UN-HABITAT Brochure 2011 (English Language Version)

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At the dawn of a new urban era, with most of humanity now living in cities, UN-HABITAT is at the front line of the battle against fast growing urban poverty and the scourge of climate change that is caused by poorly planned urbanization and threatens the lives and livelihoods of entire cities and communities.

Transcript of UN-HABITAT Brochure 2011 (English Language Version)

Page 1: UN-HABITAT Brochure 2011 (English Language Version)
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UN-HABITAT, the United Nations

agency for human settlements helps

countries to transform their cities into

safer, healthier, greener places with

better opportunities where everyone,

including the urban poor, can live in

dignity.

UN-HABITAT works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban de-velopment. Our vision is cities without slums that are livable places for all, which do not pollute the environment or deplete natural resources.

At the dawn of a new urban era, with most of humanity now living in cities, UN-HABITAT is at the frontline of the battle against fast growing urban poverty and the scourge of climate change that is caused by poorly planned urbanisation and

threatens the lives and livelihoods of entire cities and communities.

As the United Nations gateway for cities, UN-HABITAT is constantly improving its focus and re-sponsiveness to the aspirations of cities and their residents. Our flagship publications are widely acknowledged as premier works of reference on the built environment, city trends and urban is-sues. Key areas on our agenda are better urban planning, improving city financing, disaster miti-gation and reconstruction, urban mobility, and cleaner, greener cities that take the lead in tack-ling climate change.

At the same time, UN-HABITAT works with hundreds of cities and communities around the world to achieve tangible improvements in the liv-ing conditions and livelihoods of the urban poor. A key area of focus is in supporting the efforts of governments and of civil society in attaining the Millennium Development Goals on water and sanitation in urban areas and slum upgrading.

A MIssION fOr THe 21sT ceNTUry

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A Message from the executive Director

There are four mega-trends marking our modern soci-

ety. The first two are omni-present. They visibly shape

our societies and our daily lives – globalization and in-

formation and communication technology. The latter

is often referred to as one of the main driving forces

of the new economy. Third is climate change and the

growing number of disasters wrought by this scourge,

and finally, the trend less spoken about, but most pro-

found in its impact on the way we live: rapid urbanisa-

tion and the growth of cities.

It is the combined impact of rapid urbanization,

globalization and climate change that is increasingly

shaping today’s development agenda.

On the one hand, cities present unparalleled op-

portunities for creating wealth and prosperity. Cities

have become the driving force of global trade and the

engines of economic growth. They serve as the nexus

of our global financial markets, and the service centres

of our information society. On the other hand, cities

also bring irreversible changes in consumption and

production patterns. As human activity concentrates

in cities, we change the way we use land, water, en-

ergy and other natural resources.

With over half of the world’s people living in cit-

ies, urban areas are already consuming most of world’s

energy and are generating the bulk of our waste, in-

cluding green house gas emissions. Cities also harbour

many very worrisome trends in terms of social depriva-

tion and exclusion.

As the problems of climate disruption emerge at

virtually the same time and the same pace as our cities

are growing, we need new thinking and we need to

act fast. By following the green agenda – using less

fuel for urban transport, and industry, opting for alter-

nate energy sources, making our buildings more ener-

gy efficient, polluting the atmosphere less, protecting

oceans and rivers, and ensuring a decent urban living

environment, we can save money and sustain our cit-

ies and their growing populations in greater dignity

and equity.

In many cities, especially in developing countries,

slum dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the

population and have little or no access to shelter, wa-

ter, and sanitation, education or health services. All

too often, they are deprived of their human and civil

rights as well.

Put another way: Never before in history has the

world witnessed such a rapid growth in urbanisation.

However, this rapid urbanisation has also seen the ab-

solute number of slum dwellers increase from 776.7

million in 2000 to some 827.6 million in 2010.

How we manage this situation is arguably one of

THe NeeD fOr UN-HABITAT

Dr. Joan Clos,

Executive Director, UN-HABITAT PHO

TO: ©

UN

-HA

BIT

AT

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Onitsha, Nigeria one of the emerging cities in Africa. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT/AlessANdrO scOTTI

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the biggest problems confronting humanity in the 21st

century. As more and more governments recognise

this, the United Nations needs to galvanise its strength

like never before in the quest for sustainable urbanisa-

tion.

In essence, it is a problem of adequate and afford-

able shelter for all, and ways of providing it – a corner-

stone of UN-HABITAT’s relationship with governments,

municipalities, its civil society partners, and the finan-

cial world, both public and private, as well as with

those most in need of shelter, water, sanitation, elec-

tricity and other services that make for an acceptable

standard of living.

With so many millions living in slums, and count-

less thousands joining them every day, we are indeed

sitting on a social time bomb that is ticking away qui-

etly in many overcrowded, poverty-stricken corners of

a geopolitical chessboard already fraught with prob-

lems.

It is a shocking fact, for example, that 61.7 per cent

of people living in towns and cities in sub-Saharan Af-

rica today live in slums, and that slum dwellers consti-

tute 35 per cent of urban residents in South Asia.

This is where the United Nations Human Settle-

ments Programme (UN-HABITAT) is mandated to make

a difference for the better. At the birth of the agency

in 1978, two years after the first Habitat conference in

Vancouver, Canada, urbanisation and its impacts were

barely on the radar screen of a United Nations created

just three decades earlier when two-thirds of humanity

was still rural.

In response to the global urbanisation and shelter cri-

sis, the United Nations General Assembly at a special

session to review the Habitat Agenda in 2001 decided

in its Resolution A/56/206 to elevate UN-HABITAT into

a fully fledged programme of the United Nations, guid-

ed by a Governing Council of Member States to help

policy-makers and local communities get to grips with

the problem and find workable, lasting solutions.

Also directly related to UN-HABITAT’s mandate are

the Millennium Development Goals, which recogn-

ise the dire circumstances of the world’s urban poor.

They articulate the commitment of member States to

improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwell-

ers by the year 2020 – a target set perhaps too low

because already it is calculated that some 22 million

people moved out of slum conditions each year be-

tween 2000 and 2010. Another target directly related

to UN-HABITAT’s mandate is the reduction by half of

the number of people without sustainable access to

safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.

