11 March 2019

NAIROBI – UN-Habitat is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear colleagues who lost their lives on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302, which crashed yesterday on its way to Nairobi. The latest information indicates several United Nations personnel died in the incident, and nationals of many of our Member States.

The United Nations and its Member States have suffered a huge loss. Our deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of our colleagues and partners so tragically lost in this incident.

UN Headquarters, New York, Feb 26-28, 2019 – UN-Habitat has stressed the importance of local governments for integrating migrants and enhancing their access to housing, services and employment during a series of event on the implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration adopted in December 2018.

The events in New York included an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Migration and Development, organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affa

February 2019 – The UN-Habitat Executive Director has praised the One Stop Youth Resource Centres, spaces created by UN-Habitat, local government and youth during a busy month for the Centres.

BEIJING February 2019 –UN-Habitat is joining forces with Chinese partners to promote a dialogue on how artificial intelligence can ensure the efficient use of resources and better productivity in cities

UN-Habitat will work with The China Academy of Urban Planning and Design (CAUPD), a research institution under the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development to look at the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in urban development and economic development, paving the way for a global alliance on smart cities.

In 2017, the newly elected Government of Argentina  requested support from UN-Habitat to develop a policy to support balanced regional development of its large territory, and foster inclusive development of its cities.  With 91 per cent of Argentina urbanized, the project was aimed at harnessing urbanization and enhancing its benefits, working in close collaboration with key national stakeholders.

Seoul, Korea, 26 February 2019 - The 2019 International Youth Day in Korea (2019 IYD Korea) was marked on 26 February in Seoul with more than 500 young people from all over the world attending the Korea National Assembly. The event was organised by UN-Habitat to formulate youth-led local economic development strategies linked to innovative urban regeneration projects in the Republic of Korea.

Nay Pyi Taw, 26 February 2019 - The Government of Japan and eight United Nations Agencies today signed a US$ 37 million value agreement to implement humanitarian and development projects in Shan, Kachin and Rakhine States. The funding will enable the delivery of life-saving assistance, protection, trust-building initiatives and early recovery support to women, men, girls and boys across the three states.  This important partnership builds on a US$ 20 million agreement that was signed in 2018, that aimed to assist half a million people in Rakhine State.

Beirut, 20 February 2019 - UN-Habitat organized a workshop on Building Capacities for Climate Action at the City Level in the Arab Region in Beirut, Lebanon from 18 to 20 February 2019 in collaboration with the EU-funded Clima-Med project.

CAIRO, February 2019 –  UN-Habitat’s Egypt office is partnering with the National Housing and Building Research Center (HBRC) and the General Organization for Physical Planning (GOPP) to organize an international expert workshop to draw up standards for developing smart cities in Egypt