UN-Habitat commenced its activities in Rwanda after the 1994 tragic events, during which urban infrastructure was destroyed and loss of lives of qualified personnel heavily affected institutional capacity.

Increasingly rapid urbanization of the Philippines poses a great challenge to the country in terms of achieving sustainable urban development through informed planning and efficient implementation of strategic policies and programmes. This growth is expected to happen not only in the capital Metro Manila but mainly in small and intermediate cities.

Located on the central-western side of Negros Island, Silay City hosts the newly built international airport servicing the island’s air transport requirements. With this development in place, the city is currently evolving from being a laid-back, dormitory community to being a tourism and transport node, and potentially the region’s biofuel center and economic zone.

Iloilo City is highly urbanized and is the government center of the Western Visayas region, providing an important function in trade and commerce, education and research, and tourism. All barangays (districts) in Iloilo have been classified as urban.

Cagayan de Oro City is a highly urbanized city in Northern Mindanao. Much of its urban development has been along the east-west corridor of the Iligan-Cagayan de Oro-Butuan National Highway. Over time, barangays (districts) straddling this highway have evolved into vibrant commercial and residential areas.