Summary
On Monday, 25 April 2016, the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meeting commenced at UN Headquarters in New York. The opening session included remarks by the Habitat III Secretary-General Joan Clos, who stressed the importance of multi-stakeholder input into the zero draft of Habitat III.
This was followed by a synopsis of the key recommendations and information on the development of the zero draft and a general exchange of views. Panelists outlined expert input from the thematic and regional processes, stressing that these need to be translated into an actionable New Urban Agenda. During discussions, parties and observer organizations addressed: the relationship between the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR); and the role of governance in addressing challenges, such as responding to climate change and achieving sustainable urban environments.
In the afternoon, the meeting considered regional presentations on recommendations, expectations and potentials from the Habitat III regional meetings. Reports were heard from the regional preparatory meetings, including: Asia-Pacific, in October 2015, in Jakarta, Indonesia; Africa, in February 2016, in Abuja, Nigeria; Europe, in March 2016, in Prague, Czech Republic; and Latin America and the Caribbean, in April 2016, in Toluca, Mexico. Discussions addressed, inter alia: the roles of local authorities in urban sustainability; the need for a strong follow-up and review mechanism for the New Urban Agenda; that all regions emphasized the need for an action-oriented agenda; the need for integrated, participatory and people-oriented approaches; and including issues of the informal sector and the challenges posed by mass migration. During the day, many welcomed the open and participatory nature of the regional processes.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, is providing web coverage from the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meetings. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, has published a summary report from the meetings, which is availabe in HTML and PDF format.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon
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Opening Plenary
L-R: Kumaresh Misra, UN HABITAT; Joan Clos,
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN HABITAT; Deputy
Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador; Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France; Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III
Joan Clos,
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director,
UN HABITAT
Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France
Deputy Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador
View of the plenary
Abdel Walendom, Secretary General, Ministry of Land Management, Urbanism and Habitat, Chad
Francesco Bandarin, Assistant Director-General for Culture, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Nelson Junior Sale, Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Brazil
Rüdiger Ahrend, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Le-Yin Zhang, University College London, UK
Thanavon Pamaranon, Thailand, on behalf of G-77/China
Mandiaye Ndiaye, Senegal
Lucianara Andrade Fonseca, Brazil
Chandana Das, Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action, on behalf of Children and Youth
Masaaki Nakagawa, Japan
Nancy Stetson, US
Marit Viktoria Pettersen, Norway
Tobias Ogweno, Kenya
Danielle Larrabee, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
L-R: Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France, consulting with Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III
Karla Šlechtová, Minister of Regional Development, Czech Republic
Anthony Bosah, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN
Lana Winayanti, Senior Expert to the Minister, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Indonesia
Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico
Shipra Narang Suri, ISOCARP, on behalf of the General Assembly of Partners (GAP)
Relinda Melania Sosa Pérez, Huairou Commission, on behalf of Women and Gender
Martha Mutizhe Kangwa, Zambia
Hirotaka Koike, UN Major Group for Children and Youth
Isabel Cavelier Adarve, Colombia
Li Zhe, China
Abdullah Abu Shawesh, State of Palestine
Isabelle Delattre, EU
William Jiyana, South Africa
Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico, delivering his closing remarks
L-R: Deputy
Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador; Joan Clos,
Under-Secretary-General
and Executive Director,
UN HABITAT; and Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor,
State of Mexico, Mexico