61.7%of people living in towns in sub-saharan africa live in slums

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Population in selected mega citiesOne person represents one million people (2010 estimates)

Rio de Janeiro 12.2 million

Moscow 10.5 million

Lagos 10.6 million

Cairo 12.5 million

New York-Newark 19.4 million

London 8.2 million

Mumbai 20 million

Tokyo 36.1 million

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UN-HABITAT will therefore continue to prioritize core

activities of its mandates – those activities which

Governments consider to be important. These in-

clude:

• promotingsustainableurbanization;

• promotingpro-poorlandandhousingpolicies;

• improvingaccesstodrinkingwaterandsanitation;

• promotingeffectiveandsustainablefinancing

ofcities;

• promotingpartnershipsandmainstreaming

gender;

• slumpreventionandupgrading;

• promotingglobalawarenessofurbancondi-

tions and trends through evidence based global

monitoring and knowledge exchange

UN-HABITAT also has to respond to emerging urban

challenges. These are:

• promotinganewroleforurbanplanningin

developing sustainable cities and towns – a

planning for the 21st century, which is not the

planningofthe1980s;

• promotingtheroleofcitiesinclimatechange,

focusing on urban-based mitigation and adap-

tation efforts, including in the areas of energy

consumption as well as sustainable urban mo-

bility and transport, bearing in mind the huge

contribution of cities in developed countries to

greenhousegasemissions;

• respondingtonaturalandhuman-madedisas-

ters, with the aim of facilitating transition to

earlyrecoveryandreconstruction;

• promotingandenhancingtheroleoflocal

authorities, focusing on municipal finance.

Finally, a new economic appraisal should be devel-

oped for a better understanding of the urbanization

process. The evolution in time of urban capital assets

and their contribution to the economy of a nation, as

the added value that urbanization generates, are very

powerful forces in both developed and developing

countries.

It is not by chance that the recent financial crisis

was based on the burst of the housing prices bubble.

For the poorest of the poor, the impacts on people’s

lives of such crises, of local and national policy, as well

as international trade and aid, are palpably real.

Dr. Joan closExecutive Director UN-HABITAT

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations

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Every two years, UN-HABITAT’s work and relationships

with its partners are examined by the Governing Coun-

cil. Composed of 58 member countries of the United

Nations, it is a high-level forum of governments at the

ministerial level which sets UN-HABITAT’s policy guide-

lines and budget every two years.

The governments have representatives at the agen-

cy’s world headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, with whom

senior UN-HABITAT officials meet regularly throughout

the year in the Committee of Permanent Representa-

tives (CPR). The Governing Council reports to the UN

General Assembly through the Economic and Social

Council (ECOSOC) which co-ordinates the work of UN

agencies.

The objectives, functions and responsibilities of the

Governing Council are set out in General Assembly

resolution 32/162 and in paragraph 222 of the Habi-

tat Agenda.

The Governing Council has approved six focus ar-

eas to hone the agency’s work so that the maximum

benefit can be derived for better, smarter, greener

and more sustainable and equitable cities around the

world.

OVersIGHT - THe GOVerNING cOUNcIL

OrGANIZATION sTrUcTUre

executive DirectorDeputy executive Director

Liaison offices Programme Support Division

financing Human

Settlements

regional andtechnical

Cooperation

Monitoring andresearch

Shelter andSustainable Human

SettlementsDevelopment

executive Direction and Management

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Advocacy and city Monitoring

UN-HABITAT uses its World Urban Campaign, its public

website and flagship publications, as well as a special

best practices department to ensure that good ideas

and smart innovation is easily accessible. For example,

through the best practices database and exchange

system, a city like Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea

learn how Durban, South Africa, fights crime, or how

an urban water management project in Kathmandu,

Nepal, can benefit a city with similar problems in Latin

America. The ideas and practices come in every form,

right down to city park management schemes that can

be applied elsewhere in the world.

The agency publishes two biennial flagship reports,

The State of the World’s Cities, and the Global Report

on Human Settlements. Both are today considered

among the most authoritative reports pertaining to ur-

ban matters anywhere to be found. Also in this league

are another set of regional biennial reports – The State

of African Cities, The State of Arab Cities, The State of

Asian Cities, The State of Chinese Cities, The State of

European Cities in Transition, and The State of Latin

American Cities.

Each quarter, UN-HABITAT also publishes its flag-

ship magazine, Urban World, and throughout the year

different parts of the agency produces scores of spe-

cialized reports in print and electronically on the whole

range of its work around the world.

Most developing countries do not have regular data

effecTIVe ADVOcAcy, PArTNersHIPs AND MONITOrING

UN-HABITAT helps cities learn, know and understand their own needs. from

finding out how many people in a given street may have water and sanitation,

to what local non-governmental and civil society organizations might think

about a city, or how women’s views should be taken into account, and helping

exchange information and best practice ideas world-wide, the agency provides

the facts, figures and studies that can help decision makers at every level and

even local residents make optimum choices.

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collection, analysis and monitoring systems. Good ur-

ban policy and planning requires accurate information.

UN-HABITAT’s Global Urban Observatory (GUO) helps

cities get a bird’s eye view of their situation and their

needs. Photograph a city from space, magnify it, look

at a few streets in any area, and then send in survey

teams to fill in the blanks from the streets up – how

many people live there? How many have access to wa-

ter and sanitation? Are the roads in need of repair?

How many people have AIDS or malaria? Which slums

are the most overcrowded? Armed with answers to

such questions, it is far easier and cheaper to bring

improvements.

tetouan, Morocco. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT/ALessANDrO scOTTI

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Urban economy

UN-HABITAT promotes urban economic and financial

development to enable cities to perform as engines

of economic development and centres of resources

for human settlements development. It provides an

analytical focus on urban economy and finance and

promotes policies, strategies, tools and partnerships

which enhance the productivities of cities and poverty

reduction. It focuses on:

Poverty reduction: raising the awareness of poverty

and inequality indevelopment;analysingthenature,

characteristics, trends and distribution of poverty and

inequality; devising policies and strategies to tackle

poverty and inequality problems.

Productive cities: exploring how to make cities more

economically productive and socially inclusive and har-

monious, and expand jobs and business opportunities,

increase incomes and improve quality of life, particu-

larly for low income and disadvantaged groups.

