The Urban Recovery Framework (URF) is a key instrument to enhance response to urban crises. The aim of the URF is to create an enabling environment for more effective recovery in urban areas, affected by natural or man-made crises, including conflict.

he future of the world’s population will undeniably continue to be urban albeit with a variety of challenges such as inequalities, climate change, unemployment, including numerous shocks such as floods and drought, conflict, and macroeconomic challenges. In 2050, 68% of the world’s population is expected to reside in urban areas, up from 56% in 2020.

Launched in 2012, UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme supports cities to take actions for safe, inclusive, and accessible public space for all. As a Programme, we promote the crucial role of green and quality public spaces in cities, acting as an enabler for social justice, prosperity, and environmental change. The Global Public Space Programme adopts an integrated and iterative approach for sustainable public space development and management.

Over recent years, UN-Habitat has developed various guides and tools in the context of climate change and urban/human settlements development; however a stocktaking and managing mechanism was lacking. To efficiently and effectively utilize the guides and tools and to maximize the use of limited resources, the importance of a master tool has been pointed out.

Our City Plans, formerly known as Participatory Incremental Urban Planning (PIUP), is a toolbox that allows local governments and urban actors to implement projects, plans, and planning processes. It guides them through a step-by-step methodology that includes the assessment, planning, operationalisation and implementation phases, organized in blocks and supported by different activities and tools.

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2021 outlines some significant impacts in many areas that are already apparent. The global extreme poverty rate rose for the first time in over 20 years, and 119 to 124 million people were pushed back into extreme poverty in 2020. There is a risk of a generational catastrophe regarding schooling, where an additional 101 million children have fallen below the minimum reading proficiency level, potentially wiping out two decades of education gains.

In terms of prominence, UN-Habitat is much better positioned within the UN System with the Executive Director returning to the humanitarian cluster as a member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC). UN-Habitat is also contributing as co-Chair of the Local 2030 Task Force and is a member of the Task Force for the Future of Cities. We have been able to convene two highly visible World Urban Forums in Kuala Lumpur and Abu Dhabi respectively.

The Guide to deliver capacity-building using digital tools provides UN-Habitat staff with clear definitions and an overview of digital capacity-building trends and tools applicable to its work and mandate. It aims to support an increased integration of digital capacity-building approaches and tools in UN-Habitat and its partners. Its content is intended primarily for internal use in UN-Habitat.

This Toolkit provides concise, operational, and user-friendly information and tools to support partners to understand how migration can be reflected in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of urban development cooperation interventions. It helps harnessing the development potential of migration and ensures that any related challenges and opportunities are fully assessed.