Resilient real estate and social rental housing pillars of sustainable cities

The global housing crisis has reached a critical threshold. According to UN-Habitat, 2.8 billion people live in inadequate housing, 318 million are homeless, and by 2030, 40% of the world's population could be affected. In Europe, property prices rose by 47% between 2010 and 2022; globally, the construction sector accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP). This crisis is systemic, cross-cutting, and demands structural responses.
Housing has returned to the forefront of international agendas — the UN-Habitat strategy, the French G7 presidency, the European Affordable Housing Plan. The G7 housing working group, co-chaired by France and Kenya, has identified social rental housing and affordable homeownership as essential levers: securing residential pathways, curbing speculation, strengthening territorial cohesion.
On 8 and 9 May 2026 in Marrakech, the Réseau Habitat et Francophonie brought together 547 participants from 17 countries. Five priorities emerged: housing as strategic infrastructure, integrated sustainability, preventive rehabilitation, strengthened territorial governance, and diversified financing. In Baku, RHF and USH will carry these lessons forward with one conviction: the Francophone world is not merely a space for diagnosis - it is a space for solutions.