Many development practitioners have, until recently, viewed urban and rural areas as two mutually exclusive territories. However, this does not reflect the realities of the spatial and sectoral linkages between urban and rural areas. The two territories are two ends of a continuum of human settlements which are spatially and functionally interconnected and interdependent through physical, social, economic and environmental linkages that are continuously changing in time and space. During the…

As the world continues to urbanize, cities face greater challenges in responding to humanitarian crises and achieving sustainable post-conflict development that upholds everyone’s right to adequate housing. The impacts of conflict are increasingly being experienced in urban areas around the world – as seen in modern crises such as those in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, Yemen and Syria – putting the housing, land and property (HLP) rights of civilians at risk. HLP issues arise in conflict contexts,…

As part of the commitment of the Niger State Government (Nigeria) in creating compact, connected, socially inclusive and self-sustaining towns and cities in the State, the State Government has developed her Urban Development Policy with technical assistance from UN-Habitat. The overall goal of the Niger State Urban Policy is to achieve more transparent, equitable, productive, and resilient cities in Niger State, thereby positioning the cities to attain their potentials as engines of economic…

The important role of urban policies for sustainable development has in the recent past gained prominence than ever before. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015 and the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in 2016 have provided a strong rationale for countries to develop, implement and/or review their National Urban Policy frameworks. The NUA places explicit emphasis on National Urban Policy as one of its five pillars of implementation. Similarly, in 2019, National Urban Policy…

UN-Habitat’s National Urban Policy Programme (NUPP) continues to play a pivotal role in advancing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development globally through national and subnational urban policies. This 2024 edition of the Korea-funded National Urban Policy Programme (K-NUPP) report presents progress made during year two of the second phase of the programme, with a focus on activities undertaken and results achieved in 2023/2024, while providing a forward-looking view of planned…

The SDG, Agenda 2063: Africa we want and the New Urban Agenda underscores the need for international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer to address the global solid waste challenge. They call for increased investment in waste management infrastructure and capacity building, particularly in developing countries. As representative cities at distinct stages of development, Shanghai, China and Lagos, Nigeria have amassed unique experiences in waste management. These experiences…

The National Urban Policy Programme (NUPP) remains a central tool towards promotion and realisation of an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development. The Korea-funded National Urban Policy Programme (K-NUPP) 2022-2023 report reviews the first year of implementation in the second phase of the programme. The report articulates the commitment of UN-Habitat through the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section, in collaboration with the government of the Republic of Korea through the…

UN-Habitat provides technical assistance and advisory services to member states in legal reform processes to bring about social and economic transformation and enhance effective service delivery for sustainable urban development. Benchmarking case studies and comparative analysis are key aspects of the UN-Habitat methodology for legal and governance reform. UN-Habitat and the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London, UK developed this comparative analysis of housing laws…

In a time of accelerating urbanization, this diagnostic paper examines critical dimensions of urbanization in Niger State. Drawing on extensive demographic, legislative, infrastructural, and socio-economic research, the report uncovers the core developmental issues facing the state, some of which include rapid and uncoordinated urban growth, deficient infrastructure and service delivery, weak governance structures, poor land management systems, proliferation of informal settlements, and low…