Voluntary Local Review, Municipality of Agadir, Morocco 2023 The Voluntary Local Review (VLR) of the city of Agadir marks an important milestone for Morocco as it is the first in the country and in North Africa. It is the result of the collaboration between the Municipality of Agadir, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UNESCWA), the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) and the United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Section (UCLG-MEWA).
Agadir’s VLR rests on evidence-based, participatory, reflective and actionable principles. It focuses on a review of the city’s progress towards SDG 5, SDG 6, SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 11, SDG 13 and SDG 17.
This VLR ensures both complementarity and close alignment with the 2020 VNR of Morocco, depicting the country’s progress towards the SDGs. It provides a complementary perspective with the VNR by discussing the local development challenges and disparities, and development objectives vis a vis the national development challenges and ways to address them.
Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2023: Digital Innovations Empower Urban Net-Zero Carbon Transition 2023 The “Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2023: Digital Innovations Empower Urban Net-Zero Carbon Transition” is the third flagship report of UN-Habitat China Future Cities Council. The report summarizes six main scenarios and a roadmap of digital solutions to achieve urban net-zero carbon, and collects 10 good practice cases from Chinese cities and enterprises. Meanwhile, it also calling for the urban net-zero carbon transition through the application of digital solutions.
UN-Habitat Iraq Newsletter – April 2023 (English) 2023 UN-Habitat Iraq April 2023 Newsletter: Provides an update on UN-Habitat’s activities in Iraq as well as relevant policy and advocacy topics.
Evaluation of the Programme “Developing National Urban Policies and Smart City Strategies in Three Selected Countries: I.R. Iran, Myanmar & Nigeria” (2023/3) 2023 This Evaluation Report presents an assessment of the Korea-funded project titled “National Urban Policy Programme: Developing NUPs and Smart City Strategies” carried out between 2017 and 2022. This pilot phase of the NUPP was implemented in three countries: Islamic Republic of Iran, Myanmar and Niger State, Nigeria. The main target audience for the evaluation report includes the donor (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea), the three beneficiary countries, UN-Habitat and other partners. The report also serves as a key reference point of information for other governments, policymakers and urban professionals among other urban development stakeholders.

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the implementation process, comparing the expected and actual goals, and noting the gaps for the three countries individually and for the overall programme. It also expounds on challenges encountered, lessons learned, and suggests mitigation strategies to improve future NUP or related projects. This evaluation was carried out by the team of researchers from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) from Australia, with the support of UN-Habitat
China Waste Wise Cities Good Practices: Series I 2023 As China's economy develops and urbanization accelerates, the urban population
continues to increase. By the end of 2022, China's urbanization rate will reach 65.22%.
As a result, the total amount of waste generated in the process of urban production
and living also grows gradually over the years, and the coverage of waste collection
and management continues to improve, with the composition of the waste and the
treatment system becoming more and more complex. In order to ensure urban
development, ecological environment, and residents' quality of life, China has
continuously improved its waste management policy system, promoted the
transformation and upgrade of waste management, and gradually realized a highquality development path from treatment and disposal to waste classification and fine
management.
In this report, three representative municipalities/districts in China, including Suzhou,
Ningbo, and Yantian District of Shenzhen, are selected and analyzed. By summarizing
their experiences in MSW management, this case study report has been compiled to
provide insights and serve as a reference for other cities that facing challenges of MSW
management.
Final evaluation of the EU-funded project on increased resilience of local authorities in Burkina Faso impacted by massive internal displacement and COVID-19 (2023/8) 2023
UN-Habitat Iraq Newsletter – February 2023 (Arabic) 2023 UN-Habitat Iraq February 2023 Newsletter: Provides an update on UN-Habitat’s activities in Iraq as well as relevant policy and advocacy topics.
UN-Habitat Iraq Newsletter – May 2023 (English) 2023 UN-Habitat Iraq April 2023 Newsletter: Provides an update on UN-Habitat’s activities in Iraq as well as relevant policy and advocacy topics.
Sustainable Reconstruction: A Framework for Inclusive Planning and Financing to Support Green Transition in the Arab States Region 2023 This framework represents a comprehensive guide for Arab countries emerging from conflict and crisis situations to design and implement sustainable reconstruction activities that accelerate efforts towards building forward better. Drawing on analyses of over 100 reports and consultations with multiple stakeholders across relevant sectors, including government officials, planners, investors, and others, in Iraq, Libya, the State of Palestine, Sudan, and elsewhere, the framework serves as an operational tool laying out valuable insights and practical recommendations for action by governments and partners across the region.

The Arab States region is subject to ongoing challenges from political upheavals, socio-economic disparities, conflicts and terrorism to natural disasters, desertification, periodic dust and sandstorms, and water scarcity. The cumulative impacts lead to significant pressures on and, at times, an outright destruction of infrastructure, displacement of populations, and environmental degradation. Sustainable reconstruction is an important component for any post-conflict and post-crisis strategy that can contribute to sustainable and lasting peace, stability, and prosperity.
UN-Habitat Iraq Newsletter – March 2023 (Arabic) 2023 UN-Habitat Iraq March 2023 Newsletter: Provides an update on UN-Habitat’s activities in Iraq as well as relevant policy and advocacy topics.