Nga Urges Global Cooperation on Housing Crisis
Malaysia's housing official calls for international action as billions worldwide face inadequate housing.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Real Estate — General
Live Poll
Do you trust your government to make housing affordable in the coming years?
Nga Kor Ming, president of the UN-Habitat Assembly, called for stronger international cooperation to address the global housing crisis during a keynote at World Cities Day 2026 in Fuzhou, China, on Sunday, October 31. The event theme was "Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All."
Why it matters
About 3.4 billion people worldwide experience some form of housing inadequacy, and more than 1.16 billion live in informal settlements including slums. Rising housing costs and widening social inequality are placing growing pressure on renters everywhere.
Worldwide, 44% of urban renters spend an unsustainable share of income on rent, out of a global population the extraction does not quantify for renters. The available figures do not indicate how international cooperation would be financed or enforced.
The players
Nga Kor Ming
Nga is a Malaysian politician and president of the UN-Habitat Assembly, the governing body of the United Nations agency focused on urban development and housing.
UN-Habitat
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the UN agency mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities, and co-organised the event.
The details
Nga delivered a keynote at the opening of Global Observance of World Cities Day 2026 in Fuzhou, China. The event was jointly organised by UN-Habitat, China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Fujian Provincial People's Government and the Fuzhou Municipal People's Government.
Timeline
Sunday, October 31, 2026: Nga delivers keynote at World Cities Day 2026 in Fuzhou, China.
2026 to 2035: Malaysia's National Housing Policy period, targeting one million affordable homes.
Market Landscape
World Cities Day, observed annually under UN-Habitat, has become a recurring platform for framing urban housing as a global policy priority. The 2026 theme, "Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All," places the housing crisis within that multilateral agenda.
Renters spending an unsustainable share of income on rent face continued budget pressure as housing costs rise. Government programs such as Malaysia's RM60bil Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme aim to expand financing access for people without conventional income documentation.
The takeaway
Housing affordability is a global issue, and the extraction suggests that national programs alone may not be enough to close the gap. Readers in rental markets should watch whether international cooperation translates into concrete policy.
Further reading
Explore more on the Real Estate — General section for broader housing context.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Star.
Live Poll
Do you trust your government to make housing affordable in the coming years?
