Written by: Ericka Renee Langit & Samantha Jozzel Umadhay
Today, commemorates the 34th celebration of World Habitat Day, annually done on the first Monday of October. The World Habitat Day highlights the human settlement conditions in cities and provinces, and gives importance to our basic human right to adequate housing. This day also intends to raise awareness and reveal the importance of a decent and safe home.
The United Nations lays emphasis that all of us have the power and responsibility to mold the future of our towns and cities. There is a call for everyone to take part in developing and improving the status of both urban and rural communities. The World Habitat Day is not only a campaign for adequate housing but also a call to make us realize that everyone deserves a better future. A decent housing is a big help in removing obstacles to success that may have hindered a person or family for years.
This year’s theme is Housing For All: A better Urban Future which matches the number 11 Sustainable Development Goals- Sustainable Cities and Communities of the New Urban Agenda, the product of the UN conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development last 2016. That by the year 2030 all should have access to safe and affordable housing, basic services and upgrade of slums (International Institute for Sustainable Development) The city of Surabaya, in Indonesia will host this global observance virtually because of the ongoing pandemic.
The celebration of the World Habitat Day has a more powerful advocacy during this pandemic because through the stay at home order advised by the government, this highlights how most of the world’s population has limited adequate housing. Approximately 1.8 billion people live in slums and are informal settlements, having little to none access in basic hygiene necessities which heightens the transmission of the virus. This is also a problem that the Philippines is currently facing. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is addressing these issues where they encompass all sectors that were affected by the Covid-19 situation.
This pandemic has highlighted how important it is to have decent housing as it is where we continue living, learning and working. A home is supposed to be a place where we can feel secured and safe, as well as it must allow access to basic rights like hygiene and health. Moreover, it is able to clearly reveal the incompetencies of the government especially on housing problems. Many Filipinos are living in overcrowded informal settlements or in the streets of their cities yet they are still not recognized by the authorities even though we are in the middle of a pandemic and an adequate house is really a must.
The annual celebration of the World Habitat Day continues to bring attention to problems circulating the importance of adequate housing to all. This allows all of us to know our basic right to a comfortable standard of living, within a solidarity of security, peace and dignity. Let us join the celebration by continuing the fight for decent and affordable housing for everyone. We do this because proper housing is not just a basic right but it unlocks human potential to shape a better future for us and our families, the Right to Sustainable Cities and Communities for All!
REFERENCES:
https://www.uclg.org/en/media/events/world-habitat-day-urban-october-2020#:~:text=The%20theme%20of%20World%20Habitat,city%20of%20Surabaya%2C%20in%20Indonesia.
http://sdg.iisd.org/sdgs/goal-11-sustainable-cities-communities/
https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/events/special-features/un-world-habitat-day_en#:~:text=The%20purpose%20of%20World%20Habitat,of%20our%20cities%20and%20towns
https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/build-events/world-habitat-day
https://www.un.org/en/observances/habitat-day
https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/09/13/opinion/editorial/no-easy-solutions-to-growing-ph-housing-backlog-problem/767620/
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/publications/Fs21_rev_1_Housing_en.pdf
https://world-habitat.org/world-habitat-awards/award-presentation/world-habitat-day/
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