New Habitat for Humanity report reveals countries most vulnerable to climate change are underprioritized in climate policy commitments and development finance
BELEM, Brazil (Nov. 11, 2025) — Habitat for Humanity International examined the Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC, of 188 countries — which spell out a nation’s public pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate impacts, outlining specific targets and actions to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. Overwhelmingly, these NDCs include minimal or no reference to housing despite the built environment contributing significantly to carbon emissions.
A new report, Climate Action through Housing and Informal Settlements, released today by Habitat, finds in addition to the lack of commitment to housing, only 11 NDCs reviewed mention informal settlements or slums as a national issue, despite these areas being home to more than 1 billion people.
Misalignment between commitments and financing is also evident: Countries with strong NDC commitments to housing, such as the Bahamas and Benin, received negligible support through climate-related development finance, while some major recipients of climate finance show weak housing commitments. Costa Rica is a notable exception, aligning both high commitments and high levels of climate-related development finance. Across all regions, financing for informal settlements and slum upgrading remains extremely limited, with only 7% of climate-related development finance directed toward incremental forms of housing.
The report findings reveal that communities most at risk to the threats of climate change, particularly those in informal settlements, remain underprioritized in both climate policy commitments and development finance.
“The findings in this report are alarming but unfortunately not surprising,” said Patrick Canagasingham, chief operating officer at Habitat for Humanity International. “Time and time again, we see that those living in informal settlements who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are the least supported when it comes to policy and development finance. Habitat for Humanity calls on governments to integrate housing into their NDCs to help ensure climate resilience and security for vulnerable communities around the world.“
Key recommendations for policymakers
To foster climate resilience and emission reductions through housing, Habitat for Humanity urges countries to take action in their upcoming NDC updates. The report highlights several key recommendations, including:
- Governments must integrate housing and informal settlement transformation into NDCs, adaptation plans and disaster risk reduction frameworks, establishing measurable targets and prioritizing locally led interventions.
- Donors and multilaterals should treat housing as a strategic, high-impact investment to achieve climate resilience, scaling proven approaches, improving visibility of development finance toward housing, and aligning support with national climate ambitions.
- Civil society organizations need to play a critical role in monitoring commitments, advocating for inclusive and resilient solutions through housing, and amplifying community-led initiatives that strengthen housing, livelihoods and climate resilience.
Encouragingly in the report, of the 20 countries that submitted updated NDCs by mid-2025, 16 increased housing-related references, with some adding new commitments on informal settlements and social housing.
For more information on Habitat for Humanity’s report, Climate Action through Housing and Informal Settlements, or COP 30, 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.
