Driven by a vision that everyone deserves a decent place to live, we call on all stakeholders — that includes you — to prioritise housing, secure tenure and community-led development in implementing the New Urban Agenda #by2036.
You’re probably asking: “How can I do that?”
It’s easy. Sign your name to our petition to show your support.
AND help us make a big social media wave this week as WUF9 kicks off by tweeting it out to your followers to do the same:
I’m calling on national governments and the @UN to implement the #NewUrbanAgenda to make cities inclusive, safe and resilient #by2036. You should too — https://ctt.ec/kCU07+ #BuildSG @HabitatIreland
Now you may be asking: “Why should I?”
Urbanisation has reached a tipping point and sustainable cities will happen by design, not default. Remember the New Urban Agenda, which was finalised at the UN Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016? It provides a blueprint for sustainable urban development with a focus on housing. National governments and the UN have a unique leadership role to play in creating frameworks to enable stakeholders, but implementation is voluntary. The New Urban Agenda is highly ambitious, and it will take partnership and mutual accountability, political will, resources, innovative approaches and a sense of urgency to see it through.
To implement the New Urban Agenda, national governments should:
- Establish Country-Led Commissions. National governments should establish commissions or other bodies dedicated to advancing plans, funding and initiatives related to the New Urban Agenda.
- Strengthen and Enact Urban Laws and Regulations. National governments should strengthen and enact urban laws and regulations, especially around housing and land, and support subnational and local level reviews which take into consideration the principle of subsidiarity.
- Develop Financial Plans. Implementing the New Urban Agenda requires national governments to develop a financial plan with a focus on revenue generation and partnership opportunities to catalyse market development, outline mechanisms for increasing housing supply and improving affordability and promote tools to increase access to land and basic services.
- Enable Stakeholder Participation. Implementation of the New Urban Agenda must be inclusive and involve citizens’ and grassroots groups’ direct input and participation in decision making processes at national, subnational and local levels.
- Collect and Promote Open, Accessible and Disaggregated Data Open, accessible and disaggregated data should be made available so that governments, businesses and other stakeholders can weigh investments, prioritise limited budgets and assess progress.
The United Nations should:
- Centralise follow up and review.While governments and citizens alike have a stake in the success of the New Urban Agenda, there must be a centralised and coordinated mechanism at the United Nations that formally owns its implementation and elevates its profile.
- Strengthen UN-Habitat and implementation platforms.UN-Habitat leads the United Nations’ work related to housing and urban development and therefore should be as efficient and effective as possible if it is to help implement the New Urban Agenda.
- Increase funding, research and capacities for cities.The United Nations and its member states must increase funding, research and capacity for cities to ensure urban growth in the next 20 years is inclusive and sustainable.
- Promote cross-sectoral collaboration.It will be necessary for various sectors and disciplines to work together and align their complementary strengths and capabilities. The United Nations, particularly UN-Habitat, can play a central role in helping to facilitate the formation and operation of these coalitions.
By supporting Habitat’s Solid Ground Campaign, you can help make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. You can help build a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Thank you for your support. #WUF9 #BuildSG