Housing finance and Municipal finance systems: promoting inclusive housing finance systems and

mechanisms as well as municipal finance systems to

improve the effectiveness, efficiency and accessibil-

ityofexistingfinancesystems;creatinganddevising

innovative finance mechanisms and instruments. It

publishes a human settlements finance systems and

financing tools series.

regional economic Development: promoting local

economic development by enhancing the capacities of

central and local governments with respect to regional

and national development and by developing strate-

gies and tools for regional economic development.

community-based and cooperative Initiatives: As-

sistance to create, develop and sustain capacities of

the poor and grassroots communities to meet their

needs for housing and poverty reduction and urban

services.

Gender Mainstreaming

Women face discrimination of one kind or another in

every major city of the world. The agency strives to

broaden gender equality and women’s rights into all

its activities by supporting and strengthening gender

awareness. It seeks to ensure more accountable, par-

ticipatory and empowering urban development prac-

tices through a gender sensitive approach.

The implementation of women’s rights to land,

property and housing remains a formidable challenge

facing the world today. The problem persists despite a

host of international human rights instruments such

as Millennium Development Goal 3 (Promote gender

equality and empower women), and the 2005 World

Summit Outcome, where women’s land, property and

inheritance rights are seen as an important indicator of

women’s empowerment and human development.

In an effort to strengthen gender mainstreaming in

its activities, UN-HABITAT produces resource materials

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on gender and post-crisis governance, reconstruction

and land administration, gender in local governance,

and best practices in gender mainstreaming in human

settlements development.

youth

UN-HABITAT recognizes young people as active partici-

pants in the future of human settlements. Our work is

focused on initiating and fostering inter-agency part-

nerships and partnerships with youth organizations at

the local, national and international levels, to ensure

their voices get heard. Working with young men and

women and understanding their diverse abilities, re-

alities and experiences is an essential element of UN-

HABITAT’s drive for sustainable urbanisation.

The agency works around the world with local au-

thorities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and

youth groups. It promotes better urban youth develop-

ment by providing skills training and training in enter-

prise development and setting up income generating

projects, for example in the housing sector, to help

young people find gainful employment, and thus help

reduce the need to turn to crime.

UN-HABITAT has an Urban Youth Fund which helps

young people in poor countries aged 15 - 32 obtain

funding for innovative ideas and projects. All proposals

are carefully vetted by a jury and those considered the

best are allocated funding ranging from USD 5,000 to

USD 25,000.

Partners

UN-HABITAT has partnerships with governments, local

authorities, donors, the private sector, parliamentar-

ians, urban professionals and researchers, and many

NGOs and community groups world-wide. Indeed, we

have long campaigned for closer relationships with

civil society, parliamentarians, and the private sector,

and within the United Nations system. Ranging from

non-governmental organizations, community-based

organizations, women’s and youth groups to trade

unions, urban professionals, researchers and spiritual

organizations, these partners have innovative ways of

helping the poor. Many have developed effective ways

of working with their national governments and mu-

nicipalities.

Our collaboration with local authorities is particu-

larly important and spreads to all levels – from tech-

nical cooperation projects at city level, to capacity

building in collaboration with training institutions and

policy dialogue at major events like our biennial World

Urban Forum.

But given the challenge of urban poverty, with the

number of people living in slums and other sub-stan-

dard housing projected to rise to more than 1.3 billion

by 2020, meeting the Millennium Development Goals

on slums, water and sanitation is a huge challenge.

It will require a concerted approach to land, basic in-

frastructure and services, affordable housing solutions,

and accessible housing finance systems, through part-

nerships engaging the private sector.

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UN-HABITAT is well aware that the private sector is a

vital part that must be engaged if the world’s cities are

to achieve sustainability. The private sector and the UN

share common objectives of more efficient, produc-

tive and inclusive cities. Cities just have to be good for

business.

UN-HABITAT has many alliances with the business

community able to help us fulfill our mission, by sup-

porting our work, directly or indirectly. These are the

business partners which manifest corporate responsi-

bility in the community, make a positive contribution

to the urban environment, have a record of socially-re-

sponsive behaviour and which have responsive labour

and environmental practices.

In 2010, un-HabItat and its partners launched a new global drive to promote better cities

for all. at a time of global financial crisis, the World urban Campaign takes on a special sense

of urgency in the drive to reduce urban poverty, cut back on energy consumption, cut air and

water pollution, and promote cleaner, safer, greener cities where all feel they belong, whether

rich or poor. It will promote 21st century planning, effect land and housing policy, stronger local

authorities, and better climate change and disaster preparedness, cities without slums, water and

sanitation for all. as humanity now moves into a new urban era, the idea is to take these urgent

issues as campaign themes to exploit the combined power and influence of governments,

local authorities, the media, business, and others to achieve policy change, bring in new

thinking and awareness of the importance of living in a better and smarter urban world.

In short, to consider urbanisation as something positive and wonderful, as something that

can enhance humanity’s greatest legacy – our cities.

UN-HABITAT also appreciates that if its goals are to be

achieved, then it must involve the professionals and

researchers working in all human settlements related

fields be they architects, surveyors, urban planners,

geographers and lawyers. In other words they can be

drawn from any other profession that can practically

contribute to a sustainable urbanization.

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The World Urban forum

The Forum was established by the United Nations to

examine one of the most pressing problems facing

the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on

communities, cities, economies, climate change and

policies. Today, it is the world’s premier conference on

managing growing towns and cities.

Since its inception at the first meeting in nairobi,

Kenya in 2002, this conference held every two

years has grown in size and stature.

A unique feature of the World Urban Forum is that

is its one of the most open gatherings on the inter-

national stage. It brings together government leaders,

ministers, mayors, diplomats, members of national,

regional and international associations of local gov-

ernments, non-governmental and community organi-

zations in open dialogue and exchange. Also invited

are professionals, academics, grassroots women’s or-

ganizations, youth, slum dwellers groups, the private

sector and the media as partners working for smarter

and inclusive cities. Each session builds on the lessons

and success of the previous events.

It is at the Forum where we examine the future of

cities, both a difficult and easy task. It is uncomplicated

because we all know the right words for what we wish

a future city to be. We want “green”, “carbon free”

and“environmentallysustainable”cities;citieswithall

the amenities at easy reach, from schools to hospitals,

to markets and workplaces. We want accessible, fre-

quent and reliable public transport and communica-

tions technologies to solve all of our needs.

But the difficult part however is the reality of our

existence. Soon 80 percent of the world’s population

will be living in cities, and the pressures will become

greater and greater as time goes by.

Therefore, when addressing the idea of sustain-

able, better and smarter cities, those gathering at the

Forum always have to keep in mind the poorest of the

poor and aim for the very best models at the same

time.

