World Habitat Day was held on the first Monday of October and launched Urban October. The day centered around the global observance, which was held in a different country each year with keynote speakers and roundtable discussions focused on a specific theme. World Habitat Day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya, with the theme ‘Shelter is my right’.
On 3 October 2022, the Global Observance of World Habitat Day, under the theme Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind, looked at the problem of growing inequality and challenges in cities and human settlements.
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Each year, World Habitat Day focuses attention on the state of human settlements. This year’s theme – ‘Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind’ – puts the spotlight on widening inequalities in living conditions across the world. A cascade of challenges – from climate chaos and conflicts to COVID-19 – is hitting the most vulnerable populations the hardest.
The COVID pandemic, recent conflicts and the climate emergency have reversed years of progress in our fight against poverty. Today we are witnessing the emergence of newly poor people – those of us who have fallen into poverty due to the FOUR Cs: Covid, Conflict and Climate Crises. The UN-Habitat’s World Cities Report estimates that up to 163 million newly poor people now live in cities and urban areas. They have lost their income, lack decent housing and cannot access basic services.