Unlocking Housing Solutions: How National Urban Policies are Transforming Lives

Housing is a cornerstone of sustainable urban development, directly linked to resilience, equity, climate adaptation, and quality of life. Yet 23% of the world’s urban population still live in inadequate housing conditions. National Urban Policies (NUPs) offer a unique framework to align housing with national development priorities, improve affordability and adequacy, upgrade informal settlements, and integrate housing into broader urban planning and climate strategies.

Within this context, on 23 October 2025, UN-Habitat hosted a special event titled “Unlocking Housing Solutions through National Urban Policies” during the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All. The session convened over 100 participants onsite and online, showcasing how national urban policies (NUPs) are being used to address housing challenges globally.

Insights from the third edition of the Global State of National Urban Policy report, co-authored by UN-Habitat and the OECD and presented during the session highlights that 75% of surveyed countries’ NUPs have policy alignment mechanisms in place, while attention to climate resilience has risen to 49% from 13% in 2018. However, two-thirds of NUPs report inadequate social housing, and only 45% outline concrete urban-rural linkage actions, highlighting persistent gaps despite progress.

Country-level interventions from Finland, Kenya, Morocco, and Paraguay demonstrated how governments are aligning housing programmes with broader urban development policies and goals. Morocco’s “Cities Without Slums” programme, launched in 2004, has reached over 68,000 beneficiaries, integrating housing with water, roads, and social facilities, and promoting equity and inclusion.

Finland shared its success with the Housing First principle, a rights-based approach that prioritizes permanent housing for low-income and homeless populations. Since its adoption in 2008, Finland has reduced long-term homelessness by 68%, making it the only  country in the European Union with a declining homelessness rate. The approach is cost-effective and built on strong collaboration between government, municipalities, and civil society.

Kenya reaffirmed its constitutional commitment to housing as a right, and is currently reviewing its National Urban Development Policy to strengthen housing adequacy, climate action, and the delivery of basic services. The participatory review process involves national and county governments, academia, and communities, ensuring policy coherence and alignment with the country’s Vision 2030 as well as the SDGs.

Reflecting on the global impact, Maija Yrjä, Finland’s Deputy Permanent Representative in Kenya, emphasized:

“UN-Habitat’s work globally demonstrates how urban policies can guide national and local governments in addressing housing needs – by integrating planning, legislation, and finance; to ensure that everyone  has access to safe, affordable, and adequate housing.”

The event reinforced the importance of policy coherence, inclusive planning, and international collaboration in achieving adequate housing for all.