2 July 2018: A report of progress in implementing the New Urban Agenda (NUA) observes that “many lessons, challenges and opportunities have become apparent in the 18 months” since the Agenda’s adoption. The report was presented to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which considered progress in the NUA’s implementation and monitoring. In addition, an open-ended working group issued recommendations on strengthening Member States’ oversight of UN-Habitat.

The NUA was adopted at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), held in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016, and endorsed by the UN General Assembly on 23 December 2016 (71/256). UN-Habitat is identified as a focal point for implementation and monitoring of the Agenda. The report of the UN Secretary-General, issued in May 2018, is the first in a series of five quadrennial reports, which forms part of the NUA’s follow-up and review process.

The report explains interlinkages between the NUA and other global development agendas adopted in 2015 and 2016, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development (FFD). It outlines ways in which the NUA is an “accelerator” for the achievement of the others.

The report also notes “intensified” urban challenges since the Agenda’s adoption, including growing inequality, social exclusion and spatial segregation, which result in “a dramatic concentration of disadvantages in specific places and for specific people.” The rise in crises, insecurity and violence in urban areas has driven up displacement and forced migration, it reports. The document also adds that female-headed households in slums and informal settlements are growing, among other forms of exclusion that disproportionally affect women, youth, older persons, migrants and other marginalized groups.

The report recommends an “incremental approach” to reporting on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, based on four elements: systems for the production of user-friendly and participatory data platforms that add to existing sources of data; new and expanded platforms for engagement on knowledge production and reporting; a UN system-wide coordination mechanism that strengthens and expands partnerships; and capacities to report on the implementation of the sustainable urban development agendas, including data collection and analysis, policy development, implementation and stakeholder engagement.

The second quadrennial report, in 2022, will include quantitative and qualitative data resulting from the monitoring systems proposed in the present report. The third quadrennial report, in 2026, will serve as a midterm review of the NUA’s implementation of the Agenda.

Presenting the report to ECOSOC on 2 July 2018, Filiep Decorte, UN Human Settlement Programme (UN-HABITAT), noted that governments require more capacity to report on progress of the NUA. ECOSOC took note of the report.

In another development related to human settlements, in June 2018 an open-ended working group issued its findings and recommendations on strengthening Member States’ oversight of UN-Habitat. The working group was established following a mandate in UNGA resolution 72/226 of December 2017, on ‘Implementation of the outcomes of the United Nations Conferences on Human Settlements and on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).’

The Group’s report notes that it has identified the need for “a body to provide the political and strategic framework under which UN-Habitat shall function,” under the authority of the UNGA. This body would have universal intergovernmental membership and convene every four years for five days. In addition, the Group identified the need for a “dedicated executive body,” to increase Member States’ oversight of UN-Habitat’s operations, and strengthen its accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness. This body would take the form of an Executive Board to be comprised of 36 members. The four-paragraph report of the working group is submitted for consideration by the UNGA.

Following a mandate in the NUA, the UNGA convened a high-level meeting on the positioning of UN-Habitat, in September 2017. The Assembly proposed strengthening UN-Habitat for more effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda. [Report of the Secretary-General on progress on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (document A/73/83-E/2018/62)] [ECOSOC Meeting Summary] [Update on Open-ended working group]