Habitat III is the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development to take place in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 to 20 October, 2016. In resolution 66/207 and in line with the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 2016), the United Nations General Assembly decided to convene the Habitat III Conference to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable urbanization, to focus on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.

Member States of the General Assembly, in resolution 67/216, decided that the objectives of the Conference are to secure renewed political commitment to sustainable urban development, assess accomplishments to date, address poverty, and identify and address new and emerging challenges. The Conference will result in a concise, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented outcome document. Habitat III is to play an important role in making cities and human settlements equitable, prosperous, sustainable, just, equal and safe.

The Habitat III Conference welcomes the participation and contributions of all Member States and relevant stakeholders, including parliamentarians, civil society organizations, regional and local government and municipality representatives, professionals and researchers, academia, foundations, women and youth groups, trade unions, and the private sector, as well as organizations of the United Nations system and intergovernmental organizations. 

The Conference will be composed of eight plenary meetings, including Opening and Closing ceremonies, six high-level roundtable sessions, and a wide range of events including special sessions, dialogues, stakeholders roundtables, networking, side and training events, cultural activities, an urban journalism academy, among others. In addition, relevant spaces such as the Pavilions -ONE UN, Quito and Ecuador-, the Exhibition and the Habitat III Village will be hosting a programme of events.

Habitat III is one of the first United Nations global summits after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals. It offers a unique opportunity to discuss the important challenge of how cities, towns, and villages are planned and managed, in order to fulfill their role as drivers of sustainable development, and hence shape the implementation of new global development goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The Scientific Committee meeting for the World Urban Campaign, organized by UN-Habitat, met in Prague (Czech Republic) from 14-16 March 2016. The project entitled, ‘The City We Need 2.0,’ were presented during the session along with the results from the urban thinkers campuses, which was then be submitted to the General Assembly of Partners (GAP) as a contribution from UN-Habitat’s NGO partners. In preparation for Habitat III and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the meeting seeks to define “The Future We Want. The City We Need.” The UIA is a partner organization of UN-Habitat, of the World Urban Campaign and of GAP.

The meeting sought to define “The Future that We Want, the City We Need” in preparation for Habitat III and for the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda. Thanks to its partnership with UN-Habitat, the UIA had the opportunity to take part in the Scientific Committee for the Campaign as well as in the General Assembly of partnerships in which it was represented by: UIA Vice-President Ahmed Ali Khalifa Hayder (Sudan), UIA Council Member Munyanya Mohammed Khamis (Tanzania), UIA Representative to the United Nations, Zahir MD Ishtiaque (Bangladesh), and Islam Nayara Nuary (Bangladesh).

HABITAT III will take place in Quito (Ecuador), from 17 to 20 October 2016, and is organized around the theme: ‘Sustainable Urban Development: the future of urbanization?’ Its principle objective will be to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable urban development and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The UIA will participate in the diverse procedures involved developing this Agenda. The President of the UIA will prepare a declaration defining the UIA’s position during the conference. Ms. Christine Auclair, Project Manager for UN Habitat’s World Urban Campaign, will be a guest at the next UIA Council meeting in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania.

Register for Habitat III

Habitat III Village proposes innovative urban solutions -The call for Habitat III Village closed with over 150 proposals submitted, of which 42 have been selected. 

Project list to be published soon!

All images courtesy of Habitat III

> via habitat3.org