SUMMARY OF PLENARY DISCUSSIONS AND OUTCOMES
DAY 2 – THURSDAY, 5 DECEMBER 2024
On Thursday, 5 December 2024, the second session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) for the year 2024 resumed in Nairobi, Kenya.
Agenda item 6: Strategic Plan
Agenda item 6 (a) – Annual report for 2023 on the Strategic Plan for the period 2020-2025
UN-Habitat presented the Annual Report 2023: Local action in a time of crises, highlighting key areas of progress of the Organization in 2023 on advancing the objectives outlined in its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan. UN-Habitat provided a quantitative and qualitative overview of the urban aspect of its work, on financial contributions from Member States, and of key programmatic accomplishments across the four subprogrammes in 2023.
BRAZIL commended UN-Habitat for its work to advance the Strategic Plan for the period 2020-2025 and expressed that it was pleased to note the impactful activities implemented in Brazil. The representative recommended to identify the main challenges for implementation and include them in future reports.
USA also commended UN-Habitat for a comprehensive draft of the Strategic Plan for 2026-2029 and for the emphasis on vulnerable populations, including displaced populations and those in informal settlements and slums. The representative emphasized that it was crucial for the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 to align with the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda without new financial burden on Member States and requested UN-Habitat to elaborate on innovative financing mechanisms proposed in the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and on how it ensures prioritization of vulnerable populations.
SENEGAL recognized the crucial initiatives made by UN-Habitat to achieve SDG11 and encouraged UN-Habitat to pursue efforts in the development of local capacity for better urban resource management, the use of innovative technology for urban planning, and the establishment of robust measures for monitoring and evaluation.
GERMANY welcomed the Annual Report 2023, which demonstrates UN-Habitat’s impact on the ground, and asked what measures were in place to meet the Strategic Plan targets by 2025 and whether UN-Habitat achieved its intended goals.
Agenda item 6 (b) – Update on the preparation of the Strategic Plan of UN-Habitat for the period 2026-2029
The Executive Director presented an overview of the progress and process of developing UN-Habitat’s Strategic Plan for the period 2026-2029. She highlighted the strategic focus of the plan on access to adequate housing, land, and basic services for all and the transformation of informal settlements and slums across the three impact areas: (1) equitable and inclusive prosperity for poverty eradication; (2) environment and climate action; and (3) humanitarian crisis prevention, response and recovery for long-term development. She presented the rationale for this strategic focus in line with the value added and the mandate of UN-Habitat.
The Executive Director listed the five means of implementation of the strategic plan, including two substantive means on (1) urban planning and finance and (2) participatory multilevel governance and SDG localization, along three functional means of implementation, including (1) knowledge, data and digitalization, (2) partnerships, advocacy and communications, and (3) resource mobilization.
UN-Habitat provided an overview of the monitoring framework for the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and its associated levels of results, namely global impact, global outcomes, and outputs. The roadmap for the implementation of the plan was also presented, including a global implementation guidance, global action plans for each means of implementation and regional implementation plans.
UN-Habitat also shared the next milestones in the development of the 2026-2029 Strategic Plan, including an internal and external retreat as well as regional consultations.
Interventions by Member States
MOROCCO expressed support for the strategic focus of the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 on housing across the three impact areas; expressed support specifically for capacity-building at the country level and multilevel governance that meaningfully involves local governments; highlighted the importance of effectively tailoring the plan to unique contexts and ensuring that it can be effectively monitored and evaluated.
SENEGAL expressed support to the focus on housing, land and basic services and slum transformation and impact areas; recommended to assess specific regional and national contexts; highlighted the need for robust resource mobilization and collaboration with both public and private actors.
BRAZIL commended the alignment of the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 with the New Urban Agenda and SDGs; appreciated the focus on housing, land, and basic services and transformation of slums; highlighted the need for a more robust resource mobilization strategy and the establishment of clear responsibilities and measurable outcomes; asked about the rationale was for limiting the scope of one impact area to humanitarian crises and not broader on urban crisis.
