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By 2050, about 70 per cent of the world's population is projected to live in urban areas. Rapid urban growth is mainly occurring in countries least able to cope with the demand for decent jobs, adequate housing and urban basic services. Close to one billion people, or 33 per cent of the urban population in developing countries, live in slums, in inequitable and often life-threatening conditions. If left unaddressed, these trends may become sources of social and political instability. Read more...
Timeline
1992 Earth Summit
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The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Earth Summit) took place in Rio de Janeiro and set the global sustainable development agenda for the following two decades. As a result, the groundbreaking and Read More......
1996 Habitat II
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The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in Istanbul, focused on sustainable cities and adequate shelter for all and adopted the influential Habitat Agenda. It also built on the successes of LA21 and UN recognition was given to local Read More...
2000 Millennium Summit
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The largest gathering of world leaders in history, this New York meeting debated the role of the UN in the new century and adopted the Millennium Declaration, which heavily informed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the GA immediately thereafter.
2002 Rio+10 and 56th GA
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The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) assessed progress on the agenda set out at the Earth Summit and was immediately followed by the 56th General Assembly (GA), which upgraded UN-Habitat from a Centre to a Programme, as Read More...
2012 Rio+20
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Twenty years after the 'Earth Summit', The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) again took place in Rio de Janeiro to review progress and renew commitments towards sustainable development. Its outcome text The Future We Want gave the Read More...
2013 GA and Post-2015 Vision
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The UN Secretary-General will present his post-2015 vision for sustainable development at the 68th General Assembly in September 2013. That vision will have been heavily informed by civil society -- in large part through consultations on The World We Want 2015 Read More...
2015 Sustainable Development Agenda
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A new global agenda for sustainable development will be led in the UN by a successor body to the Commission on Sustainable Development (to be determined) and guided by a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, also to be determined). UN-Habitat has Read More...
2016 Habitat III
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World leaders will again meet to review the global urban agenda as well as the mandate, structure and further strengthening of UN-Habitat as it enters its fifth decade.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Earth Summit) took place in Rio de Janeiro and set the global sustainable development agenda for the following two decades. As a result, the groundbreaking and legally-binding Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were signed and Local Agenda 21 (LA21) was established.
The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in Istanbul, focused on sustainable cities and adequate shelter for all and adopted the influential Habitat Agenda. It also built on the successes of LA21 and UN recognition was given to local authorities and NGOs.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development (Rio+10) assessed progress on the agenda set out at the Earth Summit and was immediately followed by the 56th General Assembly (GA), which upgraded UN-Habitat from a Centre to a Programme, as a subsidiary organ of the GA with its own Governing Council.
Twenty years after the 'Earth Summit', The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) again took place in Rio de Janeiro to review progress and renew commitments towards sustainable development. Its outcome text The Future We Want gave the urban agenda strengthened impetus, called for adequate and predictable funding for the Habitat Agenda, and mandated UN-Habitat to lead the UN system in the pursuit of this Agenda. It also endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 10-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) and a High-Level Forum to replace the Commission on Sustainable Development.
The UN Secretary-General will present his post-2015 vision for sustainable development at the 68th General Assembly in September 2013. That vision will have been heavily informed by civil society -- in large part through consultations on The World We Want 2015 web platform -- regional and national consultations led by UNDP, UN system-wide activities led by UNDESA and the UN Task Team (UNTT), a Member State-led Open Working Group (OWG) and a High Level Panel (HLP).
A new global agenda for sustainable development will be led in the UN by a successor body to the Commission on Sustainable Development (to be determined) and guided by a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, also to be determined). UN-Habitat has already proposed a goal and targets on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements.See UN-Habitat's Proposed Sustainable Cities SDGs.
UN-Habitat and Post-2015
Rio+20 in 2012 gave fresh impetus to the development of a new global agenda for sustainable development commencing in 2015. At its heart are the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) upon their expiration. While United Nations Member States are formally leading the development of this agenda, the UN system -- including UN-Habitat -- and many nongovernmental stakeholders are also playing a significant role. Activities are heavily grouped around a High-level Forum, Open Working Group and UN Task Team, all of which will inform the post-2015 sustainable development vision that the Secretary-General will present to the General Assembly in September 2013. Apropos that vision, the SG has also tasked UN-Habitat to lead a new Executive Committee on Sustainable Urbanization (EC-SU) and UN-Habitat's Executive Director, Dr. Joan Clos, to be the Secretary-General of the upcoming Habitat III summit conference.
Amina J Mohammed: Amina's video
recorded in Nairobi.
By 2050, about 70 per cent of the world's population is projected to live in urban areas. Rapid urban growth is mainly occurring in countries least able to cope with the demand for decent jobs, adequate housing and urban basic services. Close to one billion people, or 33 per cent of the urban population in developing countries, live in slums, in inequitable and often life-threatening conditions. If left unaddressed, these trends may become sources of social and political instability.
