ONE UN - Strengthening Health Outcomes Through Sustainable Housing Policies a Multisectoral Dialogue on Housing and Health (WUF13).

The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 17 to 22 May 2026. The theme of WUF13 is: Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities.


Housing is deeply and inseparably linked with human and ecosystems health and wellbeing. Across diverse urban contexts, housing policies shape health outcomes not only through living conditions, but also through broader structural factors such as affordability, location, resilience to climate and disaster risks, access to basic services and infrastructure, environmental wellbeing and biodiversity, with corollary impacts on education outcomes, economic productivity, etc. As urbanization continues and housing challenges intensify, improving health outcomes in urban settings increasingly depends on how housing policies are designed, coordinated and implemented. Housing is also an inherently interdisciplinary policy domain. Addressing housing-related challenges requires action across multiple policy domains, including urban planning, land and basic services, construction and energy, transportation, social and affordable housing provision, economic planning and the world of work, housing finance, climate mitigation and adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. Across the United Nations (UN) system, different agencies have long been working on housing-related issues through distinct but complementary entry points. While these efforts vary in focus, they are committed to improving health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations and those living in informal or high-risk urban contexts. For these reasons, housing and health represent a critical area where a ONE UN dialogue can add clear value. By bringing together diverse mandates and perspectives, the UN system can support national and subnational governments in moving beyond fragmented approaches towards more integrated, multisectoral and multi-scalar solutions that deliver shared benefits for health, equity and urban resilience. This ONE UN event will convene the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UN-Habitat, UNICEF, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), and the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead a multisectoral dialogue spanning housing policy, social inclusion, sustainability and climate resilience, and their implications for health in urban settings. Together, the session will explore how these dimensions can be better aligned into coherent and actionable ONE UN solutions that strengthen health outcomes through sustainable housing policies.

Facilitator: Nathalie Roebbel.

Partners:WHO - World Health Organization (Switzerland)
UNDRR (Switzerland)
UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (Switzerland)
UNEP (France)

Panelists:
Mr. Marc Gordon, Senior Coordinator, UNSDRR (Switzerland)
Ms. Tea Aulavuo, Coordinator, UNECE (Switzerland)
Ms. Gulnara Roll, Head of the Cities Unit, UNEP (France)
Mr. Graham Alabaster, Head Geneva Office, UN Habitat (Switzerland)
Mr. Abheed Solomon, Environmental Health Lead, UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund (United States of America).

Related Sites and Documents: World Urban Forum Website & Programme.
Location: Baku, Azerbaijan

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