COLOMBIA supported the focus on adequate housing, land and basic services given alignment with its national efforts; noted the importance of biodiversity and adaptation strategies in urban green spaces and encouraged UN-Habitat to expand impact on these areas; underlined the need to incorporate local and traditional knowledge into urban planning; expressed its satisfaction to see a dedicated chapter on resource mobilization in the plan’s zero draft and encouraged to tailor the plan to different regional contexts.
FRANCE supported the focus on adequate housing, land and basic services, a simple and clear priority aligned with UN-Habitat’s mandate and value added; mentioned that access to adequate housing should be considered a human right and common good; highlighted that for the three impact areas (prosperity, crisis, environment) UN-Habitat should focus on promoting infrastructure that improves quality of life, building back better, and reducing carbon emissions from building construction respectively; appreciated the five means of implementation.
NIGERIA recognized the work of UN-Habitat to achieve the SDGs in Africa; encouraged UN-Habitat to strive for more resource mobilization and establish more offices in the African region.
PORTUGAL recommended that the plan be realistic; expressed preference for a stronger focus on SDG localization and multilevel governance; expressed support for on-the-ground implementation but recommended to strengthen headquarters as a priority; indicated that non-legislative meetings could continue to be discussed as inputs to the plan but noted these were not mandatory; noted that outcomes remained vague and suggested to develop specific indicators; raised concerns about the possible proliferation of documents with different implementation plans; asked what would happen to the flagship programmes under the Strategic Plan 2026-2029 and whether there would be a transitional work programme presented at the United Nations Habitat Assembly.
JAPAN requested to add integrated urban transport and the issue of air pollution in the plan; encouraged UN-Habitat to use digital technology such as digital twins that can help provide models to tackle climate change and ensure urban crisis prevention.
ARGENTINA highlighted the importance of the private sector in sustainable urban development and the necessity to use market mechanisms to solve the housing crisis; supported the strategic focus on adequate housing aligned with UN-Habitat’s mandate; asked about the next steps for the development of the new plan.
EUROPEAN UNION commended UN-Habitat on the inclusive preparation of the Strategic Plan 2026-2029; supported the focus on adequate housing but highlighted the importance of the broader transformative potential of cities across impact areas; indicated that the impact areas on crisis should cover both natural disasters and conflicts; asked UN-Habitat to better define its unique value added under the three impact areas and to refine the outcomes under the means of implementation related to urban and territorial planning; requested a clearer definition of outputs and outcomes; noted that there could be overlap between the quadrennial action plans for each means of implementation and the annual work programmes; encouraged the development of a strong communication strategy on the strategic plan to raise the profile of UN-Habitat among Member States and mainstream urban and territorial reflections in the UN system.
GERMANY recognized progress in the preparation of the plan; supported the focus on housing, land and basic services aligning with the core mandate and specialized role of UN-Habitat; highlighted the importance of improving efficiency and delivering the normative and operational work; indicated that the Strategic Plan should help increase core contributions; noted the rapid revision of the plan which reflects a commitment to the dialogue with Member States; recommended to differentiate between outcomes and means of implementation; asked how UN-Habitat would be able to achieve the outcome related to predictable and increased funding as they depend on external factors and global dynamics, and when implementation plans for the means would be developed; recommended that UN-Habitat provide more details on the integration between normative and operational work and shorten the plan.
KENYA appreciated the promotion of housing as human right and commended the focus on responding to urban crises; noted the importance of addressing internal challenges as highlighted in the MOPAN report; advocated for an emphasis on partnerships and innovation to address urban challenges.
SWEDEN appreciated the consultative process for the development of the plan and supported the clear strategic focus in line with UN-Habitat’s value added and mandate; emphasized that the Organization’s work happens in the broader context of sustainable urbanization; welcomed the proposed focus on impact and outcomes rather than outputs and actions; encouraged a diversified donor base and stronger collaboration with multilateral development banks, international financial institutions and the private sector; noted the opposition to language on gender-based violence and highlighted the critical role of UN-Habitat in this area.
COSTA RICA welcomed the open and transparent process to develop the plan and the integration of feedback by Member States; welcomed the presentation on the monitoring framework; asked for further details on the resource mobilization strategy and the regional plans.
