Housing and multilateral action in focus at NGIC High-Level Meeting ahead of WUF13

Convened under the theme “Reshaping multilateralism in an era of divides and transformation”, the meeting provided an important platform to advance discussions on housing as a shared global challenge — and a central pillar of WUF13, which will take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, themed “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities”.

In her opening intervention, the Executive Director underscored the urgency of collective action, describing the housing crisis as ”a wake-up call for action”, She emphasized “in today’s interconnected world, multilateralism is no longer just a choice; it is a necessary strategy to safeguard humanity’s well-being”. Housing, she noted, sits at the intersection of social inclusion, economic opportunity and climate resilience, making it a defining issue for the global urban agenda.

Housing remained in focus throughout the meeting, including during a high-level panel moderated by the Executive Director on “Addressing the global housing crisis together”. The discussion brought together political leaders, city representatives and global experts to explore how multilateral cooperation, national policy leadership and city-level action can work together to deliver adequate, affordable and resilient housing at scale. 

By connecting high-level political dialogue with city-level solutions, the NGIC meeting reinforced the importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing the housing crisis — a conversation that will continue and deepen at WUF13, where governments, cities and partners will come together to translate commitments into action.