French delegate: Less than 1% of international aid goes to housing sector

The housing problem cannot be left solely to market mechanisms, and the state must play a central role in social housing policy, Yves-Laurent Sapoval, Ministerial Delegate for Sustainable Urban Development at France's Ministry of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity, Forestry, Sea and Fisheries, said at the event under the theme In Search of the Best Solutions for Sustainable Housing and Resilient Cities: Voices from Cities held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

He stressed that moving from discussions to real action requires political will, financing, and concrete solutions: "If we want social housing, it must be a matter of state policy. Currently, less than 1% of international development aid is directed to the housing sector. Countries must evaluate what share of GDP is truly allocated to housing policy - the results in many cases would be surprising."

Sapoval added that all countries should develop inclusive housing policies, noting that rental housing policies are often neglected worldwide: "The rental housing sector is underdeveloped globally, yet it is a crucial part of housing policy. Within the UN framework, the 'Adequate Housing for All' resolution has an open working group, with Kenya leading in the first year, and now Azerbaijan and Somalia taking the initiative. Advocacy must continue. The key message is that housing cannot be solved by the market alone – the state sector must actively participate in housing policy."