WORLD HABITAT DAY

The first Monday of October every year has been designated as World Habitat Day by the United Nations. The day is important because it makes us focus on the state of our towns and cities, and the fact that it is the basic right of every human being to have suitable shelter. It also reminds us that we not only have the power, but also the responsibility, to “shape the future of our towns and cities. Here are some interesting facts about World Habitat Day.

HISTORY OF WORLD HABITAT DAY

The Day was first celebrated in 1986 with the theme “Shelter is My Right”.

The host city for the observance of the first World Habitat Day was Nairobi.

Previous themes have included: “Shelter for the Homeless” (1987, New York); “Shelter and Urbanization” (1990, London); “Future Cities” (1997, Bonn); “Safer Cities” (1998, Dubai); “Women in Urban Governance” (2000, Jamaica); “Cities without Slums” (2001, Fukuoka); “Water and Sanitation for Cities” (2003, Rio de Janeiro); “Planning our Urban Future” (2009, Washington, D.C.); “Better City, Better Life” (2010, Shanghai, China); and Cities and Climate Change (2011, Aguascalientes, Mexico).

WORLD HABITAT DAY 2020: WHAT DOES THIS YEAR’S THEME MEAN?

The theme for this year is “Housing For All - A Better Urban Future.”

This year, the observance of World Habitat Day is especially important because, due to COVID-19, appropriate shelter is more important than ever!

People have been asked to stay at home, but for those who don’t have adequate housing, this is not something that is possible.

Our parents have been asked to stay at home and we have been asked to learn online. For this to be possible, our home needs to be safe, allow us to access the internet and such facilities, allow us to practice hygiene and have enough room for us to maintain a safe physical distance.

It is also important that our homes are located in a place that allows us to access parks and open spaces, health care services, schools and

other facilities. Many towns do not have these facilities, and residents have to travel distances to access these. Before the COVID-19 pandemic began, an estimated 1.8 billion people were living in slums and informal settlements, inadequate housing or in homelessness in our cities around the world.

Around 3 billion people lack basic handwashing facilities. This means, millions of people worldwide are more likely to experience poor health due to the absence of basic services and exposure to multiple socio-economic and environmental hazards.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people from minorities and migrants have been largely affected by inadequate housing, and have been living in crowded spaces and, even homeless.