Habitat for Humanity International’s Response to the Belém Call to Action on Sustainable and Affordable Housing
BELEM, Brazil (Nov. 11, 2025) — As COP30 begins in Belém, Brazil, we celebrate a transformative milestone: housing is recognized as a cornerstone of climate action.
Announced today at the first Ministerial Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council for Buildings and Climate, or ICBC, the Belém Call to Action on Sustainable and Affordable Housing signals a new commitment — that housing affordability and sustainability must be pursued together as interconnected priorities. We commend Brazil, France and Kenya for their leadership in placing housing firmly on the climate agenda.
Our new report released today at COP30, Climate Action through Housing and Informal Settlements, analyzes the Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs, that each country commits toward climate action and their associated financing. The findings reveal an alarming gap: of the 188 NDCs reviewed, only 8% include housing as a central component of their climate targets, while 60% either mention housing only marginally or exclude it altogether.
The Call to Action offers a response and outlines a bold framework: it defines housing as a climate priority; calls for tracking of foreign aid, the Official Development Assistance, or ODA, flows to sustainable housing; proposes a dedicated finance alliance; and urges countries to integrate housing into national climate strategies or NDCs.
The Belém Call to Action is more than a declaration; it’s a turning point. Let’s keep housing at the center of climate strategies — because without it, climate justice cannot be achieved.
For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s report, Climate Action through Housing and Informal Settlements, or COP30, please visit habitat.org/Habitat-COP30.
About Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a movement of people in your local area and around the world, working together to build more prosperous and vibrant communities by making sure everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home. Since our founding in 1976 as a Christian organization, together we have helped more than 62 million people globally build their futures on their own terms through access to decent housing. We’ve done that by working alongside people of all walks of life to build, repair and finance their homes, by innovating new ways of building and financing, and by advocating for policies that make constructing and accessing housing easier for everyone. Together, we build homes, communities and hope. To learn more, visit habitat.org.
