Urban legislation is an important development tool for urban growth as it provides a framework in which to mediate and balance competing public and private interests, especially in relation to land use and development; creates a stable and predictable framework for public and private sector action; guarantees the inclusion of the interests of vulnerable groups; and provides a catalyst for local and national discourse.

Parliaments are the main branch of government with the…

The world is on track to reach a peak global temperature rise by 2100 that far exceeds the 1.5⁰C target needed to reduce the worst climate change impacts. Cities are particularly critical as they account for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, consume 78% of the world’s energy and will comprise 68% of the global population by 2050. This report explores the linkage between national climate plans known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and urban issues.

This framework supports the control and elimination of malaria in urban environments. It guides city leaders, health programmes and urban planners as they respond to the challenges of rapid urbanisation in a targeted way. For each urban context, the strategic use of data can inform effective, tailored responses and help build resilience against the threat of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.

Using data, case studies and practical tools, this Framework guides policymakers, programme managers and funders to adapt approaches to combatting malaria – from being solely a concern of the health sector towards comprehensive, coordinated, and multi-sectoral responses that harness integrated action, commitment, and expertise across key sectors.

The Global Action Plan is a technical framework prepared by key stakeholders that identifies initial steps for significant slum transformation. Despite global efforts, the challenge of slums remains, with slum dwellers projected to triple without action. The framework supports urgent attention and coordinated action to achieve sustainable and inclusive transformation by 2030.

UN-Habitat, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Regional Programme Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (KAS), and the University of Michigan (United States of America), through the project on Urban Law for Resilient and Low Carbon Urban Development in Malawi, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, were able to assess the capacity of climate laws and policies in Malawi to adapt to climate change.

UN-Habitat, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Regional Programme Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (KAS), and the University of Michigan (United States of America), through the project on Urban Law for Resilient and Low Carbon Urban Development in Malawi, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, were able to assess the capacity of climate laws and policies in Malawi to adapt to climate change. The assessment was done through the UN-Habitat Urban Law Module of the Law and Climate Change Toolkit…

In preparation for the 15th Conference of Parties (COP15) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to adopt the Global Biodiversity Framework, UN-Habitat has prepared a white paper Cities and Nature: Planning for the Future, which highlights new principles and actions to improve the quality of urbanization, recognizing the importance of nature in cities and the preventative role of spatial planning. It also offers a novel methodology to prioritize interventions along a preserve-conserve-…

Launch of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework requires an integrated territorial (both urban and rural) approach for the sustainable management of biodiversity. Linkages between urban processes and rural transformation across municipalities, countries, and world regions are essential for biodiversity conservation. Urban-rural linkages are constituted by reciprocal and repetitive flows of people, goods, and financial and environmental services between specific rural, peri-urban, and…