United Nations Advocacy

Our first pillar of work is strategic advocacy for international homelessness policy focused on definition and measurement. Through formal partnerships with United Nations (UN) agencies and groups; contributions to written statements, reports and resolutions; and participation in major UN convenings, IGH continues to advocate for the issue of homelessness to be addressed at the United Nations.

Advocacy Goals

Clear, global measurement of homelessness with a common definitional framework

A shared goal to reduce and ultimately end homelessness

Support to member states to implement effective strategies

Strategic Partnerships

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

The Institute of Global Homelessness (IGH) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) are collaborating to advance evidence-based best practice and policy to the forefront of international efforts to prevent and homelessness in order to achieve sustainable and equitable cities. As the agency within the United Nations system mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities for all, UN-Habitat considers tackling homelessness as a precondition for the full realisation of human rights, as well as our ability to meet Agenda 2030. UN-Habitat, in cooperation with partners (eg. Institute of Global Homelessness, Member States, UN DESA) is working to create consensus around the need for a definition and standardized global homeless indicators and data collection methodologies, as well as raising awareness about homelessness as society’s failure to protect and fulfill many fundamental rights including the right to housing and to social protection.

UN 1 - Advocacy page

NGO Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH)

IGH is a strategic partner and member of the Executive Committee member of the NGO Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH), a group of 31 organizations working to influence the UN political proceedings to heighten Member States’ and Civil Society’s concern for and action to address the social injustice of homelessness. WGEH is the only non-governmental organization (NGO)/civil society organization established to address homelessness within the United Nations ecosystem. Until WGEH was founded in 2017, there had been no major discussions about homelessness at the UN in over three decades.

The Working Group convenes regularly to identify opportunities to engage and build relationships with UN stakeholders, spearhead written statements on homelessness at the UN, organize events alongside major UN convenings, and contribute to civil society engagement at the UN. One of the Working Group’s objectives is to increase co-production with people who have lived experience of homelessness through inclusive membership, collaboration, and advocacy resources.

Timeline of Global Action on Homelessness

  • 2019

    Expert Group Meeting on Affordable Housing and Social Protection Systems for All to Address Homelessness

    IGH convened with partners in Nairobi, Kenya for an expert group meeting, organized by UN-Habitat, in cooperation with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The discussions and recommendations of the meeting contributed to the preparation of the background document to 2020 session of the Commission for Social Development which explicitly focused on the issue of homelessness for the first time.

  • 2020

    UN DESA Commission for Social Development (CSocD58): Affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness

    In collaboration with its partner organizations and with support from the African group of nations at the United Nations, the NGO Working Group to End Homelessness’s proposal and advocacy, homelessness was selected as the priority theme of the 58th Session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD58). This was the first CSocD session with a theme that explicitly addressed the issue of homelessness.

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    NGO Committee on Social Development’s Civil Society Forum

    IGH participated in the 2020 Civil Society Forum, organized by the NGO Committee on Social Development, alongside our colleagues and friends who contributed their perspectives from lived experience of homelessness in Ireland, Uruguay and the United States; addressing homelessness in India, Nigeria, Uruguay and Europe; and research on the gaps in addressing homelessness at the United Nations. Visit the 2020 Civil Society Forum webpage here: https://ngosocdev.org/what-we-do/commission-for-social-development/csocd58-and-civil-society-forum-2020/.

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    UN Resolution: Affordable housing and social protection systems for all to address homelessness

    As a result of the United Nations (UN) 58th Session of the Commission on Social Development, the UN Economic and Social Council issued its first resolution on homelessness as a mainstream UN policy issue. The resolution outlines a definition of global homelessness for the first time, calls on member states (countries) to collect data on demographics related to homelessness, and encourages governments to improve access to affordable housing. Read the resolution here: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3869551?ln=en&v=pdf.

  • 2021

    UN Resolution: Inclusive policies and programmes to address homelessness, including in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)

    The United Nations General Assembly adopted a second Resolution on homelessness that recognizes homelessness recognizes that root causes of homelessness are structural rather than individual,; included a call for Member States (countries) to take action on homelessness via partnership with people with lived experience/expertise, program and policy development, disaggregated data collection; and recognizes the link between solving homelessness and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Read the resolution here: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3953766?ln=en&v=pdf.

  • 2023

    First Meeting of the International Mayors Council on Homelessness

    In partnership with UN-Habitat, IGH launched the International Mayors Council on Homelessness in June 2023. The International Mayors Council on Homelessness brings together Mayors who are committed to reducing homelessness and creates a forum to discuss the most pressing challenges and evidence on what works, with participation from Edmonton and Medicine Hat, Canada; Helsinki, Finland; Houston, Orting, and Newark, USA; London, Greater Manchester, and Sheffield, England; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Paris, France; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Glasgow, Scotland; Tauranga, New Zealand; and São Paulo, Brazil. Learn more about the Mayors Council here: https://ighomelessness.org/mayorscouncil/.

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    Landmark UN Secretary-General Report: Inclusive policies and programmes to address homelessness

    The report recognized homelessness as “both a concrete violation of human rights and an indicator of extreme poverty and social exclusion”. The landmark report included a call on the Secretary-General to prepare a bi-annual report, in consultation with UN-Habitat as well as other UN bodies, to map achievements and challenges in the implementation of inclusive policies and programs to address homelessness. This report builds on the exploration of social protection and access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing for all in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the report here: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4018593?ln=en&v=pdf.

  • 2025

    Second Secretary-General Report on Homelessness

    In October 2025, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General released a second report addressing homelessness  — a milestone review of global progress and a call for coordinated national strategies and data collection. This report underscores a stark reality: homelessness is driven by structural inequities, stigma, and systemic barriers. The report also details IGH’s work to prevent and end homelessness, spotlighting cities in our Vanguard Program, and sharing data from the Global Homelessness Data Map. Read the 2025 UN Secretary-General Report in your language here: https://docs.un.org/A/80/316.

Sustainable Development Goals

For the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) to track countries’ and stakeholders’ progress towards addressing international, systemic issues related to poverty and basic human needs, environmental sutstainability, economic growth, healthcare, and more. Global homelessness is a shared issue that directly intersects with those issues and their solutions however, homelessness is not included in any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their 169 indicators. Without measurement and coordinated action, millions of people experiencing homelessness will continue to be left behind in global development efforts, and formal recognition is essential to ensure that everyone is included in our pursuit of a more just and sustainable world.

  • Homelessness and the SGDs

    SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable and its first target 11.1: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums, are the closest language to any mention of homelessness in the SDGs.

    Meeting this target is measured by the proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing. Although homelessness is not a new issue, it is an urgent and solvable one. Homelessness is a crucial aspect of SDG 11.1 and meaningfully intersects with all other SDGs however, it is not being measured by the current indicator(s).