The Habitat Country Programme Document (HCPD) sets out the strategic direction of UN-Habitat’s engagement in Afghanistan for the period 2016-19. Aligned with the national development goals and priorities of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Country Programme Document draws on lessons learned from UN-Habitat’s experience working hand-in-hand with communities across the nation over the past 24 years and on our understanding of the ongoing process of transformation in human settlements across the country.

Following the model of the other agencies of the United Nations System, the 2008 – 2009 UN-HABITAT Country Programme has its sources within the national priorities defined by the Poverty Reduction Strategic Framework. It falls under the United Nations 2006 – 2010 Plan jointly elaborated by the resident and non resident UN agencies with the representative entities of the national counterpart.

The elaboration of this document was an exercise carried out within a participatory process involving all the principal actors of the concerned sectors as well as official and non State authorities. The situation analysis emphasizes the fact that Burkina Faso has one of the world’s most vulnerable populations whose capacities to react to economic crises are low.

The development of the Country Program Document and the activities to be carried out were guided by the orientations given by the Government for the period 2005-2010, the relevant recommendations resulting from six workshops organized in 2007 and 2008 within the framework of the formulation of both the National Housing Policy and Urban Policy in Burundi and by the strategic axes identified in common programming documents such as the CSLP, the UNDAF and the CCSP.

The development of this document was also guided by the roadmap prepared within the co-operation framework between UN-HABITAT and the UN Agencies operating in Burundi and by close consultation between UN-HABITAT and the governmental authorities, taking into consideration the specific challenges faced by the Government and related to physical and moral reconstruction in the aftermath of more than 10 years of political turmoil.

On 1 January 2008 Cape Verde moved from the group of Least Developed Countries to the Middle Development Country group. This milestone called “graduation” is decisive for the future of the volcanic archipelago of half a million people which, despite the drought, was able to show economic performance mainly through the transfer of emigrants.

Much of the sixty percent of Cape Verdeans living in the cities and mainly the capital Praia is facing urban poverty urging the government to express a desire to formulate a housing policy to meet priorities.

Les Documents de Programme-Pays sont des outils stratégiques destinés à guider toutes les activités d’ONU-HABITAT au cours d’une période de deux ans. L’un des principaux aspects de ces documents correspond à la mission d’ONU-HABITAT, à savoir la maîtrise de l’expansion urbaine et les défis qu’elle pose aux pays en développement.

Chaque Document de Programme-Pays recense les priorités nationales en matière de développement urbain, notamment dans les domaines du logement et de la bonne gouvernance urbaine, ainsi que de l’accès aux services de base et au crédit.

The next two years the Government of Colombia will promote the strategy of Amicable Cities defined in the National Development Plan 2006-2010 for the improving of housing and the promotion of macro projects of national interest for land housing and services supply at the regional level. The strategy for international cooperation 2007-2010 with UN-HABITAT gives emphasis to four strategic areas:

Improving the conditions of poverty, sustainable development, governance and peace and security. Additionally, the goal for water and sanitation is for the construction of 32 Departmental plans developed to improve water and sanitation access to 3.6 million and 4 million inhabitants.

This HCPD is based on the Human Settlement areas of the country’s UNDAF, and on the Action Plan 2007-2011 led by the DRC Ministry of Urban Planning and Housing. The UN system supports the priorities and needs embodied in the DRC Poverty Reduction Strategy Document (DSCRP) and Priority Action Plan (PAP) 2007-2008 as well as in the MDGs.

By the end of 2008, the PAP seeks to achieve the objectives related to the implementation of the “Five Pillars” which the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo has validated: infrastructure, employment, education, health and housing.

Costa Rica is in the process of implementing its urban development planning system. Its priorities for the next two years are the improvement of urban management and decentralization processes in order to strengthen local governments; reduce the number of population living in slums, improving conditions of houses considered temporary, mobiles or in poor condition; build more infrastructure and strengthening financial systems for slum improvement and urban gentrification of the center of San Jose.

The cooperation program, between UN-Habitat and the Government of Costa Rica includes capacity building projects for risk reduction and vulnerability, and the creation of safer cities. Apart from the National and the Local governments, UN-Habitat is already working with associates like IFAM, FOMUDE, groups of Women and other UN agencies in the country.

The Government of Ecuador is in the process of creating a new Constitution that will change the laws and regulations, public policies and institutions will change as a result. Within this context, the HCPD is aim to support this process and its efforts and to formulate a strategy to best approach the urban sector.

The document provides and overview of the national context and the intervention areas to address urban development challenges for the next two years. The intervention areas are: Urban planning and management, governance, land and housing; basic services, urban development and urban environment and capacity building for development.

Within these areas, and according to the National Development Plan, four specific lines of work have been decided: water and sanitation, housing, urban planning and management and citizen participation. With the collaboration of partners such as SENPLADES, MIDUVI and social organizations such as Contrato Social por la Vivienda and Foro Urbano Ecuador, it is expected that UN-HABITAT will continue its active role in urban policies and projects.

The UN-HABITAT Country Programme Document for Ghana outlines the main objectives and priorities of UN-HABITAT. In collaboration with the Government and other United Nations Agencies, the overall aim of this UN-HABITAT Country Programme Document is to promote the HABITAT Agenda. UN-HABITAT plays an active role in urban development and urban policy.

Through partnerships with the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and the Environment and the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, UN-HABITAT has assisted in identifying key urban issues and areas of support for improvement of the urban situation in Ghana.