United Cities and Local Governments will facilitate the inputs of local and regional authorities during the sessions of the 24th Governing Council of UN Habitat that will be held on 15-19 April in Nairobi, Kenya.
The 2013 Session of this Council is of particular importance in view of the upcoming Habitat III Conference in 2016 that will define the international urban agenda. The focus of this Session will be on “sustainable urban development: the role of cities in creating improved economic opportunities for all, with special references to youth and gender”.
To the UN-Habitat Governing Council will be submitted resolutions for adoption that are of importance for local and regional governments and will define the agenda of national and international institutions in several relevant areas. These resolutions will be indicators of the views on the Habitat III Conference, urban basic services, urban planning, Global Housing Strategy, a new urban agenda, the World Cities Day, Gender Equality and Sustainable Urban Development.
Some of the most relevant resolutions during this Council’s session will be regarding the 3rd UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), strengthening UN-Habitat’s Work on Urban Basic Services, pursuing Sustainable Development through a new Urban Agenda and Urban Planning.
The program of the Governing Council also includes the meetings of UN-Habitat Advisory Group on Gender Issues and the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA).
As facilitator of the participation of local and regional authorities in Habitat deliberations, UCLG has ensured representation in several Advisory Bodies, such as in the UN-Habitat Advisory Group on Gender Issues (AGGI): Muchadeyi Masunda, Co-President of UCLG and Mayor of Harare, and Anne Hildago, Chair of UCLG Standing Committee on Gender Equality and 1st Deputy Mayor of Paris will be members of this group.
UCLG encourages its members and partners to join the local government delegation in the Governing Council. Interested participants should register through the dedicated UN-Habitat website at: www.unhabitat.org/gc24.
Further information can be found at the following documents:
- UCLG Briefing concerning Local Government Program and Key Messages for Resolutions
- Report from the Mayors Roundtable held at the World Urban Forum 6, Naples, 3 September 2012