Global Leaders Call for Urgent Action on Housing Crisis at Muscat Summit

On World Habitat Day, a multistakeholder gathering in Muscat, Oman, convened to spotlight a worldwide housing emergency that touches almost 3.4 billion individuals. Speakers noted that more than one billion people reside in informal settlements, while many others face homelessness or displacement due to conflict, disasters and climate change. UN-Habitat’s Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach declared adequate shelter a foundation for dignified life and urged governments, the private sector and civil society to treat housing as a public priority alongside land and basic services.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres echoed the call, describing housing as essential for dignity, security and economic opportunity, and advocated for reforms to the international financial system to mobilize predictable funding for developing nations. Malaysia’s housing minister Nga Kor Ming warned that substandard dwellings trap families in poverty and called for systemic transformation rather than quick fixes. The summit inaugurated the Urban October campaign, a series of events through 31 October aimed at promoting sustainable urban development and securing the right to adequate housing worldwide.