ADB Champions Housing for Livable Cities at World Urban Forum 13

July 29, 2026

At the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) held on 17–22 May in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) underscored safe, resilient, inclusive, and affordable housing as a cornerstone of livable cities.

Convened by UN-Habitat, the biennial forum drew 58,000 in-person and online participants from 176 countries under the theme of Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities. 

ADB led three sessions on private finance, social rental housing, and climate- and disaster-resilient housing, while speaking in 21 UN- and partner-led events and showcasing its housing and urban development portfolio at the Urban Expo exhibit. On the sidelines of the forum, ADB deepened its affordable housing agenda by launching a memorandum of understanding with UN-Habitat, unveiling its Affordable Housing Programmatic Approach (2026–2030) working paper, and convening strategic bilateral discussions with development organizations to advance affordable housing, scale housing finance, strengthen policy reforms, and accelerate urban infrastructure delivery.

CDIA co-organized a networking event with partners 

On 20 May, CDIA co-organized the Investor Roundtable: How Can MDBs Support Housing at the Local Level? with the European Investment Bank (EIB), ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, Cities Climate Finance Gap Fund (Gap Fund), and the African Development Bank (AfDB). 

The 90-minute panel discussion featured Johanna Granados Alcala (Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy), Lin O’Grady (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Luis Hebrero (EIB), Norio Saito (ADB), and Ole Stubdrup (AfDB). Panelists emphasized shifting from fragmented, project-based interventions to systemic, programmatic approaches that integrate housing with land use, infrastructure, governance, and finance. They also highlighted barriers such as weak project pipelines, limited city creditworthiness, fragmented institutional frameworks, and mismatched financing instruments. 

The session concluded with a call to strengthen collaborations, improve project preparation, and develop scalable models — including rental housing options for informal workers, students, and those who may not need or be unable to afford a home mortgage. The event highlighted the urgency of coordinated, system-wide solutions to deliver inclusive, climate-resilient housing at scale. 

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Additional WUF13 Photos:

MOU launching between ADB and UN-Habitat to deepen collaboration on affordable housing, urban planning, project-level support, knowledge exchange, and city-to-city partnerships.

ADB-led sessions at WUF13

ADB at the Urban Expo; bilateral meeting with the Gap Fund.