Executive Director’s Thematic Paper: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises

The present report was prepared for the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat Assembly), the main legislative body for global urban policymaking, to articulate the Executive Director’s position on the special theme “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: Achieving the SDGs in times of global crises”. The report examines the role of enhanced multilateralism in furthering key policy priorities and associated enablers in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda as a road map for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crisis.

The report has five sections. Section I outlines the global context in which we are faced with cascading crises and are not on track to achieve most of the Sustainable Development Goals, necessitating renewed multilateral responses. Section II provides concrete pathways for enhanced multilateral action along five key policy priority areas – housing, climate, urban crisis, localization of the Goals, and the urban economy – that offer opportunities to accelerate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda to make progress toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and other global agendas.

Section III discusses four critical enablers that can support progress on the five priority areas through more effective and inclusive multilateral cooperation. Section IV outlines the contribution of UN-Habitat to four opportunities for supporting Member States in inclusive and effective multilateralism. Finally, section V articulates the recommendations that emanate from multilateral engagement by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and outlines the structure of the UN-Habitat Assembly dialogue on the special theme.