Housing should be recognized as a human right and should not be turned into a commercial instrument, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a video address to the session titled “Global Housing Crisis – What’s the Plan?” held within the framework of WUF13, APA-Economics reports.
According to him, billions of people around the world currently live in housing that is unsafe, poses health risks or is under threat of being lost.
Volker Türk stated that forced evictions in cities, rising living costs, shortages of affordable housing and increasing homelessness are indicators of a deep global housing crisis.
The High Commissioner noted that climate change, wars and major development projects are forcing millions of people to leave their homes. According to him, women, children and people living in poverty are the groups most affected by this crisis.
Volker Türk emphasized that housing should not be left to market conditions, but should be recognized as a human right. He noted that human-centered housing policies in cities such as Barcelona, Vienna, Montevideo and Medellin are yielding successful results.
According to the High Commissioner, building carbon-neutral and extreme weather-resistant housing will be one of the top priorities in the coming decades.
“It is possible to build more inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities through a human rights-based approach,” Volker Türk added.
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