The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) on Thursday, May 16, 2024, released its Annual Report for 2023, revealing the critical need to transform urban development and bring cities and local leaders to the fore in the battle against challenges such as rising living costs, climate change, unaffordable housing, and the lack of basic services.
These challenges, including more frequent and severe climate shocks such as deadly heatwaves in India, cyclones in Mozambique, and earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, compounded with economic challenges, lead to devastating consequences for the most vulnerable. In 2023, this included 2.8 billion people being affected by housing inadequacy – 1.1 billion of which lived in slums and informal settlements – and 2.2 billion people who lacked safely managed drinking water services.
Traditional paradigms no longer fit
“The traditional paradigms of urban development no longer fit the complexities of today’s world. We need a new approach to planning, building, and managing cities,” said Michal Mlynár, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Acting Executive Director of UN-Habitat.
This approach, outlined in UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2020-2025, works under four thematic areas to reduce inequality, promote prosperity, act for climate and nature, and respond to crises. In 2023, of 110 sampled projects, more than half contributed in an integrated way across at least three thematic areas of the strategic plan.
UN-Habitat’s impact in 2023
In 2023, the second United Nations Habitat Assembly reaffirmed the commitment to adequate housing as a fundamental human right by adopting a historical resolution on housing, in addition to nine other resolutions notably aimed at transforming informal settlements, accelerating localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals, preserving urban biodiversity, and crafting guidelines for people-centred smart cities.
In addition, UN-Habitat collaborated with partners to advance sustainable urbanisation in over 90 countries. From Bolivia to Burkina Faso and from Thailand to Tunisia, UN-Habitat worked to towards a more equitable and sustainable world. In 2023, UN-Habitat’s impact included:
- 958,000 people benefiting from improved connectivity and green mobility
- 395,000 people benefiting from the rehabilitation of 40 public spaces globally
- Over 280,000 people in poor and vulnerable communities gaining increased access to basic services and sustainable mobility
- Over 88,000 households in partner countries with increased secure tenure rights to land documentation
- 162 countries reporting having national-level urban policies. Countries supported by UN-Habitat in 2023 include Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Islamic Republic of Iran, Mozambique, Nigeria (state-level), Paraguay, and Senegal.
- 25 countries supported in collecting data on the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing the globally harmonised approach to defining cities and human settlements endorsed by the UN statistical commission in 2020.
Collaborating for equity and sustainability
Looking ahead, the UN Summit of the Future and the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum, to be held in September and November 2024, respectively, will provide an opportunity to explore and plan how world leaders can collaborate with local government, stakeholders, and citizens to ensure sustainable development responds to local needs.
“Our future is undeniably urban, and the time for action is now. By strengthening the voices of cities in global discourse and driving change on the ground, we lay the groundwork for a more equitable and sustainable world,” said Mlynár.
