Marking World Cities Day, observed on Monday in the city of Fuzhou

Marking World Cities Day, observed on Monday in the city of Fuzhou in southeastern China, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat), Anacláudia Rossbach, noted that “up to 3.4 billion people globally lack adequate housing,” which she said was “fundamental to human dignity.”

Across the world, Rossbach said, “cities are experiencing growing housing challenges,” including more than 1 billion people who still live in informal settlements and slums, and stressed that this numbers “are on the rise due to climate disasters, conflicts and growing inequality.”

The Executive Director said this year’s theme, Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All, “is so timely” as “regeneration is not only about renewing buildings, upgrading infrastructure or revitalising neighbourhoods, it is about creating opportunities for people, restoring the vitality of communities and ensuring that cities respond effectively to changing global economic and environmental realities.”