Hollywood icon Richard Gere comes out in support of WUF13 in Baku VIDEO

World-famous actor Richard Gere has expressed support for the upcoming World Urban Forum (WUF13), which will be held in Baku. The Hollywood star highlighted homelessness as a global issue, stating that housing is “the gateway to all other rights.”

According to the UN official website, in a video message supporting the upcoming conference, Gere stressed the need for global action: “Without a safe home, there is no health, no education, no stable employment.”

Data from UN-Habitat, the UN agency focused on sustainable urban development, shows that the global housing crisis has become one of the most severe human rights challenges. Nearly three billion people worldwide lack access to adequate housing. More than one billion live in informal settlements, while over 300 million face homelessness across both the Global South and the Global North.

In Africa, 62% of urban housing is in the informal sector. In the Asia-Pacific region, more than 500 million people lack access to basic water services, and over one billion live without proper sanitation.

Homelessness, experts note, is not only the absence of shelter but also often means deprivation of basic rights such as safety, healthcare, privacy, and human dignity.

UN-Habitat said the issue will be central at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, the UN’s leading global conference on sustainable urbanisation, scheduled for May 17–22 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The forum, held under the theme “Housing for All: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Communities,” will bring together governments, civil society organisations, urban planners, private sector representatives, and youth to address the growing housing crisis.

Richard Gere’s foundation HOGAR SÍ and UN-Habitat are working together to develop approaches aimed at ensuring access to adequate housing for all. UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach said the partnership aims to strengthen global cooperation in response to growing urban challenges.

Experts emphasise that homelessness is the result of society’s failure to meet basic human needs, and overcoming the crisis requires long-term political will, stronger social protection systems, and public policies that place housing at the centre.

“Homelessness is not inevitable. It is a profound injustice – one we can solve when we choose dignity, housing and human connection,” Gere said.

By Jeyhun Aghazada