12 May 2017: The Governing Council of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) held its 26th session, with a focus on implementing the New Urban Agenda. Officials highlighted the work of the independent panel to assess and enhance the effectiveness of UN-Habitat with regard to the Agenda’s implementation.
The New Urban Agenda is a global, non-binding agenda for making cities safe, sustainable and resilient. It was adopted by governments at the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016.
GC26 took place from 8-12 May 2017, at the UN Offices in Nairobi, Kenya. Through video message, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that, for the first time in history, cities are home to more than half of humanity, and by 2050, two out of every three people on Earth will live in urban areas. With the right approach, he said, urbanization can address inequality, economic stagnation, climate change and disasters, and advance progress on the SDGs and the Paris Agreement on climate change. He stressed that in order to realize a life of dignity for all, cities need to be free of crime, pollution and poverty, and be places where diversity is celebrated and the “social fabric” is strong.
Peter Thomson, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President, said cities generate 80% of the gross domestic product (GDP), and are increasingly home to those who have been displaced by war and disasters. He reported that cities host over 1.6 billion people living without adequate housing and 2.4 billion people without adequate sanitation facilities. Cities are also, “too often,” places where the natural environment is destroyed by pollution, waste and poor planning, with responsibility for over 70% of global carbon emissions.
Thomson announced that he will convene a UNGA High-Level Meeting on 29-30 August 2017, to enable delegates to respond to the proposals that will be put forward by Guterres and the panel regarding UN-Habitat’s effectiveness. He also noted that the UN Secretary-General will soon set out proposals to reform the UN in the areas of development, peace and management, and encouraged UN-Habitat to support the necessity of reform “for the common good.”
The assessment of UN-Habitat’s effectiveness is mandated by the New Urban Agenda, and Guterres appointed the panel and announced its members in April 2017. According to the New Urban Agenda, the resulting report should analyze: UN-Habitat’s “normative and operational mandate”; its governance structure, considering alternatives including universalization of the membership of its Governing Council; its work with national, subnational and local governments and with relevant stakeholders, “in order to tap the full potential of partnerships”; and its financial capability.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed the panel’s appointment, noting that UN-Habitat’s organization and structure could require reform to make it more effective, efficient, accountable to its decisions and transparent in decision-making. In line with the New Urban Agenda, he said Kenya is focusing on changes in governance, awareness of the opportunities presented by new urbanization, and utilizing technology to meet new needs.
Clos said UN-Habitat is fit for purpose to support the delivery of the New Urban Agenda, SDG 11 and other urban-related SDGs.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos remarked that the way urbanization is managed is key, since urbanization “is going to happen with or without our consent.” He noted that, as a focal point for sustainable urbanization in the UN system, UN-Habitat is fit for purpose to support the delivery of the New Urban Agenda, SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and the implementation of the urban-related SDGs. He said UN-Habitat has defined an Action Plan for the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda and a Strategic Plan that will be discussed in the “upcoming sessions.” In a policy statement, Clos stressed the need to enhance UN-Habitat, to fulfill the “ambitious programme” of the New Urban Agenda, and for an “enhanced Regular Budget finance model” to help meet the needs of those in needs, including the least developed countries (LDCs). The statement also notes that UN-Habitat should improve its operational model, in order to increase its efficiency and continue its delivery of more-with-less and higher levels of productivity.
During the Council Meeting, US$11 million in new funding was announced for the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) to empower African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to transform the living conditions of slum dwellers. The PSUP is a joint effort of the ACP Group of States, the European Commission (EC) and UN-Habitat, and was launched in 2008, now involving more than 150 cities. The PSUP aims to expand its outreach from 35 to 79 ACP countries. With the new funding, which covers the years 2017-2021, UN-Habitat is expected to bring the necessary change and transformation to end urban poverty in ACP countries in a sustainable way, including by catalyzing public resources through slum upgrading.
The GC is composed of 58 members who are elected by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for a term of four years. It serves as the decision-making body for UN-HABITAT and approves UN-HABITAT’s biennial work programme and budget. The GC is also responsible for setting UN-HABITAT’s policies by developing and promoting policy objectives, priorities and guidelines on existing and planned programmes of work on human settlements. It meets biennially and reports to the UNGA through ECOSOC. [UN Secretary-General Remarks] [UNGA President Statement] [UN-Habitat Executive Director Opening Statement] [UN-Habitat Executive Director Policy Statement] [Kenya President Statement] [UN-Habitat Press Release on First Day of Meeting] [UN-Habitat Press Release on Funding for the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme] [Meeting Website] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on New Urban Agenda Adoption] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on High-Level Panel to Assess and Enhance the Effectiveness of UN-Habitat]