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Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meetings

25-29 April 2016 | UN Headquarters, New York

Summary Highlights of the Meeting

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Daily Web Coverage — About | 25 Apr | 26 Apr | 27 Apr | 28 Apr | 29 Apr | Summary

Members of the General Assembly of Partners (GAP), a consortium of Habitat III stakeholders

On Friday, 29 April, the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meetings entered its final day at UN Headquarters in New York. The day was organized around the issue of “Enhancing the Means of Implementation: follow-up and review.”

In the morning, two panels took place under the theme “Enhancing financing and means of implementation,” namely: “Municipal finance and local fiscal systems” and “Financing urban development.” On the first panel, panelists explored the outcomes of Policy Unit 5, including around: devolution of authority to collect local-level taxes; flexibility to adopt the right mix of revenue streams; and expansion of local revenue sources. On the second, the panel discussed the outcomes of the March 2016 thematic meeting in Mexico City, Mexico, on financing urban development. Debates focused on the need to foster fiscal decentralization, enhance public-private partnerships and effectively combat land speculation.

In the afternoon, the meeting discussed follow-up and review of the New Urban Agenda and considered outcomes of the session. In the closing session, Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference, stressed the importance of urbanization for sustainable development, noting that the understanding of development has changed, as well as that of the role of urbanization in promoting prosperity.

Co-Chair Gautier thanked the lively engagement of all stakeholders and summarized key messages from the week, including that: the resource management system is necessary; urban development must take into account the protection and maintenance of cultural heritage to ensure inclusive cities; informal sectors must be taken into account during spatial planning; and that finance must be further mobilized.

The meeting was gaveled to a close at 5:03 pm.

Visit the full ENB web coverage for Friday, 29 April 2016

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.
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Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meetings

 

L-R: Raquel Cecilia Kismer de Olmos, National University of Tres de Febrero, Argentina; Jane Anyango, Executive Director, Polycom
Development Project, Kenya; Co-Moderator Samuel Moody, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; Co-Moderator Lourdes Germán, Lincoln
Institute of Land Policy; Radhika Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III; Tadashi Matsumoto, Organisation of Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD); Slaven Razmilic, Centro de Estudios Públicos, Chile; and Peter Tyler, University of Cambridge, UK


Co-Moderator Samuel Moody, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Co-Moderator Lourdes Germán, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Presentation on municipal finance and local fiscal systems

L-R: Hilmar von Lojewski, Association of German Cities; Agnes Kalibbala, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban
Development, Uganda; Luis Zamorano Ruiz, Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Vivienda, Mexico City, Mexico;
Moderator David Jackson, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); Radhika Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III;
and Oleg Golubchikov, Cardiff University, UK


Luis Zamorano Ruiz, Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Vivienda, Mexico City, Mexico

Agnes Kalibbala, Ministry of Lands, Housing
and Urban Development, Uganda

L-R: Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France; Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III; and David Jackson, UNCDF

Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference, addressing the plenary

Co-Chair Purnomo Chandra, Indonesia, gavelled the meeting to a close at 5:03 pm


Habitat III group photo of technical and thematic experts

On Thursday, 28 April, the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meeting continued at UN Headquarters in New York. The day focused on “Effective Implementation,” organized around two themes “establishing a supportive national, regional and local framework” and “strategic and integrated planning and management of urban spatial development.”

In the morning, under the theme on establishing a supportive national, regional and local framework, two panels addressed national urban policies, and urban governance, capacity and institutional development. On national urban policies, panelists discussed the outcomes of Policy Unit 3, particularly the role of: technical and political processes at that national level; citizen participation; empowerment of local authorities; and governance standards. On urban governance, capacity and institutional development, the panel focused on the recommendations of Policy Unit 4, discussing the role of governance, including: decentralization; participatory processes; digital technology; and linkages between the urban and sustainability agendas.

In the afternoon, under the theme strategic and integrated planning and management of urban spatial development, two panels addressed urban spatial strategies – land market and segregation, and metropolitan areas and intermediate cities. On urban spatial strategies – land market and segregation, discussions focused on the results of Policy Unit 6, touching on: the importance of spatial planning; approaches to prevent segregation; inclusive planning; provision of public spaces; and territorial approaches. On metropolitan areas and intermediate cities, the panel emphasized the outcomes of the thematic meetings in October 2015 in Montreal, Canada, on metropolitan areas, and in November 2015 in Cuenca, Ecuador, on intermediate cities. Discussions addressed: the role of metropolitan areas in sustainable urban development; the need for integrated policy approaches; and fit-for-purpose and participatory planning processes.

