Housing is fundamental to achieving SDG 11’s vision of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. Yet, despite this central role, the interlinkages between adequate housing and progress across the ten targets of Goal 11 have received limited systematic attention.

The 2025 Annual Report of the Policy and Legislation Section (PLS) presents a year of steady progress in advancing sustainable urban development. Through diverse initiatives and collaborative partnerships with donors, development partners, and countries, UN-Habitat through PLS has continued to strengthen policy, legislative, and governance frameworks at national and subnational levels. The report also identifies emerging priorities that will guide the Section’s work in 2026, supporting global…

National Urban Policies (NUPs) serves as a key guiding frameworks towards the realization of the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Urbanization. The Korea-funded National Urban Policy Programme contributes to this by not only supporting countries in developing and implementing NUPs but also strengthening the capacity of relevant stakeholders. The 2024-2025 Annual Report shows the progress of the programme implementation at global and local scale among the eight participating countries of Phase 2…

​​Rapid Municipal Assessment of conflict-affected areas in Lebanon, presenting key findings on service delivery, infrastructure damage, and municipal capacities to support evidence-based recovery and humanitarian planning.​

Public spaces to play are important to children's health and development and are a core right. Yet with increasing urbanization, access to public spaces to play is shrinking, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This guide, developed by UN-Habitat, WHO and UNICEF, highlights the importance of public spaces for optimizing children's health and well-being, and realizing their comprehensive rights. It provides support for practitioners in developing and improving public…

2024 marked a transitional year for UN-Habitat’s Global Public Space Programme. The Programme delivered impactful action in 13 countries, benefiting over 70,000 people through initiatives advancing climate resilience, social inclusion, and crisis response. From neighborhood delivery to global platforms, the year reaffirmed public space as a foundation for equitable cities and a key enabler of housing, basic services, and sustainable urban development.