The analysis of urban development of the past twenty years presented in this maiden edition of the World Cities Report shows, with compelling evidence, that there are new forms of collaboration and cooperation, planning, governance, finance and learning that can sustain positive change. The Report unequivocally demonstrates that the current urbanization model is unsustainable in many respects. It conveys a clear message that the pattern of urbanization needs to change in order to better respond to the challenges of our time, to address issues such as inequality, climate change, informality, insecurity, and the unsustainable forms of urban expansion.

UN-Habitat believes that ICT can be a catalyst to improve governance in towns and cities and help increase levels of participation, efficiency and accountability in public urban policies, provided that the tools are appropriately used, accessible, inclusive and affordable. Research shows that ICT use by youth can have a direct impact on increasing civic engagement, giving them new avenues through which to become informed, shape opinions, get organized, collaborate and take action.

UN-Habitat’s experiences of using the video game Minecraft as a community participation tool for public space design confirms this view and shows that providing youth with ICT tools can promote improved civic engagement. Youth are at the center of the ICT revolution, both as drivers and consumers of technological innovation. They are almost twice as networked as the global population as a whole, with the ICT age gap more pronounced in least developed countries where young people are up to three times more likely to be online than the general population.

The purpose of this paper is to outline UN-Habitat’s approach to using information and communication technology (ICT) as an enabler to encourage youth participation in urban design and governance.

The purpose of this Programmatic Guidance Note is to provide assistance to UN-Habitat staff for the promotion and protection of human rights. The objectives of the Note are to:

1. Provide a clear description of human rights and the Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) and highlight the relevance to the work of UN-Habitat.
2. Define clearly the responsibilities of UN-Habitat with respect to human rights, based on the UN-Habitat mandate.
3. Provide guidance on how a HRBA should be integrated into the UN-Habitat programming.

The Guidance Note will outline the core principles of Human Rights and the Human Rights-Based Approach. It will then explain this in the context of UN-Habitat work and certain rights that are particularly applicable.

Summary:

Programmatic Guidance Note for UN-Habitat Staff (PDF)

Ending the AIDS epidemic in cities will have profound, long-lasting benefits for countless urban communities across the globe. But the AIDS response can also play another transformative role, as a pathfinder for broader health and development gains in urban areas.

The key characteristics of the AIDS response :

• Multisectoral, evidence-based and people-centred action
• Community engagement and leadership
• Innovation to overcome barriers and improve outcomes
• A focus on concrete targets and accountability for results
• A commitment to human rights and gender equity
• An insistence that no one be left behind.

This can help inspire new coalitions, innovative delivery platforms and broad-based action to ensure sustained growth and shared prosperity in the post-2015 era.  This report includes examples of cities in every region that are displaying courageous, innovative, transformative leadership on AIDS. 

Despite a positive trend in inequality reduction in recent years, Latin American and the Caribbean cities are still the most unequal in the world. The publication Construction of More Equitable Cities: Public Policies for Inclusion in Latin America presented by UN-Habitat and CAF – development bank of Latin America examines, for the first time, income and consumption inequalities in a large sample of cities (over 300) over a period of 20 years (1990-2010). After comparing inequality trends, the study analyzes the factors that have created and reproduced them. It provides evidence of the relationship between inequality and different dimensions of development. The study concludes with policy recommendations that local authorities and other tiers of governments can implement to achieve more equitable cities.

Le continent africain se trouve en proie à des mutations majeures qui se déroulent simultanément dans les domains démographique, économique, technologique, environnemental, urbain et sociopolitique. La conjoncture économique est actuellement prometteuse en Afrique, où le dynamisme des villes va de pair avec l’essor des classes moyennes et l’avènement de marchés de consommation conséquents. Toutefois, en dépit d’une croissance d’ensemble non négligeable, ce n’est pas toute l’Afrique qui va bien. Dans les villes, l’expansion très rapide de la population s’accompagne d’une pauvreté massive et de nombreuses autres difficultés sociales. Voilà qui suggère que les trajectoires de développement suivies par les pays africains depuis les lendemains de l’indépendance risquent de ne pas pouvoir satisfaire les aspirations à l’épanouissement et à la prospérité pour tous. Le présent Rapport invite donc à réinventer avec audace, afin d’orienter les transitions en cours dans un sens plus “durable” et en prenant en considération toutes les grandes options possibles. Cela s’impose d’autant plus que les grands enjeux auxquels sont confrontées les villes africaines prennent une dimension plus aiguë du fait de la montée des menaces et des diverses formes de vulnérabilité qui accompagnent les bouleversements du climat et de l’environnement. Egalement disponible en version anglaise.  

As a report with joint efforts by China Science Center of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, China Association of Mayors, Urban Planning Society of China and UN-Habitat, The State of China’s Cities 2014/2015 is about to be released to the public. It integrates both the guidelines of the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the Central Urbanization Work Conference and includes new concepts, ideas, measures and innovative cases gathered from various places in China.  

As a report with joint efforts by China Science Center of International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, China Association of Mayors, Urban Planning Society of China and UN-Habitat, The State of China’s Cities 2014/2015 is about to be released to the public.

It integrates both the guidelines of the Third Plenum of the 18th CPC Central Committee and the Central Urbanization Work Conference and includes new concepts, ideas, measures and innovative cases gathered from various places in China.

Los países y las ciudades de Latinoamérica han entrado en una senda de reducción de desigualdades. Sin embargo, las brechas que separan pobres de ricos siguen siendo las más elevadas del mundo. ONU-Hábitat y la CAF - Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina presentan el libro Construcción de ciudades más equitativas: políticas públicas para la inclusión en América Latina, el cual examina, por primera vez, las desigualdades en el ingreso y el consumo en una amplia muestra de 300 ciudades sobre un periodo de 20 años (1990-2010).

El estudio compara las tendencias en la evolución de las desigualdades, y analiza los factores que las han creado y reproducido a lo largo del tiempo. Así mismo, señala las relaciones existentes entre desigualdades y otras dimensiones del desarrollo. Esta publicación concluye con recomendaciones de políticas públicas que las autoridades locales y otros niveles de gobierno pueden implementar para la construcción de ciudades más equitativas.

This publication presents the situation of the municipality of Silva Jardim in relation with the Millenium Development Goals within the work of monitoring city indicators related to the Millenium Development Goals between 2000 and 2006.