To achieve these aims – all enshrined in the Mil-

lennium Development Goals and the Habitat Agen-

da– better urban planning, good governance, proper

financing and gender and youth policies incorporated

at every level – are some of the roads to smarter and

more sustainable cities of the future – a future that can

be very exciting indeed.

World Habitat Day

This is another occasion where the agency brings ur-

ban matters to the international agenda each year.

The United Nations has designated the first Monday

of October every year as World Habitat Day. The idea is

to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the

basic right of all, to adequate shelter. It is also intended

to remind the world of its collective responsibility for

the future of the human habitat. Spearheaded from a

different city around the world every year, the event

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The fifth Session of the World Urban Forum, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2010. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT/ JUlIUs MwelU

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always linked to an urban theme is also celebrated in

cities, towns, villages, at schools, city halls and on local

television in more and more countries. It is on World

Habitat Day that the agency anoints the winners of the

Habitat Scroll of Honour Awards.

Knowledge exchange

UN-HABITAT also runs a special website called the Ur-

ban Gateway (urbangateway.org) which operates as a

virtual meeting place and special forum for the global

urban community. It is a place where professionals can

leave their CVs, where an architect can post an essay

on energy efficient buildings, where experts can discuss

how to cut the costs of air conditioning in hot coun-

tries, and heating in cool countries, where a women’s

group in Kenya can learn how another women’s group

in Latin America found a novel way of ensuring gen-

der parity. The gateway promotes global discussion on

how to manage our towns and cities better in a rapidly

Students at a mobile training centre in Uberlandia, Brazil. PHOTO: © AlessAndrO scOTTi

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urbanising world, giving all involved a special place to

exchange best practices, collaborate on projects, share

the latest thinking on urban matters and trends, find

expertise, and mobilise resources for urban initiatives.

Training and capacity building

The multiple challenges facing local communities and

governments and the every approaching Millennium

Development Goals deadline demand capable, adapt-

able, and stable local institutions. UN-HABITAT places

the capacity development of our national partner in-

stitutions at the core of its work, as development will

only be made sustainable through such interventions.

The agency therefore supports normative approaches

and operational activities which target institutional ca-

pacity development.

This is a holistic approach to capacity development

and concentrates on institutions as a whole – their in-

dividuals, the organizations, and the broader enabling

environment in which they operate through three main

areas:institutionaldevelopmenttoolsandapproaches;

education and learning, and communities of practice.

In the first area, the agency works to develop meth-

odologies for assessing and developing capacities for

the wide range of institutions with which UN-HABITAT

works. These methodologies focus on improving the

knowledge and skills through training and study tours,

supporting change agents to lead improvement ef-

forts, conducting diagnostics of institutional strengths

and weaknesses, and concrete organizational devel-

opment approaches that improve their business pro-

cesses and management systems.

Part of this effort includes training programmes

targeting local government officials and staff in a

range of areas including leadership, municipal finance,

local economic development, strategic planning, gov-

ernance, gender, climate change and land manage-

ment.

In terms of education and learning, the efforts are

focused on engaging with a wide array of universities,

think-tanks, regional and national training providers in

an effort to both develop the institutional tools, en-

hance curricula and teaching methods to help bridge

the gap between education and practice in the field of

sustainable urban development.

The agency also provides platforms for the develop-

ment of communities of practitioners from the private

sector, governments, NGOs, universities, and others

for the purposes of learning, discussion, collaboration,

looking at context-based experiences, and jointly solv-

ing problems across a wide array of thematic areas.

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sTrATeGIc UrBAN PLANNING, GOOD GOVerNANce

Following a re-appraisal of urban planning about fif-

teen years ago, UN-HABITAT started promoting par-

ticipatory urban planning as an element of good urban

governance. At the Istanbul City Summit in 1996, the

idea of participatory urban planning was subsumed

under the broader urban governance framework,

which emerged as one of the main outcomes of Habi-

tat II. In more recent years, UN-HABITAT has worked

closely with urban planning professional associations

and others in a new drive to promote urban planning

for the 21st century, within the broad context of sus-

tainable urban development. One significant outcome

of this new drive was the preparation and publication

of UN-HABITAT’s Global Report on Human Settlements

2009, titled Planning Sustainable Cities.

UN-HABITAT believes that in terms of process, ur-

ban plans should be prepared in a democratic way,

involving civil society organizations and all concerned

stakeholders. Experts should mainly play a facilitating

role.

In terms of product, strategic plans, or city devel-

opment strategies, should replace master plans. The

focus should be on a shared vision for the city (link-

ing social development, economic productivity and

environmental protection) and on multi-partner action

plans to translate this vision into reality by addressing

priority issues.

On implementation, local authorities should be in

the driving seat, as the level of government closest to

the citizens. Decision-making authority and resources

should be decentralised and local capacities strength-

ened. Planning and urban management should be

closely integrated.

In terms of strategy, the agency sees planning as a

tool, its effectiveness dependent directly on the quality

of the urban governance system. Good urban gov-

ernance and appropriate urban policy should almost

automatically lead to good planning.

Several programmes of UN-HABITAT have demon-

strated that this new type of city planning is feasible,

provided it is focused, locally-owned and politically

supported. Although it seems too early to claim that

urban planning is back on the global development

scene, a new and more strategic approach is being

promoted by international organisations and has al-

ready been adopted by several developed countries.

It is a complex process requiring participatory dis-

cussions, commitment and continuity in leadership,

as well as adequate capacities at different levels. This

process is hardly affordable for least developed coun-

tries (LDCs), most of which often lack institutional ca-

pacity, financial resources and clear policies.

The challenge for UN-HABITAT, therefore, is to

identify and promote a minimalist approach to ur-

ban planning, i.e. an approach that generally respects

the above-mentioned criteria, while simultaneously

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19UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

focusing on very few top priorities considered as es-

sential for guiding urban development. Essentially, this

approach can be described as affordable, participatory

and strategic. By definition, the minimalist planning

approach should not be comprehensive but selective.

The process should mobilise civil society and politi-

cal organizations in the definition of the vision (“the

city we want”) and priority areas (“hotspots”) through

popular consultations.

In terms of product, it should prioritise infrastruc-

ture development, with emphasis (especially in LDCs)

on primary road and water networks and on pricing

and municipal finance.