THE NETHERLANDS commended UN-Habitat for the Strategic Plan 2026-2029; recommended that UN-Habitat concisely explain why the Organization was positioned as a partner of preference in the realm of sustainable urbanization; highlighted the need to build on lessons learned; recommended an elaboration on transport and mobility, water, urban health, and urban regeneration; encouraged the formulation of more concrete outcomes for easy monitoring; recommended to specify, under the partnership section of the plan, the synergies with other UN entities.
MALAYSIA congratulated UN-Habitat for the consultative process; welcomed the efforts to ensure continuity between the current plan and the new one; welcomed the focus on housing; recommended the use of a smaller dataset as a baseline; encouraged UN-Habitat to consider the needs of middle-income countries; highlighted the need for financial plans and the shared responsibility with Member States to implement this plan.
BURKINA FASO took note of the results presented in the implementation of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan; recommended to develop plans at the regional and local levels.
MOROCCO underlined the need to assess the current plan to be able to develop a solid new plan; noted that the assessment in the African region shed light on insufficient resources that constrained operations; recommended to refine the outcome indicators and to strengthen coordination between headquarters and country offices.
Agenda item 7: Implementation of the normative and operational activities of UN-Habitat, including reporting on the programmatic activities of UN-Habitat in 2024 and the implementation of its subprogrammes, flagship programmes and technical cooperation activities, and UN-Habitat engagement in countries, territories and areas affected by conflicts and disasters
The Executive Director opened the agenda item by emphasizing the importance of integrating the delivery of UN-Habitat’s normative and operational activities.
To illustrate this integrated delivery, UN-Habitat presented the experiences of its Nepal and Jordan country programmes as examples of well-established programmes. This began with two short videos featuring testimonies from government representatives and stakeholders in Nepal and Jordan on their collaboration with UN-Habitat. The two presentations further elaborated on the impacts of specific projects in Nepal and Jordan that reflect the successful coordination and integration of normative and operational activities.
UN-Habitat also presented key updates on its work on urban crises prevention and response. The Organization highlighted key updates on this work, including its partnership with UNHCR to address the Sudanese refugee crisis, progress in establishing a UN-Habitat Urban Lab for recovery and reconstruction in Ukraine, and an assessment of damage and debris in Gaza.
These presentations were followed by prepared statements from Honourable Padma Kumar Mainalee, Joint Secretary of the Urban Development Division, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of Nepal, and H.E. Mr. Firas Khouri, Chair of the Committee of Permanent Representatives, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Kenya, and Permanent Representative to UN-Habitat and the United Nations in Nairobi, highlighting the concrete impacts of their successful collaboration with UN-Habitat on the ground in Jordan and Nepal.
Interventions by Member States
BRAZIL appreciated the illustrative examples of integrated normative and operational activities in Jordan and Nepal and asked if the example of the rainwater project in Nepal specifically responded to the challenges of women, girls and older persons, citing similar projects in Brazil.
PORTUGAL highlighted the importance of accompanying expanded regional and country presence with improvements in UN-Habitat’s capacity at its global headquarters, specifically by boosting capacity at the senior management level to avoid overstretch, and on legal, monitoring and evaluation functions; commended UN-Habitat on its work on SDG localization and encouraged more local governments to complete Voluntary Local Reviews.
LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES appreciated the presentation and highlighted its ongoing cooperation with UN-Habitat surrounding their Memorandum of Understanding on the localization of the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development 2030 and the New Urban Agenda; advocated for stronger support on monitoring, evaluation and capacity-building in the region; commended UN-Habitat on the integrated delivery of its normative and operational activities, including on reconstruction efforts in Gaza.
JAPAN expressed appreciation to UN-Habitat for its impactful and well-integrated normative and operational activities.
MOROCCO welcomed the presentation and report on the integration of normative and operational activities of UN-Habitat and recognized both the efforts and challenges in the production of UN-Habitat’s assessment report on Gaza.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA commended UN-Habitat on the integration of normative and operational activities as well as its community-driven approach to urban planning; supported the efforts by UN-Habitat to support infrastructure reconstruction in Ukraine, Gaza and any other areas affected by conflict.
