Qoloji, located in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, is the largest of the many settlements hosting internally displaced communities in the country. In 2020-2021, UN-Habitat was funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) to develop the Qoloji Spatial Profile, which focused on establishing the existing conditions, identifying challenges and opportunities, developing the scenarios, and outlining recommendations for a durable settlement.

This spatial profile is part of a wider set of project initiatives that examine how the socio-economic development of the area can be enhanced holistically to benefit both IDP and host communities living there. In order to design interventions of that nature, it is critical to begin with comprehending the existing situation. This is important given that the Somali Region is a historically marginalized part of Ethiopia, with high poverty levels and poorly developed infrastructure alongside decades of displacement. This, in combination with other factors, has left households in the area facing unique development challenges which can now be responded to in new ways as efforts to link humanitarian and development approaches gain support. A strong focus upon durable solutions are key foundations to shifting the agenda and providing a base from which sustainable and concrete interventions can begin to take place.

The broad intention of a spatial profile is to support this process. Its aim is to prepare a multi-scalar and multi-dimensional set of maps and supporting narrative which serve as a basis for informing further study and decision making in the area. By both collating data and observations from primary sources and field operations and synthesizing narratives and opportunities for tangible development and potential integration, this study will enable humanitarian actors, development agencies, local and national governments, as well as other relevant stakeholders to be working on coordination to aim better towards durable solutions.

Learn more.

UN-Habitat, UNCTAD (United National Conference on Trade and Development) and IOM (International Organization for Migration) organized the East African Regional Dialogue on Migration and Development in Cities on the 22nd and 23rd October 2019 in Entebbe, Uganda. The two-day Dialogue brought together national and local government authorities from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as representatives of civil society, private sector, international organizations and development partners to exchange experiences and successful practices for fostering social and economic inclusion of migrants, refugees and IDPs in different local contexts.

This report summarizes the discussions, presentations, conclusions and next steps in the East African context for UN-Habitat’s and UNCTAD’s work in the field of migration and refugee response.

In 2010 the worldwide building sector was responsible for 24% of the total GHG emissions deriving from fossil fuel combustion, second only to the industrial sector; but, if the embodied energy of construction materials is included, the share is far higher and the building sector becomes the prime CHG emitter. Thus,building design and construction have a significant effect on the chances of meeting the 2 °C target (keeping global temperature increase to 2 °C ). 

Developing countries are going to play a decisive role in the future world energy scenario, as a consequence of their economic development. Industrial energy consumption will grow, and a dramatic increase in energy consumption for transport can be expected, with the growth in the number of vehicles on the roads - if the currently accepted worldwide approach to mobility does not change. The increase in energy consumption in the building sector can be expected to be even more dramatic, not only because air conditioning will spread and the number of domestic electric and electronic appliances will grow, but also because of the increase in the number of buildings.

The Fast Track Capacity Building programme implemented by the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) in Uganda under UN-HABITAT’s ‘Water for African Cities’ programme demonstrates that an integrated programme of training and capacity building, combined with investments in physical infrastructure, offers the best hope of improving institutional capacities to reduce non-revenue water, improve service delivery and increase the sustainability of investments in the long-term. GRAHAM ALABASTER discusses the programme’s success in five towns in Kenya and Tanzania.

The concept of One Stop Centres grew out of a collaborative process with key stakeholders including youth, municipal leaders, and UN-HABITAT. The centres are envisioned to provide youth with safe spaces in urban settings where they can meet and take the lead in their own development as well as that of their urban environment, and be participants through initiatives such as municipal and national Youth Councils, for example in shaping policy related to issues affecting youth. This manual exists as one of a growing library of materials produced by UNHABITAT for use by and in the One Stop and We Are the Future Urban Youth Centres.

The report covers three basic issues: property tax legislation and practice, the significance and magnitude of property tax revenue, and the prospects of property taxation in the three East African countries - Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.