Urban October report 2025 2026 The Urban October Report 2025 highlights global discussions and actions on sustainable urbanization held throughout October. The month opened with World Habitat Day in Nairobi under the theme “Urban Crisis Response,” focusing on how cities can address displacement, climate shocks and growing housing needs through inclusive planning, adequate housing and access to basic services. It closed with World Cities Day in Bogotá under the theme “People-centred Smart Cities,” exploring how digital technologies, data and AI can improve urban governance, service delivery and resilience while ensuring inclusion.

Urban October 2025 mobilized 579 events across 58 countries, bringing together governments, communities and partners worldwide. The report also highlights the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award winners and innovative practices supporting more inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities.
GWOPA Annual Report 2025 2026 The GWOPA Annual Report 2025 presents the Alliance’s work to strengthen water and sanitation operators through solidarity-based, peer-to-peer cooperation. The report highlights how Water Operators’ Partnerships are helping utilities address operational challenges, improve service delivery and contribute to more inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities. The report captures a year of major milestones, including the continued implementation of Water Operators’ Partnerships across regions, the completion of the first phase of the European Union Water Operators’ Partnerships Programme, the launch of its second phase, the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Congress in Bonn and the continued growth of the Global WOPs Community.
Urban Resilience Action Plan (URAP) for Charagua, Bolivia: Planning for Climate, Urban, and Biodiversity Action 2026
​​Socially Inclusive National Urban Policies: ​A Guide​ 2026 Social inclusion remains a pivotal measure of sustainable urban development. This is because people in cities and communities serve as both givers and takers of various urbanization components and resulting impacts. On the one hand, effective integration of all urban and community residents through meaningful participation, capacity building, and demonstration projects leads to realization of seamless urbanization policy processes. On the other hand, the results through improved quality of life from aspects like spatial equity, improved provision of urban basic services, affordable and inclusive housing, and fairer employment opportunities all contribute to the realization of inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities and communities. This guide has been developed with an objective to support national and local governments and other actors to mainstream social inclusion as a fabric of their respective national and sub-national urban policies thus subsequently contribute to global development agendas.

First, the guide analyzes the various aspects of social inclusion, highlighting cases studies on how countries across the globe have integrated these aspects into their urban development process. Further, it proposes means through which countries can mainstream social inclusion in the NUP phases (feasibility, diagnosis, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) and pillars (participation, capacity building, acupuncture projects) using examples from countries that have integrated social inclusion aspects in their various NUP stages. It finally recommends a summary through a ten-step pathway to achieve an inclusive urbanization process.

In the spirit of ‘Leaving No One Behind’, this guide envisions that national and local government officials, urban experts, academia, civil society, researchers and community at the grassroots will enhance inclusive urban policy processes. Through this guiding framework, cities and communities can achieve effective, inclusive, and sustainable urbanization outcomes.
UN-Habitat Catalogue of Solutions 2026-2029 2026 UN-Habitat’s Catalogue of Solutions presents the organization’s portfolio of tested tools, methodologies and advisory support designed to help countries, cities and communities address today’s most pressing urban challenges. The catalogue brings together solutions developed through decades of UN-Habitat’s global experience, providing practical pathways for advancing inclusive, resilient and sustainable urban development.

These solutions respond to the urgent need to improve access to housing, land and basic services—recognized as the foundation of decent urban living and a key driver of progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. Aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda, and UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029, the catalogue supports governments and partners in translating global commitments into concrete action at national and local levels.

Designed as a practical reference for collaboration, the catalogue provides an overview of the ways in which UN-Habitat can support national, regional, and local governments, civil society, the private sector, grassroots communities, academia and development partners in tackling multidimensional urban challenges and accelerating sustainable urban transformation.

The Solutions in this Catalogue are organized around UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan, enabling stakeholders to identify relevant tools, methodologies and partnerships to advance housing, land and urban basic services to the benefit of local communities.
​​Metropolitan Legislation Toolkit: Guide to Formulate and Strengthen Metropolitan Normative Frameworks for Metropolitan Management 2026 The Metropolitan Legislation Toolkit invites countries and metropolitan territories to review their existing legal arrangements, identify legal gaps, and overcome institutional fragmentation. Its purpose is to turn legislation into an enabler of integrated metropolitan solutions, capable of responding to contemporary urban dynamics and improving quality of life.

Metropolitan areas are today one of the most relevant territorial expressions of urbanization. Their growth exceeds traditional administrative boundaries and raises complex challenges related to governance, planning, financing, sustainability, and interjurisdictional coordination.
The Urban Law and Conflict Series (Volume 2, Emergency Response): Enhancing Urban Law to Protect Housing, Land and Property Across the Conflict Cycle 2026 As global urbanization accelerates, cities are increasingly on the front lines of humanitarian crises and post-conflict recovery, while bearing a growing responsibility to uphold the right to adequate housing. Conflict is now predominantly unfolding in urban settings, as seen in recent crises in Palestine, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen, where widespread housing destruction and mass displacement have placed large civilian populations at risk of losing their homes, land, and tenure security. Many of the resulting challenges, such as safe return, restitution, adjudication, and dispute resolution, are rooted in pre-existing tenure insecurity linked to weak governance, unplanned urbanization, fragile land administration systems, and inadequate housing laws and policies.

Against this backdrop, urban law plays a critical role in creating the conditions for peace, security, and recovery during emergencies and in post-conflict contexts. As the second publication in the Urban Law and Conflict Series, this report explores how urban law can support accountable, inclusive, and responsive urban governance, spatial planning, land administration, and housing law and policy to mitigate the immediate impacts of conflict on housing, land, and property (HLP) rights. This includes, among other measures, reducing residential disruption and displacement, safeguarding land records, enabling emergency shelter, and regulating secondary occupation.
Urban Resilience Action Plan (URAP) for Cobija, Bolivia: Planning for Climate, Urban, and Biodiversity Action 2026
Urban Content in NDC 3.0: Cities at the Centre 2026 Urban Content in NDC 3.0: Cities at the Centre is the most comprehensive global analysis to date of how cities feature in national climate plans. Drawing on 142 third-generation Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0) submitted by mid-April 2026, the report delivers findings across sectors, regions, income groups, and NDC revision cycles, at a scale and depth not previously possible.
Community Engagement as Crucial Step for Advancing Durable Solutions for Returnee Integration in Afghanistan: Participatory Hazards, Vulnerabilities, Capacities Assessment (PHVCA) & Community Action Plan (CAP) 2026