| Municipal Resource Mobilization Manual - Building the capacity of municipalities and unions of municipalities | 2025 | |
| The Impact of UN-Habitat’s Work on Women and Girls Living in informal Settlements | 2025 | Since 1992, UN-Habitat has been working in Afghanistan to improve living conditions for people in vulnerable situations. While cities grew fast in recent years due to conflict-induced displacement, it is now climate change (reducing agricultural livelihoods), forced displacement from neighboring countries, and a large number of people in protracted internal displacement contexts which have resulted in rapid urban growth. A recent study found that Kabul’s built-up area expanded by 72% between 2008 and 2021. And cities keep growing. Many people in vulnerable situations settle in informal, unplanned and underserviced areas of cities – often in high-risk locations prone to flooding, landslides, and water shortages. Also, inadequate housing, no waste management, absence of sanitation and constant risk of forced evictions add to those challenges. Women are most impacted by inadequate housing conditions, the lack of proper sanitation and hygiene, being responsible for providing water for the family, and the absence of basic services in those informal settlements. Read more to discover how UN-Habitat's work shapes women's lives in Afghanistan. |
| Bridging the Divide: A review of Urban-Rural Linkages in Burkina Faso | 2025 | Delve into this in-depth analysis of the economic, environmental, and social challenges faced by both urban and rural communities in Burkina Faso. Gain valuable insights into the intricate interplay between these two domains and their impact on the nation’s development trajectory. The report offers a thorough assessment of Burkina Faso’s national policies and strategies through the lens of urban-rural linkages, shedding light on their effectiveness and relevance in addressing key developmental issues. Discover how these policies shape the socio-economic landscape and influence the well-being of communities across the country. Furthermore, read more on an evaluation of institutional capacities and stakeholder engagement surrounding urban-rural linkages in Burkina Faso. Explore the extent of institutional involvement and capacity development in addressing these challenges and uncover opportunities for enhancing collaboration and coordination among stakeholders. Finally, read on a set of actionable policy recommendations aimed at fostering sustainable development and promoting inclusive growth in Burkina Faso. From bolstering infrastructure and improving access to basic services to enhancing governance structures and empowering local communities, our recommendations offer a roadmap for driving positive change and building a more resilient future for all Burkinabè citizens. |
| UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026-2029 (One Pager) | 2025 | UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029 places housing, land and basic services at the centre of sustainable urban development. Responding to the global housing crisis affecting billions, the plan drives action on poverty, climate and crises, advancing the SDGs through inclusive policies, partnerships and impact. |
| Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2024: Digital Urban Governance | 2025 | Cities face tremendous challenges, demanding advanced and effective urban governance measures and tools. Digital solutions offer transformative potential through resources optimization, services enhancement, and inclusivity development. The Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2024 draws a clear technological landscape and implementation roadmap; collects 10 innovative practices from Chinese cities and enterprises; and launches Global Digital Urban Governance Initiatives. By embracing tech-driven collaboration, cities can build a more sustainable and inclusive future. |
| Urban-Rural Linkages and Global Pandemic Disruptions in Africa Impacts on Mobility, Spatial Interaction and Food Systems in Cameroon, Kenya, Niger State (Nigeria), Senegal and Zimbabwe | 2025 | Many development practitioners have, until recently, viewed urban and rural areas as two mutually exclusive territories. However, this does not reflect the realities of the spatial and sectoral linkages between urban and rural areas. The two territories are two ends of a continuum of human settlements which are spatially and functionally interconnected and interdependent through physical, social, economic and environmental linkages that are continuously changing in time and space. During the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the spatial and functional linkages between urban and rural areas were greatly affected due to lockdown measures that were enforced to control the spread of Covid-19. Lockdown measures led to the disruption of transportation and flow of food, people, goods, services, resources and capital between urban and rural areas. Food supply and distribution chains were largely disrupted and therefore affecting access to and availability of food in both rural and urban areas. In particular, Covid-19 exposed the interconnected vulnerabilities between food production, distribution and consumption within the context of city-region food systems. As such, it became evident that urban-rural linkages must be considered more carefully in the short, intermediate and long-term responses to future global pandemics. This calls for renewed territorial planning and policy agenda for national, regional and local governments, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Sustainable urban development strategies need to consider urban-rural linkages and context in order to enhance more inclusive and resilient cities and human settlements. |
| Multi-layered Vulnerability Profile for Sahab City, Jordan | 2025 | The Multilayered Vulnerability Profile for Sahab City analyzes urban, climate change, and biodiversity dimensions to identify vulnerable areas and hotspots. It provides critical insights for resilience planning, highlighting challenges such as urbanization, environmental degradation, and socio-economic vulnerabilities, while offering strategies for sustainable urban development. |
| 未来城市顾问展望2024 数字城市治理 | 2025 | Cities face tremendous challenges, demanding advanced and effective urban governance measures and tools. Digital solutions offer transformative potential through resources optimization, services enhancement, and inclusivity development. The Future Cities Advisory Outlook 2024 draws a clear technological landscape and implementation roadmap; collects 10 innovative practices from Chinese cities and enterprises; and launches Global Digital Urban Governance Initiatives. By embracing tech-driven collaboration, cities can build a more sustainable and inclusive future. |
| STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FOR UN-HABITAT AFGHANISTAN 2026–2027 | 2025 | Afghanistan is a country of extremes: extreme beauty, an extremely strategic location, and a country with many natural resources and extremely resilient people but is still a country where people face extreme socio-economic and human rights challenges. The Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HRNP) 2025 names climate change-induced and natural hazards, inadequate or lack of service provision, decades of conflict and geopolitical dynamics, a weak economy and the socio-political restrictions (among many others) reasons, why almost half of the population were estimated to require humanitarian assistance of any form. UN-Habitat has been supporting the people of Afghanistan since 1992. As the agency has just launched a new strategic plan at global level for 2026-2029, this paper focuses on strategic priorities for UN-Habitat Afghanistan for 2026 and 2027. Those priorities have been defined through analysis of the agency’s (and other partners’) data and the consultations with the communities and people in Afghanistan and are in alignment with the agency’s overall mandate, the global priorities and the agency’s role in the United Nations family in Afghanistan and the agreed upon priorities at country level (UNSFA 2023-2027). For our team at UN-Habitat Afghanistan, those priorities will be: A. Support the most vulnerable people by creating and enabling dignified living conditions and livelihood opportunities with a specific focus on those living in unplanned, underserviced and informal settlements B. Enhance preparedness, response, recovery, and reconstruction C. Accelerate environmental and climate actions to save lives, livelihoods and assets Acknowledging that women and girls, displaced people but also other marginalized groups are most at risk of being left behind in Afghanistan at the time of writing, we are committed to inclusive, participatory and gender-sensitive solutions and striving towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and based on the New Urban Agenda as a shared vision for a better and more sustainable future. |
| Multilayered Vulnerability Profile for Kerkennah Archipelago, Tunisia | 2025 |