human solidarity,” Gere emphasized.