The Annual Report 2023 of the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section of UN-Habitat showcases the work done in the past year to work towards and support the achievement of the main goal of sustainable urban development.

Much has been achieved by PLGS: more than 44 activities in over 37 countries globally, that consolidated collaboration with donors, development partners and beneficiary countries along the themes of policy, legislation and governance, metropolitan management,…

As countries prepare to revise their NDCs ahead of COP30, the analysis summarized in this technical brief shows: which countries have the biggest potential to work towards stronger integration of urban content in their NDCs; how they can reap co-benefits of sustainable urban development, effective local adaptation measures, and reducing emissions by stronger collaboration with local governments.

The present document is the second in a series which takes a closer look at how the Quality of Life Initiative is co-creating a more inclusive, human-centred vision of quality of life in cities. This series zooms in on different aspects of the initiative, while presenting a coherent picture of how the different pieces come together.

This report summarizes the Ministerial Meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change held at COP28 on 6 December 2023. This key event, co-hosted by UN-Habitat, the High-Level Climate Champions, and the COP28 Presidency, brought together over 1,000 people including around 60 ministerial representatives and reflects a collective commitment to tackling climate change's complexities within urban contexts.

By 2050, an additional 2.5 billion people will be living in the world’s towns and cities, with almost 50 per cent of that growth taking place in the Commonwealth. Member States, both large and small, are facing the impacts of climate change and rapid urbanization. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these, and progress towards achievement of the SDGs has been eroded in many countries, undermining the first year of the Decade of Action towards Agenda 2030.

Heritage and Metropolis (Heritopolis) is a loose research network established during 2021 to explore how metropolises are being (re-)shaped by heritage redefining their meaning. This largest category of city is growing rapidly in number and their demographic, economic and governance importance globally. Metropolises are also where many of the sustainability and resilience challenges – including potential loss of natural and cultural heritage – are particularly profound.

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In the past six years, UN-Habitat has grown from strength to strength. The World Urban
Forum is now the world’s premier United Nations platform for sustainable urbanization. UN-Habitat is present in all global platforms including at the UN General Assembly where we were selected on the high impact pillar on localization. It is very clear that shelter, housing, and sustainable urbanization cut across all political divides.

The 2023 Global Public Space Programme Annual Report showcases impact stories and best practices implemented in 2023 by UN-Habitat and its partners on public space initiatives. This year the report reflects on projects not only from the Global Public Space Programme but also led by our Regional and Country Offices. The intention is to share an agency-wide unified report to underscore UN-Habitat's commitment to collaboration and integrated action.