The day concluded with a short wrap-up session that examined the outcomes of the sessions on effective implementation.

Visit the full ENB web coverage for Thursday, 28 April 2016

L-R: Olenka Ochoa, Federation of Municipal Women of Latin American and the Caribbean (FEMUM-ALC), Peru; Jago Dodson, Royal
Melbourne Institute of Technology University, Australia; Eugénie Birch, University of Pennsylvania, US; Rüdiger Ahrend, Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); Moderator Rafael Tuts, UN-Habitat; Radhika Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III;
Thomas Coggin, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; Ishtiaque Zahir, Architect, Union of International Architects, Bangladesh;
and Taibat Lawanson, University of Lagos, Nigeria



Eugénie Birch, University of Pennsylvania, US

Taibat Lawanson, University of Lagos, Nigeria



Thomas Coggin, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Olenka Ochoa, FEMUM-ALC

L-R: Zione Ntaba, Judge, High Court, Malawi; Martin Grisel, Director, European Urban Knowledge Network; Fatimetou Mint Abdel
Malick, President, Network of Local Elected Women of Africa; Philipp Rode, London School of Economics and Political Science;
Moderator Emilia Saiz, Deputy Secretary General, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG); Rod Regier, City of Kitchener,
Canada; Anacláudia Rossbach, Cities Alliance; and Wicaksono Sarosa, Executive Director, Kemitraan-Habitat, Indonesia

L-R: Susan Parnell, Centre for Cities, South Africa; Myounggu Kang, University of Seoul, Republic of Korea; Thomas Dallessio,
President, Next City, US; Alice Siragusa, National Institute of Urbanism, Italy; Moderator Shi Nan, Urban Planning Society, China;
Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary to Habitat III; Han Verschure, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; Karel Maier, Vice Dean,
Czech University of Life Sciences, Czech Republic; and Relinda Melania Sosa Pérez, Huairou Commission

Co-Moderators Pietro Garau, National Institute of Urbanism, Italy, and Shi Nan, Urban Planning Society of China

On Wednesday, 27 April, the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meeting continued at UN Headquarters in New York. The day was organized around “Transformative Commitments for a Sustainable Urban Development” on the two themes “sustainable and inclusive urban growth, prosperity and opportunities for all” and “ecological and resilient cities and human settlements.”

Under the theme of sustainable and inclusive urban growth, prosperity and opportunities for all, two panels on urban economic development strategies, and urban services and technology took place in the morning. On urban economic development strategies, the panel addressed policy options and recommendations emerging from the work of Policy Unit 7, in particular: structures to support economic development; impacts on equality and poverty; the role of industry; and livelihood generation. On urban services and technology, discussions touched on the outcomes of the work of Policy Unit 9, and addressed: sustainable consumption and production; decriminalization of the informal sector; local government capacity; and accessibility of information and services.

Under the theme of ecological and resilient cities and human settlements, panels on urban ecology and resilience, and sustainable energy took place in the afternoon. On urban ecology and resilience, panelists highlighted the importance of institutional frameworks, finance and data. Discussions addressed, inter alia, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), human-centered approaches, and the role of the New Urban Agenda in driving the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On sustainable energy, the panel addressed the economic case for renewable energy as a driving force in generating social change, renewables as part of the sustainability agenda, and the critical role of sustainable energy in cities.

The day closed with a wrap-up session, which concluded the two-day focus on “Transformative Commitments for a Sustainable Urban Development.”

Visit the full ENB web coverage for Wednesday, 27 April 2016

Presentation on Urban Economic Development Strategies

L-R: Se Hoon Park, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, Republic of Korea; Michael Cohen, New School, US; Miguel
Luiz Bucalem, University of São Paulo; Moderator Le-Yin Zhang, University College London; Radhika Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III;
Margaret Lombe, Boston College School of Social Work, US; Bernhard Müller, Executive Director, Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban
and Regional Development, Germany; and Shipra Suri, Vice President, International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP)


Bernhard Müller, Executive Director, Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Germany

Shipra Suri, Vice President, International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP)

Alvin Leong, Pace University, US, on behalf of Scientific and Technological Community


Martha Mutizhe Kangwa, Zambia

Kemal Taruc, Indonesia

Alison Brown, Cardiff University, UK, on behalf of Grassroots Group


Carlos Dora, World Health Organization (WHO)