GERMANY commended UN-Habitat on its impactful normative and operational work in Nepal and Jordan and asked how UN-Habitat planned to use these experiences to amplify its impact and promote sustainable urbanization.
COLOMBIA appreciated the work by UN-Habitat on reconstruction in Gaza and emphasized the value of an updated report from UN-Habitat on this work; appreciated the examples from Nepal and Jordan in demonstrating how UN-Habitat tailors its normative tools to diverse country contexts.
STATE OF PALESTINE appreciated the work and collaboration with UN-Habitat in Gaza and recognized both the tremendous efforts and challenges to the production of the assessment report; highlighted the anticipated value of the report in evaluating the degree of destruction of urban basic infrastructure in Gaza.
KENYA appreciated the presentation and reaffirmed its support for UN-Habitat’s initiatives and programmes, specifically on urban resilience; sought clarification on the connections among different urban climate resilience initiatives at UN-Habitat.
MALAWI thanked UN-Habitat for the presentation and emphasized the immense value of the Organization’s technical and capacity-building support to Malawi and other countries with high climate vulnerabilities on urban climate resilience.
CHINA expressed appreciation for UN-Habitat’s highlights of its work in Nepal and Jordan; requested that future Executive Board sessions include references to Urban October events, including World Habitat Day and World Cities Day.
EGYPT welcomed the report and presentation on UN-Habitat’s work in Nepal and Jordan; echoed other Member States on the critical importance of work on reconstruction in Gaza.
BURKINA FASO appreciated both the normative and operational work of UN-Habitat, including on displaced persons and urban resilience in Burkina Faso.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION expressed gratitude to UN-Habitat for its normative and operational work, including on the reconstruction of human settlements affected by conflicts and disasters, and raised questions about data sources and data collection for the recently shared report on the reconstruction needs in Ukraine.
UKRAINE welcomed the presentation and report from UN-Habitat on normative and operational integration and appreciated its ongoing collaboration with the Organization around the creation of an urban lab focused on planning reconstruction.
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN appreciated the work of UN-Habitat in Gaza and echoed the sentiments of Egypt and the State of Palestine on the importance of reconstruction and assessment work in this context.
ISRAEL expressed its views on the current context in Gaza and a commitment to collaboration on urban innovation and human development.
NIGERIA appreciated the normative and operational work of UN-Habitat, including urban profiling and reconstruction in contexts of conflict and sustainable urbanization and development across the urban-rural continuum.
IRAQ, ALGERIA echoed earlier statements by the State of Palestine, Egypt and Iran on the present context in Gaza.
USA expressed its views on the current context in Gaza.
The Chair closed the agenda item, and the report was adopted without further comment or reservation.
Agenda item 8: Outcomes of the twelfth session of the World Urban Forum and of the Africa Urban Forum
The Executive Director referred to United Nations General Assembly resolution 2018 (A/RES/72/226), reaffirming the World Urban Forum (WUF) as a key advocacy platform for stakeholders in the realm of human settlements and sustainable urbanization. She highlighted that the success of WUF12 underscored its role as the most significant global forum on sustainable urban development, providing an invaluable platform to convene stakeholders and generate insights. The Executive Director expressed appreciation to Member States for their engagement, which she stated was crucial in advancing discussions on critical urban policy issues. Looking ahead to WUF13, UN-Habitat stated that it would continue pursuing stakeholder engagement, shape global narratives, and elevate the urban agenda. The Executive Director also thanked the Government of Egypt for successfully hosting WUF12.
UN-Habitat presented key highlights from WUF12, including record-breaking attendance, regional participation, gender parity, sustainability and accessibility efforts, significant media coverage, and high participant satisfaction. UN-Habitat introduced the 10 areas of action outlined in the Cairo Call to Action, which the Organization stated would be complemented by the WUF12 Report and WUF12 Perspectives. Key insights from the Forum included the importance of local action, the need of showcasing good practices, the urgency of finance, and UN-Habitat’s role as a leading global urban coalition. UN-Habitat indicated that the insights from WUF12 would be incorporated into the Strategic Plan 2026-2029. UN-Habitat concluded by highlighting the handover ceremony to Baku, Azerbaijan, the host of WUF13, and UN-Habitat’s roadmap to disseminate the WUF12 outcomes in the lead-up to WUF 13.
