
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Developmen…
Full Answer
What is the United Nations human settlements programme?
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
What is the parent organization of human settlement?
Parent organization. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) is the United Nations agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the First UN Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976.
What is the mandate of UN Habitat?
The mandate of UN-Habitat derives from the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996. The twin goals of the Habitat Agenda are adequate shelter for all and the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world.
What is the role of cities in human settlement?
Human settlements Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social, human and economic development. Urban planning, transport systems, water, sanitation, waste management, disaster risk reduction, access to information, education and capacity-building are all relevant issues to sustainable urban development.

What does human settlement mean?
Human Settlement means cluster of dwellings of any type or size where human beings live. For this purpose, people may erect houses and other structures and command some area or territory as their economic support-base.
What is the goal of the United Nation's human settlement Program?
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
What is human settlement on the environment?
On the most basic level, the interaction of human settlements on the environment is that they extract non-renewable natural resources on the one hand and on the other, produce waste products and pollution that has to be absorbed by the natural environment.
Why was the establishment of the UN human settlements Program important?
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system.
What is new urban agenda?
The New Urban Agenda represents a shared vision for a better and more sustainable future. It provides guidance on how well-planned and well-managed urbanisation can be a transformative force for sustainable development for both developing and developed countries, to accelerate towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Do UN-Habitat pay interns?
Interns receive no remuneration. Costs of travel and accomodation, living expenses included, are the responsibility of interns or their sponsoring institutions. Interns are solely responsible for obtaining the necessary visas and arranging their travel to their duty station.
What are the different types of human settlements?
Human settlements can broadly be divided into two types – rural and urban. Rural settlements: Rural settlements are most closely and directly related to land. They are dominated by primary activities such as agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing etc. The settlements size is relatively small.
Why is human settlement important?
There are many purposes or functions of human settlements. Four functions of human settlements include protection, pooling economics, sharing natural resources, and socioemotional connection.
What are the four environmental factors that affect human settlement?
Body of water (transportation routes, water for drinking and farming) Flat land (easy to build) Fertile soil (for crops) Forests (timber and housing)
How many members are in the UN-Habitat?
193 member statesUN-Habitat Assembly is a universal body composed of the 193 member states of the United Nations and convenes every four years (A/RES/73/239).
Who is the head of UN-Habitat?
Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif ofMs. Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‐Habitat), appointed by the Secretary‐General, following an election by the General Assembly on 22 December 2017.
What is the full form of Unchs?
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS - Habitat)
What does Unido stand for?
United Nations Industrial Development OrganizationUNIDO | United Nations Industrial Development Organization.
Is UN-Habitat an organization?
The UN-Habitat Secretariat is the executive organ of UN-Habitat. It services the Governing Council and acts as the focal point for all human settlement matters within the United Nations system.
Where is the headquarters of UN-Habitat?
Nairobi, KenyaUnited Nations Human Settlement Programme / Headquarters
Is UN-Habitat part of the Secretariat?
The UN-Habitat Secretariat is the executive organ of UN-Habitat, in charge of coordinating the programme. It designs, implements, manages and monitors UN-Habitat's urban initiatives and human settlements development projects, and provides the Governing Council with strategic recommendations.
What is the aim of UN Habitat?
The ambitious objective also reflects the UN-Habitat aim to develop and implement integrated programmes with a view to achieving greater impact. The organization therefore is “people-focused” and spearheads interventions that are holistic rather than sectoral, transformative rather than fragmentary and which link urbanization and human settlements with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the humanitarian–peace–development nexus, as proposed under the Secretary-General’s United Nations reforms
What is the UN Habitat flagship programme?
The UN-Habitat flagship programme on SDG cities builds on interlinkages across SDG goals and targets in urban areas. It responds to the fact that ineffective systems of urban governance, limited capacities in urban planning, lack of local resources and funding and poor or non-existent mechanisms to measure results for and impacts on populations seriously impede the achievement of the urban SDGs. To realize the potential of cities to drive the achievement of the SDGs, the flagship programme will work with cities, other levels of government, communities, business sector and development partners to connect the value chain of data; evidence-based policy; capacity in governance, planning and financing; and, impact investments, to accelerate the achievement of SDGs in cities.
What is the SDG 11?
SDG 11, the ‘urban’ goal, provides for this development; calling for making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Simultaneously, all seventeen SDGs have an urban component, including targets such as affordable housing, parks and public spaces, clean air, water, renewable energy, and the mitigation of climate change.
What is the role of UN-Habitat in the HLPF?
UN-Habitat has participated in all rounds of the HLPF and organizes meetings with its Executive Board on the UN-Habitat contribution to the HLPF. It supports its member states to undertake VNRs and VLRs. It also partners with member states to jointly highlight key issues during side-events and other meeting formats of the HLPF. For instance, together with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development of Ghana and the Department of Human Settlements of South Africa, UN-Habitat organized a side event to present the “Partnership to achieve SDG Target 11.1: Working together to transform one billion lives”.
