The signatories to this statement, as Economic and Social Council accredited non-governmental organizations and members of the Working Group to End Homelessness (WGEH), urge the 62st Session of the Commission on Social Development to address homelessness in the exploration of the Priority Theme; “Fostering social development and social justice through social policies to accelerate progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to achieve the overarching goal of poverty eradication”.

Read our Statement on the 62nd Session of the Commission for Social Development here.

In the Secretary-General’s Report on policies and programmes to address homelessness, the Secretary-General proposes possible indicators for social protection and access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing in the aftermath of COVID-19. The report shows that, while knowledge of and policies on homelessness are improving, substantial efforts are still needed.

We welcome and support the Secretary General’s report and a continuing focus on this important issue which deprives millions of individuals worldwide of their human rights.

Read our Statement on the Secretary-General’s Report here.

A United Nations General Assembly resolution is a formal expression of the opinion or will of UN organs (agencies) that provide policy recommendations, assign mandates to the UN Secretariat and the subsidiary bodies of the General Assembly, and decide on all questions regarding the UN budget. The UN Resolution on Homelessness urges member states to gather better data on homelessness and use that data to implement programs that will meaningfully address homelessness in their countries and around the world.

The new resolution describes global homelessness as living on the streets or other places not fit for human habitation, living in shelters or temporary housing, or living in inadequate or insecure housing. It urges member states to address the structural and circumstantial drivers of homelessness including inequalities, poverty, loss of housing and livelihood, jobs, access of affordable housing, lack of social protection, lack of access to land, credit or financing, and high costs of energy or health care, as well as lack of financial and legal literacy. Read the 2021 Resolution here.

As a result of the 58th Session of the UN Commission for Social Development, Member States drafted a resolution on the priority theme that was later fully adopted by the UN’s Economic and Social Council in June 2020. The resolution notes that homelessness “needs to be addressed through urgent national, multilateral and global responses”. Read the 2020 Resolution here.

We join in this statement to urge the 61st Session of the Commission on Social Development to address homelessness in the exploration of the Priority Theme; Creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Read our full CSocD61 Statement here.

Although the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) do not directly mention homelessness, it is intrinsically linked to every SDG.

Read Street Homelessness and the SDGs in English here.

Leer Street Homelessness and the SDGs en Español aquí.

Lire Street Homelessness and the SDGs en Français ici.