The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a temporary crisis of confidence in the future of cities. However, a broad consensus is that urbanization remains a powerful twenty-first century mega-trend; and that well-planned towns and cities remain central to the sustainable development trajectory. There is a sense of optimism that the crisis may provide us with the opportunity to build back differently, more inclusively, greener and safer. 

UN-Habitat’s Catalogue of Services provides the current range of ways in which the organization can support national and local governments, partners and stakeholders to address their development challenges and advance sustainable and inclusive urban development using its services, expertise and tools.

This publication provides the basis for a much-needed Urban Resilience Framework, including an examination of urban disaster risk and resilience in the SADC region, vulnerability profiles for each country, city level analyses of vulnerability, and measures to foster institutional and policy discussions.

The Urban Recovery Framework (URF) is a key instrument to enhance response to urban crises. The aim of the URF is to create an enabling environment for more effective recovery in urban areas, affected by natural or man-made crises, including conflict.