Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF)1 stands for advocacy and knowledge exchange, raising awareness, solidarity and support among professionals in this difficult time, and it is deeply concerned by the growing impacts and unintended social and economic consequences of COVID-19 pandemic crisis, which has revealed the fragility of urban and territorial systems and of our capacity for their management.

Dear Human Settlements Professionals,

The Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF) wishes to recognize and extend gratitude to the front-line human settlement professionals who are protecting, supporting, and leading the world’s population during the COVID-19 crisis. With their expertise in built form, land use, economic development, social equity, and environmental stewardship, they are well positioned to help rebuild and inclusively socialize local communities, settlements, cities, regions and territories during the COVID-19 recovery. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda provide an effective framework for coordinating with the recovery efforts of professionals. This includes consideration of the challenges contributing to SDGs 3, 1, 6 and 11, and the Domains of Change of UN-Habitat’s 2020-2023 strategic plan, particularly Domain of Change 1 (Reduced spatial inequality and poverty in communities across the urban-rural continuum) and Domain of Change 4 (Effective urban crisis prevention and response).

Read more: Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF) Statement On COVID-19 Pandemic