Integrating Housing and Climate Agendas - Perspectives from Brazil and the Global South

Like other Global South countries, Brazil faces a critical intersection of housing precariousness and climate vulnerability. The country’s urbanization process has been historically marked by deep socio-spatial inequalities and State decisions that led millions of low-income, racialized families to live in urban areas with none or low access to housing, infrastructure, and public services e equipment. This context underscores the urgency of coalitions and partnerships for integrating housing and climate policies. Ensuring access to dignified and adequate housing is not only a social policy imperative, but a first-order climate adaptation strategy that reduces risk exposure, strengthens community resilience, and promotes urban climate justice. In this scenario, the need for coordinated action among organizations working on housing issues has emerged as a key challenge in Brazil. A mapping exercise conducted by WRI Brazil in 2024 revealed that, despite the large number of organizations operating locally and nationally, action remains fragmented. It also showed that actors working within the climate agenda still tend to resist incorporating housing as a structuring component of climate policy. Mapping these stakeholders was the first step towards the creation of the Re.Habita initiative. Created in 2025, the Re.Habita is an initiative led by five institutions working on the adequate housing agenda: Fundação Tide Setubal, Habitat for Humanity Brazil, UN-Habitat Brazil, TETO (TECHO) Brazil, and WRI Brazil. Together, these organizations seek to strengthen collaboration across brazilian civil society, research institutions, and public authorities; influence public policies through evidence-based recommendations; and reposition adequate housing as a strategic pillar of urban resilience and climate justice. Given this context, this networking event serves as a strategic platform to exchange experiences and best practices among Global South nations facing similar intersections of housing precariousness and climate vulnerability. As the Re.Habita initiative is in its early stages, this global dialogue is an opportunity to consolidate our framework and refine our workplan within Brazil, ensuring our local implementation is informed by proven best practices and evidence-based learnings, highlighting the importance of establishing coalitions and partnerships around the issue of adequate housing.