| Informal Settlement in the Arab Region: “Towards Arab Cities without Informal Settlements” Analysis and Prospects | 2020 | Global commitment to the inclusive right to adequate housing was renewed at the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III. Housing will hence prove central to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11: ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. Across the Arab region, around 18 % of residents live under each country’s national poverty line and significant disparities continue to exist between rural and urban areas. Informal Settlements have become the reflection of the mirror of poverty and lack of access to adequate housing. This report is prepared in partnership with the Islamic Development Bank to provide an overview of the status of informal settlements in the main Arab countries where data was accessible The report explores the reasons of emergence, national definitions and forms of informality, national responding approaches and strategies; in addition to highlighting some useful case studies from these countries. This overview provides guidance to national governments by offering a preliminary framework for the preparation of national or local informal settlement upgrading strategies grounded in international and regional best practices and recognizing approaches and regional and national challenges. The analysis of the different countries focused on the potential lessons learned through highlighting the advancement level of their public policies responding to informal settlements, the mapping processes of their informal settlements, their physical state and socio-economic situations, the presence of pilot projects, and the involvement of the private sector or innovative finance mechanisms in the upgrading process. Despite the data limitation, the review and analysis presented by country conducted in this report enabled some observations on the common and specific challenges, the importance of social and economic aspects of informality, the need for innovative financial and governance mechanisms, and the importance of participation for sustainable strategies and programmes. The overview shows large possibility of cross learning among the region, specifically between comparable countries, or those whose political or governance situations are similar. The conclusion also highlights key cross cutting issues that must be mainstreamed in upgrading approaches and programmes, namely: environment, migration and displacement, finance, gender, participation and local government. Finally, the report lays out the way forward towards the formulation of the new programme -to be launched in WUF 10- “Towards Arab Cities without Informal areas” where this report and analysis present the first step. |
| Placemaking Toolkit: Designing People Places - A toolkit for communities and designers to design and implement public spaces and buildings in Palestine | 2020 | This Placemaking toolkit is based on the experience of UN-Habitat Palestine and its partners, mainly Ministry of Local Government in designing and implementing placemaking interventions in 11 Palestinian communities under the framework of the Spatial Planning Support Programme for Area C, West Bank. |
| Observatorios Metropolitanos | 2020 | Guía para la Estructuración e Implementación ¿CÓMO PUEDEN LAS METRÓPOLIS MEJORAR SUS PROCESOS DE PLANIFICACIÓN Y GESTIÓN TERRITORIAL? ONU-Habitat a través de su iniciativa MetroHUB, presenta este documento de “Observatorios Metropolitanos”, con el propósito de ofrecer una guía en el desarrollo de instrumentos de gestión y generación de conocimiento metropolitano, como soporte técnico para fortalecer las capacidades en la planificación y gestión del desarrollo metropolitano y como herramienta para mejorar el proceso de urbanización a nivel global en el marco su visión por “Una mejor calidad de vida para todos en un mundo en proceso de urbanización” |
| World Water Development Report 2020: Water and Climate Change | 2020 | The 2020 edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR 2020) entitled ‘Water and Climate Change’ aims at helping the water community to tackle the challenges of climate change and informing the climate change community about the opportunities that improved water management offers in terms of adaptation and mitigation. The scientific evidence is clear: the climate is changing and will continue to change, affecting societies mainly through water. Climate change will affect the availability, quality and quantity of water for basic human needs, threatening the effective enjoyment of the human rights to water and sanitation for potentially billions of people. The alteration of the water cycle will also pose risks for energy production, food security, human health, economic development and poverty reduction, thus seriously jeopardizing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The 2020 United Nations World Water Development Report focuses on the challenges, opportunities and potential responses to climate change, in terms of adaptation, mitigation and improved resilience that can be addressed through improving water management. Combining climate change adaptation and mitigation, through water, is a win-win proposal, improving the provision of water supply and sanitation services and combating both the causes and impacts of climate change, including disaster risk reduction. |
| Waste Wise Cities Newsletter 7 | 2020 | Waste Wise Cities was launched in 2018 by UN-Habitat’s Executive Director Ms Maimunah Mohd Sharif with a call to action to tackle the global waste management challenge. It aims to enhance municipal solid waste management as well as resource efficiency in the world’s cities by working in 4 key action areas with its Member Cities and Affiliates, namely: Knowledge & Good Practices Sharing; Waste Data & Monitoring; Advocacy & Education: and Project Finance & Bankability Support. |
| Sana'a City Profile | 2020 | One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Sana’a is an historically important center and capital city for most early state polities in the region. It is also the administrative center of the Sana’a governorate. This city profile describes and examines living conditions and needs in the city of Sana’a across a variety of sectors. It addresses key thematic findings made prominent by the impact of the ongoing conflict and its toll on the city’s population among others. |
| Report on Sustainable Competitiveness of Cities Worldwide（2018-2019) | 2019 | |
| Final draft Strategic Plan 2020-2025 (HSP/CPR/71/10) | 2019 | |
| Sustainable Urbanization & Sustainable Development Goals | 2019 | The embedding of a stand-alone goal on cities and human settlements (Goal 11) in the SDGs is a recognition of the complimentary and re-enforcing nexus that exists between Goal 11 and the other SDGs. This publication briefly outlines the Sustainable Development Goals with a particular focus on their relation to SDG 11. |
| Urban-rural Linkages: Guiding Principles | 2019 | The goal of these Guiding Principles is to inform pragmatic strategies and propose a Framework for Action to build an enabling environment for more inclusive and functional urban-rural linkages. The principles are flexible and can be applied by all levels of stakeholders at all scales. While the principles are designed for universal application, there are distinct roles and actions appropriate for national or local governments, civil society, the private sector and international organizations. |