United Nations Human Settlements Programme |
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|---|---|
| Org type | Specialized Agency |
| Acronyms | UN-HABITAT |
| Head | Executive Director of UN-HABITAT Joan Clos i Matheu[1] |
| Status | Active |
| Established | 1978 |
| Website | http://www.unhabitat.org |
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–HABITAT) is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It was established in 1978 and has its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya. It is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is a member of the United Nations Development Group.[2]
Its regional centres are called 'United Nations Centre for Human Settlements' (Habitat)/(UNCHS),[3][4] and are situated at Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro, and Fukuoka.[5]
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According to its 2006 Annual Report, sometime in the middle of 2007, the majority of people worldwide will be living in towns and cities, for the first time in history; this is referred to as the arrival of the "urban millennium". The year 2007 will also see the number of slum dwellers hit 1 billion. As regards future trends, it is estimated 93% of urban growth will occur in Asia and Africa, and to a lesser extent Latin America and the Caribbean. By 2050, over 6 billion people, two thirds of humanity, will be living in towns and cities.
The main documents outlining the mandate of the organization are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, the Habitat Agenda, the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and Resolution 56/206.
It has several regional offices, among them are 'United Nations Centre for Human Settlements' at Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro, Fukuoka, and newly established office in Tehran, Iran for disaster mitigation.
The executive director from 2005 to 2010 was Anna Tibaijuka. Since October 2010 the executive director is Joan Clos i Matheu.
The UN-HABITAT governing council meets every second year in Nairobi, Kenya.
The World Urban Forum convenes the years between the governing councils. It was created as an informal meeting space between UN-Habitat, Civil society, Governments and the Private sector.
World Urban Youth Assembly (World Urban Youth Form until 2010) is an integral part of the World Urban Forum.
The World Urban Campaign is a collaborative project between UN-Habitat and its many partner organizations. It was launched at the World Urban Forum 5 in Rio de Janeiro, 2010.
UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award is an award given by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in recognition of work carried out in the field of human settlements development. The aim of the award is to honour individuals and institutions instrumental in improving the living conditions in urban centres around the world.