Pretoria, 17 August 2026 — South Africa and UN-Habitat have inaugurated a new country office in Tshwane, strengthening cooperation on adequate housing, human settlements and sustainable urban development.
The office was inaugurated on 14 August by UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach and Minister of Human Settlements Thembisile Simelane. It will provide a dedicated platform for technical cooperation in South Africa and support wider engagement across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
“Currently, nearly 3 billion people in the world are living under the conditions of housing inadequacy. More than one billion live in informal settlements and slums, and over 300 million face homelessness. This is not a set of isolated challenges. It is a systemic global crisis,” Ms. Rossbach said in her address at the inauguration.
Advancing cooperation on shared priorities
“It is a great honour to stand before you today to mark this historic occasion,” Ms. Rossbach said. “Housing represents an entry point; however, the solution lies in our approaches to planning, governance and investment in our cities.”
She called for deeper cooperation to match the scale of the challenge. “It is clear that action is urgent. But no single actor can respond to the scale and complexity of South Africa’s urban challenges alone. What is needed now is to strengthen partnerships,” she said.
Minister of Human Settlements Thembisile Simelane (centre), with Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane Metro Municipality Nasiphi Moya (left) and Deputy Minister of Human Settlements Tandi Mahambehlala (right), at the launch of the UN-Habitat South Africa Country Office. © UN-Habitat
Building partnerships across South Africa
Ahead of the ceremony in Pretoria, Ms. Rossbach visited eThekwini, where she met with the Executive Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Vusumuzi Cyril Xaba, and reviewed the city’s long-standing partnership with UN-Habitat. Discussions focused on the Adequate Housing Pilot and Adequate Housing Innovation Tool, as well as opportunities to deepen collaboration on informal settlement upgrading, climate adaptation, resilience, urban data and local government capacity.
Ms. Rossbach also joined national, provincial and local leaders for the official handover of houses to local beneficiaries, highlighting the connection between policy commitments and improvements in people’s living conditions.
Strengthening a coordinated UN response
In Pretoria, discussions with the UN Resident Coordinator and the UN Country Team focused on how UN-Habitat's expertise in housing, spatial transformation and sustainable human settlements can complement other UN entities in support of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2026-2030.
The office will also support stronger cooperation across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, building on South Africa’s regional experience and UN-Habitat’s wider engagement on sustainable urban development.
“UN-Habitat’s presence and support to South Africa will extend to the SADC region, where its commitment to safer cities, resilient planning and inclusive settlement is already supporting to shape a shared regional agenda for sustainable and resilient urban development,” Ms. Rossbach said, while calling on other UN entities to deepen collaboration and deliver “as one”.
With the office now inaugurated, UN-Habitat and South Africa said the partnership would focus on translating this milestone into results. “We reaffirm UN-Habitat’s full commitment to the people of South Africa. We will continue to offer our expertise, build capacities, develop knowledge and connect partners because sustainable urbanization is not just a development goal; it is the foundation for dignified lives, resilient cities and sustainable future,” Ms. Rossbach said.
Cover photo: UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach during the official launch of the UN-Habitat South Africa Country Office in Pretoria, South Africa, on 14 August 2026. © UN-Habitat