Future Of Democracy In Housing Agenda Faces Threat - UCLG Secretary General

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. The future of democracy in the housing agenda is under threat, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Emilia Saiz, said during a dialogue entitled "The Global Housing Crisis: What's the Plan?" held at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), Trend reports.

According to her, the housing crisis is no longer a problem solely of the Global North or the Global South, but has become a structural challenge to both development and democracy.

"The future of democracy is at stake in the housing agenda because we are no longer talking only about upgrading slums or informal settlements as a problem. We are also talking about people who have jobs but still face housing difficulties. This is not a new problem, but today it is becoming increasingly visible, and its scale is rapidly growing," she said.

Saiz noted that the municipal community recognizes the need to review existing approaches to housing policy.

"We continue to build social housing in the wrong places. And we continue to do so with the participation of many institutions represented in this room today. This must change," she emphasized.

According to her, many countries continue to evict people who have built their own housing in informal areas.

"People are evicted either because services cannot be provided in these areas, or because land values ​​have risen, and land is viewed solely as a source of income. In many parts of the world, both land and housing are perceived as commodities," said the UCLG Secretary General.

She underscored that local and regional authorities are an integral part of both the problem and its solution.

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