Implementation should include a strong component

on institutional strengthening, particularly at the lo-

cal level. The strategy should preferably be associated

with a review/reform of urban governance legislation,

rules and practices.

Of course planning requires maximum political

commitment to ensure impact and sustainability. With

such commitment, urban planning can certainly be-

come affordable and useful. But urban planners, and

other professionals involved in urban planning, should

also accept to play a more modest and more targeted

role in the management of urban affairs.

un-HabItat has created a new network of partners

called the Sustainable urban Development network

(SuD-net). this network is driven by un-HabItat’s

vision of vibrant and pro-poor urban economic

growth that is achieved without causing irreparable

and long-term damage to the environment.

The network is dedicated to helping Habitat Agenda

partners apply strategies that will reduce the eco-

logical footprint of cities while protecting property,

stimulating pro-poor local economic development,

and combating social exclusion and poverty. In terms

of mitigation, better planned cities, more efficient and

effective public transport, and more compact com-

munities not only reduce energy consumption and

pollution, but also contribute to social inclusion and

cohesion.

In terms of adaptation, helping our cities protect

lives and property from extreme weather patterns is

not only a means of promoting resilience but also a

central strategy to improve the living conditions and

safety of the poor and the most vulnerable members

of society.

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20 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

UN-HABITAT’s runs programmes designed to help

make our cities safer, bring relief in countries suffer-

ing the aftermath of war or natural disasters, promote

sustainable cities, good governance and support a

group of priority towns. Its experts work with govern-

ments, local authorities, civil society organisations and

the poorest of the urban poor themselves.

In some countries of the world, crime problems

have been exacerbated by a proliferation of weapons,

drugs, unemployment and delinquency. UN-HABITAT

provides local authorities and the police with support

in crime prevention. It also helps cities and towns cre-

ate the capacity to address urban insecurity and help

establish a culture of crime prevention.

In many countries, the agency has conducted street

safety audits to get an idea of how safe the streets are

for women – a measure of well a city really works.

Security in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT/AlessANdrO scOTTI

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21UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

Inclusive cities and governance

The divide between the wealthier and poorer seg-

ments of society in our cities stands out as one of the

major paradoxes – some would say scandals – of this

early 21st century.

After all, cities concentrate what has become

known as the “urban advantage”, namely, a bundle

of opportunities which, from basic services to health,

education, amenities and gainful employment, have

never been so favourable to human development. Yet

all too frequently, cities also concentrate high, unac-

ceptable degrees of inequality as these opportunities

elude major segments of the population.

Good governance gives us inclusive cities where

equal access to urban services and opportunities are

less restricted by all kinds of invisible and very visible

barriers. Look, for example, at the growing number

of gated communities in many countries that con-

tinue to shut the have-nots out. Walk along a street

in the capital of a developing country, and you can

see the well-appointed local headquarters of a world-

wide business consultancy facing a row of tiny, ram-

shackle shops catering to the needs of low-income

residents.

More often than not, the bumpy stretch of mud

which passes for a street along that row will lead to a

slum–the cruellest form of this divide.

UN-HABITAT helps cities identify urban governance

priorities and assess their progress towards the quality

of city-life. The results of its research are fed into the

State of the World’s Cities and the Global Report on

Human Settlements.

The other paradox – or scandal – of early 21st cen-

tury cities is that the opportunities that come with the

“urban advantage” are often closed to women, chil-

dren and young people with vital roles to play in our

collective future. Beyond livelihoods, health and per-

sonal development, the whole continuum of depriva-

tions that characterizes the excluded side of town has

a tangible impact on bodies and minds, stunting the

physical and intellectual potential of millions among

present and future generations.

UN-HABITAT works with national and local govern--

ments to include the poor and marginalized into

mainstream urban life. This calls for a redistribution of

broader opportunities as well. It also brings improved

quality of life, human capital as well as enhanced polit-

ical and cultural inclusion, along with cleaner, greener

cities, and places that are good for business for every-

one.

Experience shows that lack of inclusionary plan-

ning is only planning for trouble. Any sustainable vi-

sion for the future of any city can only be of an inclu-

sive, not divisive nature. This is why we feel the need

for a vigorous World Urban Campaign spearheaded by

the 100 Cities Initiative so that the best practices and

models can be better emulated around the world.

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22 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

PrO-POOr LAND AND HOUsING

Pro-poor Land and Housing is a key component of UN-

HABITAT’s strategic plan for the years 2008-2013. Its

aim is to help national governments, cities and com-

munities develop pro-poor and age-sensitive housing,

land management and property administration.

The agency also works to develop practical and

sound approaches to urban land. UN-HABITAT works

to develop normative approaches to urban land, in-

novative residential tenures, affordable land manage-

ment systems, land-related regulatory and legal frame-

works, with a particular emphasis on pro-poor and

women’s rights and empowerment.

One of the key weapons here is the Global Land

Tool Network (GLTN). The GLTN objective is to con-

tribute to poverty alleviation and the Millennium De-

velopment Goals through land reform, improved land

management and security of tenure. The Network has

developed a global land partnership and its members

include international civil society organizations, inter-

national finance institutions, international research

and training institutions, donors and professional bod-

ies. The GLTN is a demand driven network where many

individuals and groups have come together to address

this global problem. For further information, and regis-

tration, visit the GLTN website at www.gltn.net.

In the agency’s quest to achieve the Habitat Agen-

da goal of Adequate Shelter for All, it also helps estab-

lish housing policy, proper shelter strategies, and af-

fordable housing provision. It promotes a right-based

approach and coordinates the work of the Advisory

Group on Forced Evictions (AGFE). It also fosters coop-

erative housing as part of the strategy for developing

affordable housing options for poor households, and

encourages the use of energy-efficient building mate-

rials. For further information, please write an e-mail to:

[email protected]

Low income residential estate in Uberlandia, Brazil. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT /AlessANdrO scOTTI

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23UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

WATer, sANITATION, UrBAN MOBILITy

Water and sanitation

At a time when nearly all cities have entered the 21st

Century facing a water crisis, UN-HABITAT closely

monitors the state of water and sanitation in urban

areas around the world.

The explosive growth of towns and cities in the

past 30 years since the birth of UN-HABITAT is deplet-

ing previously plentiful water resources, and this is felt

particularly in arid parts of Africa, the Middle East, and

Central Asia. Proper water conservation and manage-

ment is vital for social and environmental sustainability

of cities. In our rapidly urbanising world, water scarcity

is a potential source of strife. Rapid population growth

in urban areas has already created environmental deg-

radation – a task UN-HABITAT works to redress.

