February 2018: An action plan for implementing the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Latin America and the Caribbean envisions the city as a “macro-level public good” where citizens’ economic, social, cultural and environmental rights are guaranteed.

The ‘Regional Action Plan for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC): 2016-2036’ (RAP) was published by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), UN-Habitat and the General Assembly of Ministers of Housing and Urban Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI). The guiding principles and strategic objectives (2016-2036) of the RAP include: inclusive cities; sustainable and inclusive urban economies; urban environmental sustainability; and effective and democratic governance.

The RAP argues that current regional policies have failed to successfully address unsustainable urban trends. Therefore, structural changes are required that place sustainability and equality at the center of the urbanization process. It provides a road map of potential actions, interventions and evidence-based policy guidance for LAC countries towards achieving sustainable urban development, and establishing a more equitable urban paradigm.

The RAP contains six action areas, namely: national urban policies; urban legal frameworks; urban and territorial planning and design; urban economy and municipal finances; local implementation; and monitoring, reporting and revision mechanisms. These action areas and their strategic objectives comprise the key components necessary for implementing the NUA in LAC. The document describes enabling conditions and essential elements for each area, and how each is aligned with specific SDGs and related targets.

While aimed at implementing the NUA in the region, the RAP will also enable the building of synergies with other global agreements and agendas, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the Paris Agreement on climate change, among others. The RAP was designed for the region as a whole, but it can also be used to evaluate needs and actions at the subregional, national and local levels. [Publication: Regional Action Plan for the Implementation of the NUA in LAC: 2016-2036]