canary islands un world urban forum housing crisis

Canaries to Lead Global Housing Debate at UN Forum

Canaries Take Centre Stage in Global Housing Crisis Debate

The Canary Islands have found themselves at the epicentre of the international debate on the housing crisis. The archipelago has been chosen from over 600 global proposals to participate in the 12th World Urban Forum, organised by the United Nations (UN-Habitat), which will be held from 17 to 22 May in Baku. This key meeting will see governments and international experts seek urgent answers to one of the world’s greatest challenges: guaranteeing decent housing.

From Crisis to International Reference

The Canary Islands’ presence will not be merely symbolic. The Vice Minister of the President’s Cabinet, Octavio Caraballo, will bring an ambitious proposal with international aspirations: to turn the islands’ territorial limitations into innovative opportunities. “The Canary Islands are not just going to participate, they are going to lead the debate,” Caraballo asserts. For the regional government, participation in Baku reinforces the Archipelago’s positioning within the Canary Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Above all, it represents a qualitative leap, transforming the islands from a territory affected by a declared housing emergency into an international reference in the search for solutions. At a time when access to housing has become one of the main social concerns in the islands, the Canaries are preparing to take their voice and their proposals to the world stage as a leading actor.

Exporting Island Solutions to the World

The objective is clear: to export real solutions already applied in the islands to other territories facing similar problems, from tourist pressure to land scarcity. In Baku, the Archipelago will present itself as a limited territory with strong environmental restrictions and growing pressure from the property market—a scenario it shares with numerous island enclaves worldwide—to propose concrete measures based on three pillars: innovative governance, efficient land management, and new forms of social innovation.

Among the flagship initiatives Caraballo will present in Baku is a proposal to create an international network of island territories to mitigate housing access problems. This technical and political alliance aims to ensure this issue receives specific recognition within the frameworks designing global policies.

A Collaborative Road to Baku

This candidacy is not the result of improvisation. Yesterday, the autonomous government brought together island councils, town halls, universities, urban planning experts, and social entities as part of the ‘Road to Baku’ process. This joint effort aims to define applicable and scalable solutions with one goal: housing must be addressed as a social right, not just an urban planning problem.

Caraballo insists that the international meeting in Baku is significant, noting that nearly 3 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing, 1.1 billion live in informal settlements, and 300 million are homeless. In this context, the World Urban Forum—considered the leading global platform on sustainable urban development—will focus on the urgency of guaranteeing universal access to housing. The Canary Islands are offering themselves as a laboratory for global solutions.

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