UN-Habitat further provided an overview of the first Africa Urban Forum (AUF), held in Addis Ababa from 4 to 6 September 2024, which convened with over 30 ministers and deputy ministers, along with key stakeholders, and underscored the role of sustainable urbanization in Africa’s transformation and economic development. UN-Habitat outlined the five key thematic areas considered at AUF and indicated that a special technical committee meeting of the African Union would be held in Tunisia on from 18 to 21 December 2024 to validate the outcomes of AUF and discuss the action plan moving forward.
Interventions by Member States
EGYPT commended the Executive Director’s report, highlighting WUF12 as the most impactful forum to date, with strong participation from developing countries; stressed the importance of addressing the financial gap to implement the SDGs and called for expanding partnerships to realize SDG 11; urged early finalization of the WUF12 Report; welcomed Azerbaijan’s hosting of WUF13; sought clarification on the process for selecting the host of WUF14.
KENYA thanked the Executive Director for the detailed report on the outcomes of WUF12 and AUF; expressed gratitude to the Government of Egypt for successfully hosting WUF12 in collaboration with UN-Habitat; appreciated UN-Habitat for facilitating the Heads of Delegation Meeting on Adequate Housing for All, which Kenya co-hosted with France; called on Member States to honour the commitments made in the Cairo Call to Action and the Addis Ababa Declaration, and urged UN-Habitat to track progress on these commitments; reaffirmed its dedication to promoting sustainable urbanization through its commitment to the Addis Ababa Declaration and the Cairo Call to Action.
AZERBAIJAN congratulated Egypt and UN-Habitat for the delivery of WUF12 and expressed eagerness to continue partnering with UN-Habitat for WUF13; emphasized the importance of building on WUF12’s momentum and noted the relevance of COP29 for urban development and climate change; reiterated its commitment to transforming urban development into a solution-driven process and fostering partnerships with other global platforms.
COLOMBIA thanked UN-Habitat and Egypt for the delivery of WUF12, emphasizing local action as crucial for achieving the SDGs; supported the Cairo Call to Action and highlighted the importance of addressing the housing crisis, justice in cities, and financing for local governments; reiterated its commitment to innovative solutions, particularly for vulnerable communities.
NIGERIA appreciated the summary of WUF12 and AUF and raised a concern about the lack of focus on youth in the report, requesting clarification from UN-Habitat.
MOROCCO thanked UN-Habitat and suggested that elements from the Cairo Call to Action be integrated into future strategic plans; proposed a meeting to discuss the recommendations from the Cairo Call to Action and requested further details on WUF12 outcome dissemination activities.
MALAWI commended UN-Habitat and Egypt for the delivery of WUF12, supporting the Cairo Call to Action and emphasizing local action for sustainable cities; stressed the urgency of addressing the housing crisis and empowering local actors, with a commitment to inclusive urban planning and partnerships.
USA congratulated UN-Habitat and Egypt for the delivery of WUF12, recognizing the event as a valuable platform for sharing best practices; encouraged UN-Habitat to maintain its focus on sustainable urbanization and expressed appreciation for the robust engagement at WUF12.
ETHIOPIA extended its gratitude towards UN-Habitat for the report and a successful Africa Urban Forum (AUF); stressed the role of AUF in addressing the multifaceted urban challenges unique to Africa and proposing innovative approaches and solutions; called for logistical and technical support for AUF and for commitments to the Addis Ababa Declaration on Sustainable Urbanization in Africa.
CAMEROON congratulated the Governments of Egypt and Ethiopia for successfully organizing WUF12 and AUF, respectively; shared that Cameroon was already benefiting from the outcomes of AUF, having adopted them through the organization of its National Urban Forum since 2019, following the WUF format; inquired how UN-Habitat planned to transform the outcomes from AUF into actionable recommendations that can be submitted to the African Union’s Head of State summits and emphasized the need for these outcomes to be implemented by African leaders; requested guidance on how these outcomes can be presented as a formal document for the African Union.