Why is UN Habitat important?
Equally important is the significant progress being made in the harmonization of urban data production for better comparability. Wide consultations between UN-Habitat and other partners were conducted to adopt a standalone functional definition of cities and urban areas to enable countries to better compare and aggregate data in a consistent manner. UN-Habitat has also developed the National Sample of Cities approach to ensure a systemic reporting, higher comparability within and among countries, and to enable the aggregation of regional values. In parallel, the agency is now finalizing the NUA indicators framework which will be used to track progress for implementation of the NUA among member states.
What percentage of the world population will live in cities by 2050?
By 2050, seventy per cent of the world population is predicted to live in urban settlements. Cities, as well as being centres of promise and innovation, are also the epicentre of many of the challenges of sustainability. As the majority of SDGs have an urban focus, their sustained implementation at the local level is particularly important.
How does urban regeneration help?
Inclusive, Vibrant Neighbourhoods and Communities : Urban regeneration initiatives contribute to reduced spatial inequality and poverty by transforming socially, economically, and environmentally deprived areas in cities, targeting to improve the living standards of 500 million people by 2030.
What is the UN Habitat?
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The main documents outlining the mandate of the organisation are ...
How much of the population in a slum has no access to shelter?
In many cities, especially in developing countries, slum dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the population and have little or no access to shelter, water, and sanitation. This is where UN-Habitat is mandated to make a difference for the better. Source.
What are the main documents of the United Nations?
The main documents outlining the mandate of the organisation are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and Resolution 56/206. The United Nations Millennium Declaration recognises the dire circumstances ...
How many people live in cities in 2050?
Just 50 years later, this proportion has risen to one-half and will continue to grow to two-thirds, or 6 billion people, by 2050. Cities are now home to half of humankind.
How many slum dwellers will be there by 2020?
It articulates the commitment of Member States to improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020 – Target 11 of Goal No.7 – a task mandated to UN-Habitat.
What is the UN Habitat mandate?
Overview. The UN-Habitat mandate is also derived from General Assembly resolution 3327 (XXIX), by which the Assembly established the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation; resolution 32/162, by which the Assembly established the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat); and resolution 56/206, ...
What is the UN Habitat Assembly?
The governance structure of the programme is made up of three decision-making bodies: the UN-Habitat Assembly, an executive board and a Committee of Permanent Representatives. Previously, The Governing Council was the decision-making body for the Programme, but it was dissolved following a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly.
How many countries does UN Habitat work in?
UN-Habitat works in more than 70 countries in five continents focusing on seven areas:
What is UNACLA?
The United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) was established in 2000 in line with the UN Habitat Governing Council Resolution 17/18 of 1999 as an advisory body to strengthen the dialogue of the UN System with local authorities in relation to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.
What is the World Urban Campaign?
The World Urban Campaign is the world living platform on cities for sharing and learning on initiatives, actions and policies driving positive change towards sustainable urbanization. Coordinated by UN-Habitat, it is a global coalition of public, private and civil society partners seeking to raise the urban agenda. The campaign is UN-Habitat's partners' platform for the preparation of the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) held in 2016.
What is the UN Habitat?
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme ( UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1978 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976.
Where is the UN Habitat located?
UN-Habitat maintains 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.
How many countries have adopted the Habitat Agenda?
Adopted by 171 countries, the outcome political document – the Habitat Agenda – contained over 100 commitments and 600 recommendations.
Why was the Habitat Agenda draft?
In order to evaluate the progress undergone by each country to meet the commitments and strategies announced in the Habitat Agenda , all Member States were requested to draft a report focused on local and national implementation of the Habitat Agenda.
What is the SDG 11?
SDG 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
What is the role of local and regional governments in the 2030 Agenda?
Local and regional governments have a wealth of valuable experience in the "localization" of the 2030 Agenda, where they provide leadership in the mobilization of a wide range of stakeholders, the facilitation of "bottom-up" and inclusive processes, and the formation of multi-stakeholder partnerships.
What are the issues that affect urban development?
Urban planning, transport systems, water, sanitation, waste management, disaster risk reduction, access to information, education and capacity-building are all relevant issues to sustainable urban development. In 2008, for the first time in history, the global urban population outnumbered the rural population.
What is the chapter 6 of the Urban Challenge?
Chapter 6 of the Report is entitled "The Urban Challenge" and focuses on the significant increase that developing world's urban population has experienced between 1940 and 1980.
When will the urban population outnumber the rural population?
In 2008, for the first time in history, the global urban population outnumbered the rural population. This milestone marked the advent of a new 'urban millennium' and, by 2050, it is expected that two-thirds of the world population will be living in urban areas. With more than half of humankind living in cities and the number of urban residents growing by nearly 73 million every year it is estimated that urban areas account for 70 per cent of the world's gross domestic product and has therefore generated economic growth and prosperity for many.
What is human settlement?
