The New Urban Agenda gives clear guidance on how well-planned and well-managed urbanization can be a transformative force to accelerate towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The New Urban Agenda document is rich and complex. The New Urban Agenda crash course explains and illustrates the New Urban Agenda in an easily accessible format.
The challenge
Urbanisation is the most urgent challenge facing our planet. More than half of humanity lives in cities. Individuals and institutions responsible for making their city a sustainable and safe place to live and work in dignity need to have the skills, knowledge, competence and tools to steer cities towards a path of sustainable and inclusive urbanisation. Capacity building and training address these needs, helping city leaders and institutions to play their fundamental role in sustainable urban development.
Learn more about the Habitat UNI network and the Global Urban Lectures.
Impact
News and Stories
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UN-Habitat and AACID discuss tools for sustainable urban development
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The way in which cities are planned, managed and designed determines the opportunities for inclusion of the elderly: Euskal Hiria 2020
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COVID-19 in an Urban World - UN Chief
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Joint Statement, UNDP and UN Habitat World Cities Day 31 October 2020
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World Cities Report 2020: The Value of Sustainable Urbanization
“I really believe that if you know the real needs of the population, authorities will be able to make decisions more assertively. Collaborating to make my city a sustainable city is awesome, and there is no better source for a city diagnosis than the citizens who live in that city.”
Igor Hemmings, 25, Manager, Caçapava
Leaving no one and no place behind
Hover over or click the icons to learn about UN-Habitat's work on social inclusion here.
Capacity building in UN-Habitat embodies respect for human rights without distinction of any kind. Through these values we can empower all individuals to make use of their knowledge and skills in the creation of equitable and inclusive cities.
It is only through equal opportunities for every gender that we can work towards universal access to knowledge and capacity development for all.
Youth, children and older persons, especially those in situations of particular risk of marginalization, such as girl child and female-headed households, are often excluded from access to housing, urban basic services, public spaces and infrastructure, and the overall benefits of urbanization. Young women and men have been a key focus of UN-Habitat’s work. The agency has successfully advocated for the role of youth as leaders in sustainable urban development, recognizing the guiding principle of the SDGs of “leaving no one behind,” and the New Urban Agenda vision of cities for all.
In our work towards universal access to knowledge and capacity development, it is essential for training to be accessible for all. UN-Habitat works actively to ensure that online and offline workshops and trainings appropriately accommodate for people with disabilities.
Donors and partners
Working with local and international partners including other UN agencies enables UN-Habitat to deliver capacity building, learning and peer-to-peer exchange enriched by examples, practices and case studies. Additionally, partnerships bring cutting-edge knowledge and expertise that help in finding creative and feasible solutions to local or national problems.
Our Experts
Related Sustainable Development Goals
