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United Nations Environment Programme
  • Overview
  • Agenda & Speakers

Date: Thursday, 21 May 2026

Time: 14:00 - 15:30 (UTC+4, Baku time)

Location: ONE UN Room A, UN Building - Baku, Azerbaijan

WUF13 ONE UN Event  |  Organised by WHO, UNDRR, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, UNEP and UNECE

About the Event

Housing is deeply and inseparably linked with human and ecosystem health and wellbeing. Across diverse urban contexts, housing policies shape health outcomes not only through living conditions but also through broader structural factors: affordability, location, resilience to climate and disaster risks, access to basic services, environmental wellbeing, and biodiversity. As urbanisation intensifies, improving health outcomes in urban settings increasingly depends on how housing policies are designed, coordinated, and implemented.

This ONE UN event will convene WHO, UNDRR, UN-Habitat, UNICEF, UNEP, and UNECE to lead a multisectoral dialogue spanning housing policy, social inclusion, sustainability, climate resilience, and their implications for health in urban settings. The session will establish a shared ONE UN narrative framing housing as a foundational determinant of health, equity, and environmental wellbeing, and explore how these dimensions can be better aligned into coherent, actionable solutions that strengthen health outcomes through sustainable housing policies.

The event will identify priority entry points for integrated action, highlighting where housing interventions can deliver multiple co-benefits, and surface key gaps and opportunities for stronger UN system coordination. Expected areas of convergence include: coordinated policy approaches linking housing, health, climate resilience, and social inclusion; shared areas for joint programming or harmonised guidance; and clearer articulation of complementary roles across UN entities to avoid silos and maximise impact. UNEP’s contribution will focus on environmental quality, climate mitigation and adaptation, and the role of the GlobalABC and the UNEP-led Cool Coalition in advancing climate-resilient, affordable, and sustainable housing.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the event, please contact cecilia.consalvo@un.org. 

Speakers

  • Moderator: Dr. Nathalie Roebbel — Global Technical Lead, Urban Health, WHO
  • UN-Habitat speaker — TBC (integrated housing policy, urban planning, informal settlements)
  • Ms. Gulnara Roll — Head of Cities Unit, UNEP (environmental quality, climate mitigation and adaptation, ecosystem and resource efficiency)
  • Mr. Abheed Solomon — Environmental Health Lead, UNICEF (pre-recorded message — children, vulnerable populations, basic services, equity)
  • City of Buenos Aires / European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) — TBC (UNDRR perspective: housing, disaster risk, climate resilience, and health)
  • Ms. Doris Andoni — Independent expert on housing from Albania; former Chair, UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management (land use governance, regulatory frameworks, affordability)

Agenda

  • 14:00 – 14:10  |  Opening & Framing — Dr. Nathalie Roebbel, WHO. Welcome and objectives; housing as a cross-cutting determinant of health equity; why a ONE UN approach matters for governments and cities
  • 14:10 – 14:40  |  Part I — ONE UN Perspectives: Building a Shared Narrative (moderated UN agency dialogue; guiding question: “From your mandate, where do housing policies most strongly affect health, and where is cross-sector coordination essential?”)
  •   → UN-Habitat (6–7 min) — integrated housing policy, urban planning, informal settlements, access to services
  •   →  Ms. Gulnara Roll, UNEP (6–7 min) — environmental quality, climate mitigation and adaptation, ecosystem and resource efficiency
  •   →  Mr. Abheed Solomon, UNICEF (5 min, pre-recorded) — children, vulnerable populations, basic services, equity
  •   → Moderated reflection by WHO (5–7 min) — convergence across mandates and shared entry points
  • 14:40 – 15:10  |  Part II — From Policy to Practice: Cities and Countries in Action
  •   →  City of Buenos Aires / EBRD (8 min) — housing, disaster risk, climate resilience and health impacts in practice
  •   →  Ms. Doris Andoni (8 min) — land use governance, regulatory frameworks, affordability and policy coherence
  •   → Moderated exchange, WHO (14 min) — fragmented approaches, integrated solutions, international guidance and local implementation
  • 15:10 – 15:25  |  ONE UN Convergence & Way Forward — WHO synthesis: shared narrative, priority entry points, coordination gaps and opportunities; rapid closing reflections from 1–2 speakers
  • 15:25 – 15:30  |  Close — key takeaways for policymakers and cities; positioning this dialogue as a foundation for continued ONE UN collaboration
Did you know?
Only 12 per cent of cities have air quality measures that meet WHO standards.

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