Statement in Observation of World Cities Day – 31st of October 2026

Today, the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies joins the international community in observing World Cities Day, an opportunity to reflect on the challenges facing our cities, some unique to the Arab countries and others shared by urban communities worldwide. For 2026, the committee has asked us to consider the theme: “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All”. Adequate housing begins at questions of affordability, particularly relevant for cities such as Amman, Beirut, and Cairo. From our headquarters in Amman, we have seen the implications of who stands to benefit from regeneration, and who is most at risk of being displaced. This is just one city in the region that has been asked to grapple with affordable housing, informal-settlement upgrading, climate resilience, and protecting existing communities from displacement.^[1]

Across the Arab world, 7 interconnected challenges continue to undermine access to adequate housing:

1. Housing affordability and accessibility
   1. Unaffordable rent and home prices with wages that fail to keep pace, while investment properties leave centrally located neighborhoods unaffordable. This is followed by insufficient housing suited to the needs of lower-income populations, sometimes alongside significant numbers of vacant or underutilized properties.^[2]
2. Informal settlements and inadequate living conditions
   1. Residents living in overcrowded, structurally unsafe, or informally constructed homes lacking adequate services / infrastructure. Responses frequently prioritize demolition over participatory settlement upgrading.^[3]
3. Forced displacement, conflict, and housing destruction
   1. The displacement of whole communities, the damage to homes and other infrastructure and barriers to returning or rebuilding. Temporary accommodation for refugees and internally displaced persons often becomes a prolonged housing solution.^[4]
4. Insecure housing tenure and eviction
   1. Weak or inconsistently enforced tenant protections and unclear property rights leaving individuals in debt or displaced^[5]
5. Urban inequality and spatial segregation
   1. Lower-income increasingly concentrated in peripheral or underserved neighborhoods, often distant from employment and essential services.^[6]
6. Climate vulnerability and environmental inadequacy
   1. Lower and middle-income families are left vulnerable to the risks of the warming climate, in particular concerns of exposure to extreme heat and water scarcity.^[7]
7. Weak housing governance and institutional capacity
   1. The above concerns are compounded by fragmented, inconsistently implemented housing policies between national governments, municipalities, and housing authorities. ^[8]

While it is necessary to underline clearly these core concerns, they are far from all encompassing. There is also clear overlap. But we have found that they reflect five persistent challenges that must be addressed systematically:

1. Economic inequality: Unequal and largely low average income and wealth distribution affecting who can access land, housing finance, and urban services.
2. Political and institutional instability: Weakened institutions, and fiscal constraints, and conflict undermine housing provision and long-term planning.
3. Commodification of housing: Housing treated as an investment rather than a social necessity.
4. Unequal land governance: Land ownership patterns, planning decisions, and property registration systems shape access to housing.
5. Exclusion from decision-making: Lower-income residents and displaced populations with limited influence over regeneration and redevelopment projects.

The right to adequate housing is recognized under Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, after its recognition as part of the right to an adequate standard of living under Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Adequate housing is not simply a question of providing shelter or increasing housing supply, rather adequate housing should be understood as the right to live somewhere in security, peace and dignity.

Here at the ACHRS, we believe that adequate housing is not merely a question of urban development, but a fundamental human right that affects people’s ability to participate fully and equally in society. Adequate housing is a fundamental element in an individual’s right to social protection, right to participation, and the challenges outlined above are also ones that affect women and children in vulnerable communities. It is also acutely affecting young families as they start look to marry and begin their own family, but struggle to access affordable and secure housing that would allow them to begin life on their own.

Urban regeneration must be understood not merely as the physical redevelopment of cities, but as an opportunity to advance the fundamental right to adequate housing and strengthen social inclusion, equality, and democratic participation. Across the Middle East, housing insecurity is exacerbated by economic inequality, conflict and displacement, discriminatory barriers, and inadequate urban planning. These challenges disproportionately affect women, young people, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized communities.

Accordingly, the ACHRS calls upon governments and municipal authorities to adopt urban renewal policies based on a human rights-based approach. Such policies should prioritize the provision of affordable housing—with payment plans spanning at least forty years—and ensure effective community participation by encouraging the formation of housing cooperatives. Furthermore, these policies must protect residents against forced displacement and guarantee an equitable distribution of the benefits derived from urban development.

Works Cited:

• https://publicworksstudio.com/en/housing-monitor/
• https://lebanon.un.org/en/309523-lebanon-response-plan-2026

About World Cities Day:

• https://www.un.org/en/observances/cities-day

New Urban Agenda:

• https://habitat3.org/the-new-urban-agenda/
• https://habitat3.org/wp-content/uploads/NUA-English.pdf

^[1] United Nations Human Settlements Programme. (2021). Mainstreaming housing into Jordan’s national urban policy: Thematic guide. https://unhabitat.org/mainstreaming-housing-into-jordans-national-urban-policy-thematic-guide

^[2] Alnsour, J. A. (2016). Affordability of low income housing in Amman, Jordan. Jordan Journal of Economic Sciences, 3(1), 65–79. https://doi.org/10.12816/0029857

^[3] Samaha, C., & Veerapen, N. (2026, June 4). Refugee-led organisations and Lebanon’s displacement crisis. ODI Global. https://odi.org/en/insights/refugee-led-organisations-lebanon-displacement-crisis/

^[4] Abou Roufail, C., & El Kheshen, C. (2026, September 10). Syrian refugees in Lebanon: Between housing vulnerabilities and the limits of “voluntary” return. Public Works Studio. https://publicworksstudio.com/en/syrian-refugees-in-lebanon-2/ ; Human Rights Watch. (2026, October 10). Gaza: Ceasefire anniversary marks year of failed promises. https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/10/10/gaza-ceasefire-anniversary-marks-year-of-failed-promises

^[5] Ayon, M. S. (2026, June 15). Report on old rent tenants eviction from their historic neighborhoods: Mapping eviction mechanisms and proposing protection alternatives. Public Works Studio. https://publicworksstudio.com/en/report-on-old-rent-tenants-eviction-from-their-historic-neighborhoods/

^[6] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). Building climate-smart, resilient and inclusive cities. In OECD green growth policy review of Egypt 2024. OECD Publishing. https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/oecd-green-growth-policy-review-of-egypt-2024_b9096cec-en/full-report/component-8.html “Central Giza and Cairo have the highest job density, while only an estimated 10% of jobs exist in the NUCs (Attari et al., 2023[50]).”

^[7] Norwegian Refugee Council. (2024, November 18). Cracked earth, shrinking harvest: Drought impact on displaced and returnee Iraqis. https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/cracked-earth-shrinking-harvest-drought-impact-on-displaced-and-returnee-iraqis

^[8] Kafa, M. (2026, October 5). Reconstruction and the right to housing in Syria: Toward a transitional policy that protects property and reduces real estate investment risks. The Syria Report. https://hlp.syria-report.com/hlp/green-tabu/reconstruction-and-the-right-to-housing-in-syria-toward-a-transitional-policy-that-protects-property-and-reduces-real-estate-investment-risks/