GERMANY congratulated UN-Habitat and Egypt for an impressive, successful and inclusive WUF12 and underscored the importance and relevance of localization, housing, and informal settlements; commended UN-Habitat for establishing WUF as the leading platform for urban policymakers, practitioners and other stakeholders to exchange innovative approaches and best practices; advised UN-Habitat to reflect on the scale of WUF12, emphasizing that numbers and scale do not necessarily translate to success, underscoring the importance of in-depth dialogues and increased partnerships, ensuring the Forum leads to tangible outcomes; proposed incorporating the High-level Meeting on the Mid-term Review of the New Urban Agenda into WUF13 and requested for a more detailed work plan of the high-level meeting to be submitted to the Executive Board; further stated that funding for this mid-term review event should come from the United Nations Secretary-General’s budget instead of UN-Habitat’s resources.
FRANCE thanked Egypt and UN-Habitat for organizing a successful WUF12 and highlighted the presence of 135 delegates in the French delegation, including ministers, parliamentarians, and representatives from businesses and civil society; emphasized the need to continue efforts through the implementation of the Cairo Call to Action and agreed on the importance of addressing the global housing crisis, noting that sustainable development cannot be achieved without adequate housing for all; indicated that France, in partnership with Kenya, organized an event on housing during WUF12 and called for continuous exchange and promotion of affordable housing in line with the Strategic Plan 2026-2029.
The Chair closed the agenda item and the report was adopted without further comment or reservation.
Interventions by stakeholder groups
Huairou Commission, represented by Ann Wanjiru Mbuthia, congratulated UN-Habitat for organizing WUF12 and emphasized the importance of including grassroots women and communities in urban resilience efforts. The Commission urged for empowerment-focused flagship programming and stressed the need for a bold implementation plan that includes grassroots groups in all stages of joint activities. The Commission reiterated its readiness to partner with UN-Habitat to support housing, land, and basic services initiatives.
Representing the private sector in Bangladesh, Geomark Limited highlighted Bangladesh’s challenges related to climate change and urbanization, including the impact of displaced Myanmar nationals. Geomark Limited emphasized their role in contributing to climate resilience, urban mobility, and community engagement. Geomark Limited called for the inclusion of Bangladesh in global discussions on disaster vulnerability and stressed the importance of recognizing grassroots innovation and resilience in addressing urban challenges.
Agenda item 9: Briefing by the Executive Director on the implementation of all resolutions adopted by the United Nations Habitat Assembly
UN-Habitat provided updates on the implementation of resolutions adopted at the first and second sessions of the United Nations Habitat Assembly. A first general overview was provided for all resolutions, followed by three detailed presentations on resolutions 2/1 (“International guidelines on people-centred smart cities”), 2/4 (“Biodiverse and resilient cities: mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services into urban and territorial planning”) and 2/7 (“Adequate housing for all”).
The general overview highlighted that progress was made across all resolutions, depending on requirements and funding availability for each. On 2/10 (“Equitable financing and effective monitoring of the implementation of resolutions adopted by the United Nations Habitat Assembly”), a new resolution implementation tracking system was introduced to Member States.
Under resolution 2/1, UN-Habitat indicated that extensive consultations had already taken place, and that an additional Expert Group Meeting was scheduled for January 2025, after which the Guidelines would be submitted to Member States for feedback. UN-Habitat further indicated that the World Smart Cities Outlook was launched at WUF 12.
UN-Habitat indicated that under resolution 2/4, the project “BiodiverCities” was being implemented in three pilot cities, with the potential to adopt an interregional approach. UN-Habitat further indicated that advocacy and awareness-raising were being promoted through webinars and corporate brochures that have been presented at COP16 on biodiversity; that the “Hotpot Spotlight Tool” to predict urban expansion and its potential threats for biodiversity had now been developed, tested in four metropolitan regions, and could be scaled up, depending on funding availability. UN-Habitat indicated that overall, implementation of this resolution had been hindered by limited funding.
