The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) takes place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 17 to 22 May 2026. The theme of WUF13 is: Housing the world: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities.
What will unlock private capital to finance adequate housing at scale? The business roundtable examines adequate housing for all through the lens of long-term capital deployment, asset resilience, and delivery risk. It brings together investors, developers, and financial institutions with public actors, international financial institutions and urban experts to examine how housing finance can support both stable returns and durable housing outcomes. Participants will explore enabling conditions and solutions, examining how risk, return expectations, regulatory frameworks, and resilience considerations interact across the housing construction value chain. Discussions will address how climate-related risks are already influencing underwriting, insurance availability, operating costs, and asset valuation, and where resilience investments strengthen long term performance rather than eroding margins, while maintaining a strong focus on affordability and inclusion, particularly in well-located areas. Drawing on approaches used by leading global housing finance and real estate platforms, the multi-stakeholder dialogue focuses on three interlinked dimensions that directly shape investment decisions: creating predictable investment conditions, strengthening public-private partnerships, and scaling financing models that balance affordability, sustainability, and resilience with commercial viability. Innovative instruments take center stage including blended finance structures, guarantees, social impact bonds and public private partnerships that can support resilient housing delivery across both formal and informal markets. Attention will be given to what private actors realistically expect from governments and local authorities in terms of planning certainty, infrastructure provision, and risk sharing. Co-designed with industry partners, the roundtable's objective is to surface where capital is already moving, what remains a deal breaker for businesses and investors, and what changes in policy, instruments, or partnerships would unlock long term private finance for adequate and sustainable housing at scale and for all. The roundtable is explicitly complementary to the Business Assembly, which examines operational challenges and solutions across the construction value chain, including materials, technology, and regulation. Guiding questions What policy, regulatory, and planning conditions are truly non-negotiable for unlocking private housing investment on a scale? How can public and private actors share risk effectively — and which financing instruments are best positioned to unlock adequate housing investment on a scale? How do climate-related risks shape the bankability of housing investments, and how can resilience be integrated without undermining affordability? Expected outcomes Shared articulation of barriers to scaling private capital for sustainable housing, aligned with OEWG recommendations. Investor-informed clarity on bankability and viability across housing systems. Clear articulation of private-sector expectations from governments and partners. Stronger alignment across financial and operational housing value chains. Objectives Identify why adequate and sustainable housing remains structurally undercapitalized Surface what long-term capital requires to invest at scale in adequate and sustainable housing for all Examine the bankability of affordable housing under climate constraints, including the attractive investment of resilient assets Compare investment viability across different market contexts, including formal, informal, and incremental housing systems Identify what private actors expect from governments, local and regional authorities, IFIs, and public partners Highlight practical pathways, financing models, and innovative partnerships to mobilise private capital, informed by OEWG recommendations
