Stressing that housing is a human right which gives meaning and dignity to people’s lives, the independent UN rights expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors the issue has issued an alert over the impact of war, with many civilians simply “losing their houses” as battlefields shift and expand.

Balakrishnan Rajagopal is at the World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo, where he spoke to UN News’s Khaled Mohamed on the challenges of ensuring affordable and safe housing for all.