Faith Pavilion leaders at WUF13 in Baku, Azerbaijan. The 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), convened by UN-Habitat in Baku, Azerbaijan, brought together leaders from government, academia, civil society, business, and faith communities to explore solutions to some of today’s most pressing urban challenges. The Housing Crisis Is a Church Issue Key urban challenges highlighted at WUF13. One of the strongest messages at WUF13 was the urgency of the global housing crisis. Today, 2.8

From Urban Shalom Society to CitiesCollab: the Story With gratitude to the many people, networks, and institutions who have stewarded this mission across regions and decades. Why this story matters Urban Shalom Society (USS) emerged to help the global Christian community engage cities with theological depth, practical wisdom, and credible presence in the world’s major urban conversations. In particular, USS helped evangelicals show up consistently within UN-Habitat platforms—

By Dr. Chris Elisara, WEA Special Envoy for Environment, Climate, and Cities Feb. 11, 2026 for Lausanne Cities Deep Dive – Oceania PREAMBLE The Gospel and the Future of Cities: A Call to Action is a biblically grounded statement developed by the World Evangelical Alliance Sustainability Centre with a coalition of the willing at Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador in 2016, and released in 2018 at the Ninth Session of the World Urban Forum ( WUF9 ) convened by UN-Habitat in Kual