The Millennium water target promotes better ser-

vice coverage by advocating pro-poor investments in

urban water, sanitation, waste management and in-

Who is connected to drinking

water in the cities?Percentage of urban households connected to improved drinking water in selected countries.

Shanghai, China. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT /JULIUs MWeLU

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24 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

1 km of road in Australia is used by 290,280 million people

1 km of road in Japan is used by 947,562 million people

1 km of road in Germany is used by 1,062,700 million people

1 km of road in Mexico is used by 422,915 million people

1 km of road in Ethiopia is used by 219,113 million people

1 km of road in USA is used by 7,814,575 million people

frastructure. It encourages and supports institutional

reforms at local government, national and regional

levels for efficient and equitable service delivery, par-

ticularly in low-income peri-urban settlements. It also

helps national governments and local authorities build

capacity for effective and efficient provision and deliv-

ery of water, sanitation and infrastructure.

UN-HABITAT also manages a Water and Sanitation

Trust Fund established in 2002 to help cities and their

municipalities reach out to the poorest of the poor.

It runs two special programmes: the Water for Af-

rican Cities Programme to help African cities manage

How much is rail transport used? Millions of people per kilometer 1 person=10,000 million people per kilometer

How much is road transport used? Millions of people per kilometer 1 person=100,000 million people per kilometer

growing water demand and protect their fresh water

resources from the increasing pollution loads from cit-

ies; and theWater for AsianCities Programme in a

region of the world where almost two-thirds of people

lack clean water and adequate sanitation. The two pro-

grammes work in close collaboration with the African

Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

Its specialist publications on water and sanitation in-

clude an Annual Report as well the award-winning,

Solid Waste Management in the World’s Cities.

1 km of rail in South Africa is used by 20,247 million passengers

1 km of rail in Japan is used by 245,957 million passengers

1 km of rail in France is used by 76,159 million passengers

1 km of rail in Chile is used by 737 million passengers

1 km of rail in Egypt is used by 40,837 million passengers

1 km of rail in Russian Federation is used by 177,639 million passengers

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25UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

How many people living in cities have acces to improved sanitaion? One toilet represents 10% of the urban population with access to improved sanitation

Urban mobility

As our cities grow bigger and bigger, along with traf-

fic jams spewing pollution into the air, sapping fuel

that could be better utilized, UN-HABITAT is promot-

ing more efficient and user-friendly transport systems

around the world.

Guided by the Habitat Agenda, the Declaration

of Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New

Millennium, Governing Council Resolution GC 22/8

on Guidelines on access to basic services for all, UN-

HABITAT promotes sustainable urban mobility around

the world.

We advocate land use and urban design patterns

which reduce the need for motorised travel by backing

up national and local plans for better, smarter public

transport, along with improved infrastructure for pe-

destrians and cyclists.

Expanded sustainable urban mobility is key for im-

proving access to housing and employment options

for all parts of society. In addition to its importance

as an urban service for moving people and goods, the

transport infrastructure and service sector itself is a

significant generator of wealth and employment.

If urban regions around the world want to achieve

sustainable development, conserve energy and cut

pollution, they have to pay significant attention to

strategies which address climate change for city-relat-

ed adaptation and mitigation measures.

Fast growing cities will only be able to meet the

housing and employment needs of their populations

in addition to reducing their environmental footprint if

they establish metropolitan mobility systems and set-

tlement patterns that provide equal access to mobility,

while at the same time ensuring that environmentally

friendly modes of transport and low-carbon economic

and spatial growth patterns are promoted.

Algeria98%

Eritria14%

Senegal52%

Bahrain100%

India52%

Romania52%

Uruguay100%

Brazil84%

Haiti29%

Kiribati46%

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26 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

BeTTer UrBAN ecONOMIes AND fINANcING

UN-HABITAT seeks to strengthen human settlements

financing by improving access to finance for housing

and infrastructure, particularly for the urban poor. This

is done by using innovative financial mechanisms and

institutional capacity to leverage the contributions of

communities, local authorities, the private sector, Gov-

ernment and international financial institutions.

It promotes innovative financing mechanisms for

dealing with the Millennium slum target, using a

mechanism called the Slum Upgrading Facility (SUF),

another called Experimental Reimbursable Seeding

Operations (ERSO), and other so-called Innovative Fi-

nancial Mechanisms.

It also helps Member States improve the effective-

ness, efficiency and accessibility of existing housing

finance systems. On municipal finance, it works to

find innovative ways of financing urban development

and basic urban services and infrastructure, especially

means of tapping into the private sector, and Commu-

nity Based Initiatives, including Women’s Land Access

Trusts.

The Slum Upgrading Facility works as a technical

cooperation and seed capital facility which mobilizes

domestic capital for slum upgrading projects and ac-

tivities. It does this on the premise that slums can be

upgraded successfully when the existing slum dwellers

are involved in the planning and design of upgrading

projects.

For the most part, slum dwellers have the ability to

provide resources for the housing themselves, but

want to be secure in their new or upgraded homes. Fi-

nance then becomes a matter of coordinating the ex-

pectations of residents, with the facilities made avail-

able by municipalities, and the containment of risk as

perceived by the financing institutions – banks, capital

markets, etc.

The Facility works to make slum upgrading projects

attractive to retail banks, property developers, housing

finance institutions, service providers, micro-finance

institutions, and utility companies. Commercial banks

need to expand their markets, but to do this, they

need very clear information on which to make their

assessment of risk.

Good information is key to ensuring that every-

one understands the risks involved and how they have

been assessed. This can only be achieved with com-

munities, capital markets and local government work-

ing together. The Facility is designed to promote the

dynamics between people, finance, and politics for

upgrading low income residential areas.

The Experimental Reimbursable Seeding Operations

or ERSO as it is called, is designed to get UN-HABITAT

Governing Council Resolution 21/10 of 2007 working

through the establishment of a trust fund within the

United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foun-

dation, for a four-year 2007 to 2011 probation period

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27UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

to support the introduction of experimental reimburs-

able seeding operations as well as other innovative fi-

nancial mechanisms.

The idea is that ERSO will provide seed-capital to

domestic financial institutions (banks, microfinance

institutions) in the form of loans or credit enhance-

ments. It does this in combination with technical as-

sistance activities to catalyze investments in pro-poor

housing, related infrastructure and upgrading, in close

partnerships with national and local governments and

support by local intermediaries.

