Source: United Nations (video statements)
A landmark gathering of more than 57,000 participants – the largest in the history of the World Urban Forum – closed on Friday in Baku with an urgent call to rethink how the world houses its people, as a new roadmap urges governments, cities and communities to act collectively on a crisis affecting billions. UN Deputy Secretary‑General Amina Mohammed warned that the Forum was taking place at a difficult moment for global cooperation. The housing crisis sits at the crossroads of nearly every major global challenge – from poverty and inequality to climate change, conflict and instability.