The Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All was established pursuant to resolution 2/7 on Adequate Housing for All, adopted by the United Nations Habitat Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat Assembly).
The first session of the Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All (OEWG-H1) was held at UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi from 9 to 11 December 2024. The session report and the Chairs’ summary are available on the dedicated session webpage. The elected Co-Chairs, France and Kenya, developed a roadmap for 2025 comprising virtual intersessional meetings for Member States, nominated experts and other stakeholders, and a second session of the Working Group.
The second session of the Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All (OEWG-H2) was held on 22 and 23 October 2025 at UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. Drawing on the outcomes of the 2025 virtual thematic intersessional meetings, the session reviewed draft recommendations on four thematic areas and agreed on the work plan for 2026-2029. Co-chairmanship of the Working Group passed to Azerbaijan and Somalia. The session report, Chairs' summary and proposed recommendations are available on the dedicated webpage.
The third session of the Working Group (OEWG-H3) will be held in Nairobi in November 2026. In preparation, virtual thematic intersessional meetings and other events will be held throughout the year, open to Member States, nominated experts and other stakeholders. These include a parallel session at the Second Africa Urban Forum (AUF2, Nairobi, April 2026) and a dedicated intersessional meeting at the World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13, Baku, May 2026).
Similar processes will take place in 2027 and 2028. A comprehensive set of housing policy recommendations will be presented to the third session of the UN-Habitat Assembly in 2029. These recommendations are already informing policy reform at the country level and contributing to other key multilateral processes.
Kenya (African States) and France (Western European and other States) were elected as Co-Chairs at the first session of the Working Group, held in December 2024, and served until the closure of the second session in October 2025. At the second session of the Working Group, Azerbaijan (Asia-Pacific States) and Somalia (African States) were elected as Co-Chairs, serving until their successors are elected at the third session in November 2026.