A Souk in Tetouan, Morocco. PHOTO: UN-HABITAT/AlessANdrO scOTTI

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28 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

cLIMATe cHANGe

cities and climate change – cutting across all focus areas

UN-HABITAT’s activities are perhaps unique, in that it

deals with the other side of the climate debate – the

most important urban dimension. The 22nd session

of the Governing Council mandated UN-HABITAT to

specifically work on Cities and Climate Change. It ac-

knowledged that cities are major contributors as well

as primary victims of climate change and recognized

the important role and contribution of cities in devis-

ing and implementing climate change mitigation and

adaptation strategies.

Residents fleeing floods in Pakistan. UN-HABITAT is increasingly

addressing the adverse effects of climate change. PHOTO: © UN-HABITAT

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29UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

In response to the resolution, UN-HABITAT developed

a Climate Change Strategy 2010-2013 highlighting

the importance of implementation and action across

the agency. As part of this strategy, UN-HABITAT

launched the Cities and Climate Change Initiative. The

initiative aims to promote dialogue between national

and local levels, to raise awareness of the particular

vulnerability of the urban poor to climate change, and

to develop local government capacity to respond to

climate change challenges.

It is no coincidence that global climate change has

become a leading international development issue at

the same time as the world has become urbanized.

The way we plan, manage, operate and consume en-

ergy in our cities will have a critical role in our quest to

reverse climate disruption and its impact.

Seventy-five percent of commercial energy is con-

sumed in urban and peri-urban areas. In addition, 80

per cent of all waste is generated from our cities and

up to 60 per cent of Greenhouse Gas Emissions which

cause global climate change emanate from cities.

The impacts of climate change will be felt strongly

in the years to come. If sea levels rise by just one meter,

many major coastal cities will be under threat.

More extreme weather patterns such as intense

storms are another. Tropical cyclones and storms, in re-

cent years have affected more than 120 million people

around the world, mostly in developing and least de-

veloped countries. Indeed, in some parts of the world,

inland flooding is occurring more often and on a more

intense basis.

The world is also witnessing more frequent

droughts. In many parts of the world, climate refu-

gees from rural areas that have been hit by drought

or flooding aggravate the migration to cities. The UN

predicts that there will be millions of environmental

migrants by 2020, and climate change is one of the

major drivers.

Largest sources of energy consumption in selected cities in

• high income countries • middle income countries • low income countries

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30 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

78.3

31.5

29.0

22.7

20.3

15.4

12.7

11.3

10.1

China

IndonesiaUSA

BangladeshThailand

Egypt Netherlands

IndiaJapan

Therefore, there is no doubt that climate change

exacerbates existing social, economic and environ-

mental problems, while bringing on new challenges.

The most affected today, and in future, will be the

world’s urban poor – and chief among them, the mil-

lions of slum dwellers.

UN-HABITAT’s Cities in Climate Change Initiative,

supports the efforts of government agencies and lo-

cal authorities in adopting more holistic and partici-

patory approaches to urban environmental planning

and management, and the harnessing of ecologically

sound technologies. The Initiative works on the prem-

ise that the measures required for adaptation and

mitigation are the same – namely better land use plan-

ning, better urban management, more participatory

governance focusing on more resilient housing and

smarter infrastructure and basic services.

The challenges facing cities with regard to climate

change are numerous and daunting, and no entity,

public or private, governmental or non-governmental,

academic or practitioner, can face these challenges

alone.

The agency is facing these challenges in partnership

with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, through its

contributions to a number of international events and

conferences, and in its role as an observer at the Inter-

governmental Panel on Climate Change.

And in partnership with the Cities Alliance, the

World Bank and the United Nations Environment Pro-

gramme, we are refining methods help cities to mea-

sure their climate footprint and assess their climate

change vulnerability. UN-HABITAT has also started

collaborative implementation with the private sector

and its work on cities and climate change will have a

special focus on integrating the dimensions of youth,

gender and decentralization.

Cities at risk: Sea level riseOne building represents the country’s total population (tallest buildings represent countries with over 150 million people)

The flooded part shows how many people in urbn areas live in low elevation coastal areas (in millions)

10

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31UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

In recent years, the world has witnessed an increasing

series of disasters that have resulted in the dramatic

loss of human life, the destructions of homes, prop-

erty, infrastructure, services and indeed the displace-

ment of entire communities.

UN-HABITAT’s experience shows that in most

post-crisis situations, the sudden disruption of service

provision and the destruction of critical infrastructure

represent a major threat for the urban survivors. This

is especially the case where critical infrastructure and

services were sub-standard in the first place.

A key area of work for the agency is ensuring pre-

vention, protection and early recovery of basic service

provision and critical infrastructure for water, sanita-

tion, waste management and hygiene systems. This

also includes immediate support for health provision,

education, and governance systems. To achieve this,

we prioritize the involvement of the survivors them-

selves.

While the response of the international community

to these recent disasters has been generous and, in

most cases, prompt, the scale of destruction has high-

lighted two key questions: how can we prevent such

devastation in the future? And what can we do to help

the victims restore their livelihoods and their homes in

a sustainable manner?

The answer to both these questions lies in large

part on sustainable human settlements planning and

management. Prevention can be greatly enhanced

through the adoption and enforcement of more ap-

propriate land-use planning and building codes.

The rapid restoration of homes and livelihoods,

on the other hand, is more complex and difficult to

achieve. It requires that humanitarian relief operations

be conceived from the very start as a bridge to devel-

opment.

DIsAsTer resPONse

Port au Prince, Haiti after the earthquake in 2010. PHOTO: © PHuOng Tran/IrIn

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32 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

The number and plight of internally displaced per-

sons living for months, sometimes years in situations

of prolonged dependency argue in favour of more sus-

tainable solutions that combine short-term emergency

efforts with the longer-term development.

The suffering after earthquakes in Haiti, Pakistan

or China, volcanoes in Indonesia, floods and droughts

in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and wars

in many countries have shown UN-HABITAT that there

is a dire need for governments, local authorities and

the international community to adopt early warning

systems for cities, towns and villages. Whether the di-

sasters are natural or of our own making, we must be

prepared for them so that we reduce their impact.

During post reconstruction, special attention

should be paid to the environment, women’s secure

tenure, rights to land and adequate housing among

other matters. UN-HABITAT always presses home the

message that the survivors should be treated as assets

and partners in the rebuilding.

