Habitat at the 2026 Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development

Beguntila informal settlement in Dhaka.

Together, we build sustainable cities

Adequate housing is a fundamental element of sustainable development, contributing to improved health, education and economic well-being. It is an important component of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and an essential driver for achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. 

For many families, incremental housing improvement represents a pathway out of poverty.  At scale, improvements in housing conditions benefit entire communities, reducing inequality, strengthening social cohesion and building resilience to economic shocks and climate-related risks. 

Housing is therefore a critical foundation for inclusive and sustainable cities. Large-scale housing improvements in informal settlements can increase life expectancy by up to 4%, improve educational attainment by as much as 28% and generate economic gains of up to 10.5%. 

Progress towards the SDGs — particularly goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) — will be in focus as stakeholders convene in Bangkok, Thailand for the 13th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development on February 23-26, 2026. 

At the forum, Habitat for Humanity will release an issue paper, “Towards inclusive, safe, and resilient human settlements,” which spotlights housing’s role in supporting individual well-being and strengthening long-term social and economic resilience. Informed by research and consultation with actors across Asia and the Pacific, the paper calls for coordinated action among governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and development partners to accelerate progress towards inclusive, safe and resilient human settlements in the region.

Key focus areas:

  • Strengthen inclusive governance and planning.

  • Invest in localized data for evidence-based decision-making.

  • Advance regional cooperation and knowledge sharing.

  • Expand targeted financial support and incentives for community-led interventions.

  • Institutionalize progressive, resilient policies and leverage social capital.

Read the issue brief

Adequate housing is foundational to inclusive, resilient cities and human settlements. Check out our issue brief to learn how large-scale improvements in housing in informal settlements can increase life expectancy by up to 4% and our recommended actions. 

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Housing’s contribution to sustainable development

At Habitat, our housing interventions take many forms. We build, rehabilitate or repair places where people live. We improve access to housing finance, enable testing and scaling of product and service innovations to make housing markets work for low-income families and advocate for policy changes. We mobilize volunteers and partner with other organizations to act for housing. Examples from across the Asia-Pacific region abound.

The transformational impact of advocating for housing

Learn how pushing for more inclusive housing policies can lead to more sustainable communities, particularly in informal settlements.

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