UN-Habitat further indicated that under resolution 2/7, the first meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All was scheduled to take place in Nairobi from 9 to 11 December 2024. UN-Habitat informed the Executive Board that background documents had been published online, though some could not be translated into all of the United Nations official languages due to budget constraints. UN-Habitat indicated that funding from Member States only covered 20 to 25 per cent of total expenses, with UN-Habitat responsible for bearing the remainder of the costs using its own resources, an arrangement that might not be sustainable in the long term.
Interventions by Member States
MOROCCO, ARGENTINA, COLOMBIA, KENYA, FRANCE, COSTA RICA on behalf of the G77 + China, thanked UN-Habitat for the implementation of resolutions and the presentation on implementation updates.
BRAZIL, MOROCCO, USA, ARGENTINA, COLOMBIA, GERMANY noted the importance of this agenda item, requesting for adequate amount of time to be dedicated to it in the future. ARGENTINA suggested to explore different discussion formats, such as reviewing only two or three resolutions during each Executive Board session or delegating extensive revision to the ad-hoc working group on programmatic, budgetary and administrative matters; expressed its availability to work on a specific proposal for the next session of the Executive Board.
BRAZIL, on behalf of GRULAC, as well as MOROCCO and FRANCE expressed concerns about the deadline provided to respond to the proposed composition of the Bureau of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All. BRAZIL suggested the postponement of the call for nomination of the Bureau to the Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All, to simplify the structure of the working group, and to establish a system of annual rotation for the Bureau. KENYA expressed support to the organization of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All. FRANCE proposed to simplify the governance of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group and maximize the productivity of the meeting.
MOROCCO and GERMANY highlighted that limited funding undermined the achievement of resolutions and stressed the importance of incorporating programme budget implications for resolutions adoption. MOROCCO recalled the Africa Group’s efforts to establish a funding mechanism through resolution 2/10 to address funding constraints and asked for details on the operationalization of the “Urban Action Funding Window”, including details on transferring remaining balances and their allocation; reiterated the need for a resolution implementation tracking system and asked for details on the presented tracker, before the resumed second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly. GERMANY asked about the frequency planned for updates on the resolution implementation tracker (resolution 2/10).
KENYA, MALAWI, COLOMBIA and USA commended the inclusive consultation approach for the development of international guidelines on People-centred Smart Cities (resolution 2/1). FRANCE emphasized the importance of adopting the Guidelines at the next session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly, leveraging momentum from the Global Digital Compact adoption. MALAWI commended efforts to leverage digital technologies for sustainable and inclusive urban development; emphasized the importance of aligning the guidelines with the needs of the Global South; encouraged stronger links between the People-centred Smart Cities Guidelines and the Global Digital Compact; further encouraged regional consultations focused on African cities, and practical recommendations for resource-limited countries, for the development of globally representative guidelines. KENYA encouraged further inclusion of academia as a key player in promoting digital innovations.
COLOMBIA, USA and GERMANY commended progress on resolution 2/4 in mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystem services into urban planning. GERMANY requested further elaboration on the scope and intensity of the collaboration between UN-Habitat and UNEP for the implementation of resolution 2/4. USA encouraged UN-Habitat to adapt its work on biodiversity and resilience to local contexts and to coordinate with UNEP’s Cities Team to maximize resources from Member States. COSTA RICA appreciated the efforts to integrate biodiversity and nature-based solutions and highlighted the collaborative work on the development of the “Hotspot Spotlight”; thanked Sweden, the Development Bank of the Caribbean, and other entities for their technical support.
COLOMBIA and FRANCE, on resolution 2/7, noted that work on housing was of crucial importance and expressed their willingness to support the achievement of the goals outlined in this resolution. USA commended the preparations for the meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on Adequate Housing for All; encouraged UN-Habitat to adapt adequate housing policies to local contexts.
COLOMBIA acknowledged progress made on resolution 2/8 related to urban resilience and emphasized the need to address funding challenges through creative solutions and capacity building.
The chair closed the agenda item and the report was adopted without further comment or reservation.