UN-HABITAT is a member of the UN Executive

Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA), as well as

the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Working

Groups in Geneva.

Working actively with the IASC on humanitarian re-

sponse, UN-HABITAT is committed to assuming a

stronger role and responsibility, under our mandate,

in strengthening the collective UN response to shelter,

land and property matters in post-disaster situations

and to further the implementation of paragraph 111

of the 2005 World Summit Outcome pertaining to in-

ternally displaced persons.

UN-HABITAT offers technical expertise and a net-

work of experts to service global and field partners,

local communities and local governments in improving

the provision of services and ensuring adequate critical

infrastructure protection and rehabilitation.

The blueprint UN-HABITAT uses is to support our

partners and help develop and refine the practice of

building back better, thereby exploiting this “paradox

of crisis”

The agency is working or has worked in afghani-

stan, angola, bangladesh, burundi, the Caribbean,

Central asia, China, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Indo-

nesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Malawi, Mozam-

bique, Myanmar, nepal, Pakistan, rwanda, Serbia

and Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka,

Sudan, timor Leste and Vietnam. It has an esti-

mated 130 international staff working with more

than 2,300 national staff in crisis situations around

the world helping governments, communities and

local authorities recover from conflict or disasters.

In concert with other UN humanitarian bodies, UN-

HABITAT’s new strategic Policy on Human settle-

ments and crisis enables it to provide expert services

as part of a carefully coordinated humanitarian

response.

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33UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

With a vast global reach, UN-HABITAT runs more than

200 technical cooperation programmes and projects in

about 72 countries.

The countries include many of the poorest in the

world like Afghanistan, Somalia, Haiti, and Nepal, just

to cite four examples. Much of the work is aimed at

strengthening the urban fabric, helping slum dwell-

ers with better shelter and basic services such as wa-

ter and sanitation. Most of the programmes are run

by UN-HABITAT staff who are nationals of their own

countries, proudly trying to improve their cities or to

rebuild after disasters.

It is apt here to pay our own colleagues, these un-

sung heroes, special tribute. They include more than

1,000 employees helping rebuild Afghanistan, hun-

dreds in Iraq, and other places of conflict who daily put

their lives on the line to make their world better for their

people, thus making our global village a safer place.

UN-HABITAT’s operational work around the world is

coordinated from four regional offices. These are based

in Fukuoka, Japan, covering the Asia-Pacific, Warsaw

covering Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states,

Nairobi for Africa and the Arab world, and Rio de Ja-

neiro, Brazil, for Latin America and the Caribbean.

In accordance with UN-HABITAT’s new strategic

plan, the operational activities focus on the follow-

ingpriorities:promotingshelterforall; improvingur-

ban governance; reducing urban poverty; improving

the living environment; and managing post-disaster

reconstruction.

Acting as a catalyst in the mobilization of technical

cooperation, UN-HABITAT is supporting the implemen-

tation of the Habitat Agenda at the local, national and

regional levels and seeking to apply the Millennium

Development Goals at the local, neighbourhood level.

Lessons learnt from operational activities are also used

by the agency to formulate global policy guidelines.

UN-HABITAT employs about 45 Habitat Programme

Managers, all of them nationals of the countries in

which they work.

cOUNTry AcTIVITIes

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34 UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

In keeping with the United Nations global reform pol-

icy, UN-HABITAT has streamlined its management and

its work programmes under guidelines established by

the Governing Council.

UN-HABITAT utilizes effective planning practices

and procedures which it keeps under constant review.

It ensures the sound financial and administrative man-

agement, as well as the proper servicing of funding

partners and compliance with agreements.

The agency manages its resources to ensure that it

meets the requirements stipulated by donor govern-

ments.

resources

Over half of UN-HABITAT’s financing comes from gov-

ernment and inter-governmental donors. Other United

Nations agencies and the World Bank contribute to

joint projects, while some funds come from founda-

tions, local authorities and other institutions. In addi-

tion, the United Nations headquarters contributes to

the regular budget for core mandated activities.

A major proportion of UN-HABITAT’s total income

is received as earmarked funds, targeted by donors to

specific projects in specific countries. The rest, received

as general purpose or core funds, is allocated to proj-

ects in line with the priorities outlined in the UN-HABI-

TAT’s strategic plan, ensuring that all areas are covered

in a balanced manner.

The aim is to increase the non-earmarked multi-

year funding to ensure predictable and sustainable

funding for human settlements work.

exceLLeNce IN MANAGeMeNT

un-HabItat Headquaters energy saving building opened in 2011. PHOTO: © UNeP

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35UN-HABITAT for a better urban future

UN-HABITAT’s Medium-Term Strategic and Institution-

al Plan for 2008-2013 is comprised of two main areas

of action: a strategic component and an institutional

component.

The strategic component is driven by an ambitious

vision and road map for sustainable urbanisation. This

vision is of a world where all women, men and chil-

dren living in urban areas can gain access to decent

housing, clean water and basic sanitation. It is also a

vision of a world where humanity can engage in its

economic pursuits without compromising the ability

of future generations to do so. In an increasingly and

rapidly urbanising world, such a vision and road map

are critical to the attainment of the Habitat Agenda

and the Millennium Development Goals.

The plan calls for enhanced partnerships, and UN-

HABITAT will marshal the goodwill, the know-how

and the resources of all spheres of government and

civil society to focus sharply on the key determinants

for sustainable urbanisation and inclusive urban de-

velopment.Theseareasare:landandhousingforall;

participatory planning and governance; environmen-

tallysoundinfrastructureandservices;andinnovative

housing and urban finance, climate change measures,

and better public transport options.

The plan is achievable because it builds on the

growing realization of the international community

that urbanisation, despite all of its chaotic manifes-

tations, represents a unique opportunity - a positive

force - that can and must be harnessed to support

economic growth and social advancement in a global-

izing world economy.

On the institutional component, the plan aims to

fulfil UN-HABITAT’s contribution to UN reform. A key

component is management excellence focusing on

enhanced accountability, transparency, results-based

monitoring and reporting.

PLANNING AHeAD

Page 36: UN-HABITAT Brochure 2011 (English Language Version)

and why the MDG’s are underestimated

www.unhabitat.org

united nations Human Settlements ProgrammeP.o. box 30030, GPo nairobi, 00100, Kenyatelephone: +254 20 762 [email protected]