Human settlement refers to an organised permanent or temporary inhabitation of humans on a small or large area of land including all the requisite infrastructural facilities. Submitted by anonymous on March 16, 2020. Human settlement.
What is the meaning of "human settlement"?
Human settlement. The place of permanent or temporary habitations created by human being for his/her living. Excessive human settlements and man-made dwellings are one of the main reasons for the depleting forests and ground water. Submitted by anonymous on January 6, 2019.
What is a settlement in geography?
Settlement, locality or populated place are general terms used in geography, statistics, archaeology, landscape history and other subjects for a permanent or temporary community in which people live or have lived, without being specific as to size, population or importance. A settlement can therefore range in size from a small number ...
What is the numerical value of human settlement in Chaldean numerology?
The numerical value of HUMAN SETTLEMENT in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
What happens if you mention Agenda 21?
If you tell them what it is, they will laugh at you and think you have lost your mind. That's fine though; you won't be the first or last person to be called crazy for simply knowing about Agenda 21, which has now been adjusted to include Agenda 2030.
What happens when you destroy a place?
If you destroy a place to the extreme of being inhabitable for people, they will naturally go somewhere else. When the land is sufficiently destroyed people will be more than happy to relocate, then the corporations can come in and buy the land at extremely low prices.
How many Sustainable Goals were created by the United Nations?
In order to achieve the 5 Ps, 17 Sustainable Goals were created by the United Nations. Here are the goals directly from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:
What is the 2030 Agenda?
In the 2030 Agenda Declaration, the UN declares , “On behalf of the peoples we serve, we have adopted a historic decision on a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Goals and targets. We commit ourselves to working tirelessly for the full implementation of this Agenda by 2030.”
How many goals are there in the 2030 Agenda?
The 2030 Agenda has 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets. According to the UN, “All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan. ] The Goals and targets will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet.”
When was the Agenda 2030 written?
It is important to note that Agenda 2030 was written in 2015, well before COVID-19. However, the UN has a COVID-19 Response for the Sustainable Development Goals and is pushing Agenda 2030 in the wake of the pandemic, which may explain why you are hearing about it more often now.
Is there mistrust in the United Nations?
If we’re being honest, there is quite a lot of mistrust when it comes to Washington or the United Nations. We have seen firsthand how FEMA has failed to save us in times of crisis. So, when looking at this giant agenda that is full of hyperbolic language, it is easy to see why some people don’t trust it.
Why is settlement management important?
Settlement Management is necessary to provide sustainable development in cities, particularly in developing countries. Urban poverty should be reduced, by providing environmental education and by generating employment for the urban poor. Environmentally sound policies should be adopted in land use planning.
What are the areas of Agenda 21?
These are: Adequate Shelter, Land Use Planning, Urban Environmental Infrastructure, Energy and Transportation, Disaster Prone Areas, Settlement Management, Construction Industry and Human Resources.
How to mitigate the negative impact of natural and man-made disasters?
Disaster Prone Areas should be identified to enable all countries to mitigate the negative impact of natural and man-made disasters in human settlements, national economies, and the environment by developing programs in the development of a “culture of safety”, pre-disaster planning and post-disaster reconstruction. New development/settlements should be redirected to areas that are not prone to hazards. Training and education shall be developed to empower local communities to be prepared for disasters. Scientists and engineers specializing in this field should collaborate with planners and communities to minimize potential losses. Estimation for these activities $125 million, which is required from international communities.

Summary
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat I) held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976. UN-Habitat maintains its headquarters at the Unit…
Overview
The UN-Habitat mandate is also derived from General Assembly resolution 3327 (XXIX), by which the Assembly established the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation; resolution 32/162, by which the Assembly established the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat); and resolution 56/206, by which the Assembly transformed the Commission on Hu…
Work and projects
UN-Habitat works in more than 70 countries in five continents focusing on seven areas:
• Urban legislation, land and governance;
• Urban planning and design;
• Urban economy;
Governance
The governance structure of the programme is made up of three decision-making bodies: the UN-Habitat Assembly, an executive board and a Committee of Permanent Representatives. Previously, The Governing Council was the decision-making body for the Programme, but it was dissolved following a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly.
The assembly is a universal body composed of the 193 member states of the United Nations an…
World Urban Forum (WUF)
The World Urban Forum is an international conference dedicated to urban issues, organized by UN-Habitat. It was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and how to ensure a sustainable urban development. It is organized biennially in the years between the UN-Habitat governing councils.
World Urban Campaign (WUC)
The World Urban Campaign is the world living platform on cities for sharing and learning on initiatives, actions and policies driving positive change towards sustainable urbanization. Coordinated by UN-Habitat, it is a global coalition of public, private and civil society partners seeking to raise the urban agenda. The campaign is UN-Habitat's partners' platform for the preparation of the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Develop…
World Habitat Day
The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October every year as World Habitat Day. This is an occasion to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of human habitat.
UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award
The 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.