Berthe Bourque, Canada

L-R: Caroline Kihato, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa; Ton Dassen, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, the
Netherlands; Bernard Abeiku Arthur, Cities Alliance, Ghana; Moderator Jérôme Pourbaix, International Association for Public Transport;
Radhika Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III; Maroš Finka, Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia;
and Toshiyasu Noda, Seinan Gakuin University, Japan


Caroline Kihato, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Maroš Finka, Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia

L-R: Marta Aguilar, Ministry of Federal Planning, Argentina; Sylvanus Kofi Adzornu, Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development and Environment, Ghana; Sundaa Bridgett-Jones, Rockefeller Foundation; Sharon Gil,
UN Environment Programme (UNEP); Moderator Martina Otto, UNEP; Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III;
David Dodman, International Institute for Environment and Development, UK; Alessandra Fidanza,
Registered Architect and Urban Planner, Italy; and Maryam Hariri, Ogilvy Earth and New York University


Sundaa Bridgett-Jones, Rockefeller Foundation

David Dodman, International Institute for Environment
and Development, UK

Riccarda Caprez, Switzerland


Yunus Arikan, ICLEI

Maurice van Beers, the Netherlands

On Tuesday, 26 April 2016, the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meeting continued at UN Headquarters in New York. The day was organized around “Transformative Commitments for a Sustainable Urban Development” on the theme “Leave No One Behind, Urban Equity and Poverty Eradication.”

In the morning, the meeting focused on recommendations from Policy Unit 1 on the right to the city and cities for all, and Policy Unit 2 on socio-cultural urban frameworks. On the right to the city and cities for all, discussions touched on the need for a paradigm shift and the concept of “right to the city,” in particular drawing out how to make cities more inclusive. On socio-cultural urban frameworks, panelists addressed the importance of socio-cultural heritage and its protection to sustainable development, as well as urban safety and security, and social inclusiveness.

In the afternoon, the meeting focused on recommendations from Policy Unit 10 on housing policies. Panelists discussed the economic impact of the housing sector and the role of housing in the New Urban Agenda. Key issues included: land tenure; inclusiveness; recognition of slums and informal settlements; and provision of affordable housing.

A thematic panel then addressed: public spaces, from the Thematic Meeting in April 2016, in Barcelona, Spain; informal settlements, from the Thematic Meeting in April 2016, in Pretoria, South Africa; and civic engagement in April 2016, in Tel Aviv, Israel. The panel focused on the declarations from these three thematic meetings, in particular concentrating on the resulting recommendations. They also addressed questions on how to: balance the need for stand-alone policies with the need to integrate these topics into other policy areas; define and monitor effectiveness in ways that is both achievable and meaningful; and define the most important implementation principles and approaches that can build consensus at Habitat III.

Visit the full ENB web coverage for Tuesday, 26 April 2016


L-R: Martin Bryant, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand; Ilaria Boniburini, University of Rwanda; José Carrera,
Vice-President, Development Bank of Latin America; Moderator Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director, Actionaid India; Radhika
Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III; Nelson Saule Jr., Instituto Pólis, Brazil; Dina Shehayeb, Housing and Building National Research Center,
Egypt; and Sally Roever, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, US


José Carrera, Vice-President, Development Bank of Latin America

Moderator Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director, Actionaid India

Presentation on action oriented recommendations on the "Right to the City"

L-R: Jyoti Hosagrahar, UNESCO Chair for Culture, and Columbia University; Magdalena García Hernández, Iberoamerican Network
for Budget Equality Between Man and Women, Mexico; Gülden Erkut, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey; Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture; Radhika Ochalik, Secretary to Habitat III; Philippe Madec, Architect, Town Planner and Professor; Marling Haydee Rodriguez, Huairou Commission; and Arun Jain, Urban Designer, Urban Strategist and Professor


Arun Jain, Urban Designer, Urban Strategist and Professor

Jyoti Hosagrahar, UNESCO Chair for Culture, Director, Sustainable Urbanism International GSAPP

Anna Lucy Bergochea, Gorifuna Emergency Committee, Honduras

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 Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference, 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.

Visit the full ENB web coverage for Monday, 25 April 2016

L-R: Kumaresh Misra, UN HABITAT; Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference; Deputy
Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador; Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France; Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III


Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference

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)

L-R: Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France, consulting with Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III


Lana Winayanti, Senior Expert to the Minister, Ministry of Public Works and Housing, Indonesia

Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico


Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico, delivering his closing remarks

L-R: Deputy Permanent Representative Helena Yáñez, Ecuador;
Joan Clos, Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference; and
Eruviel Ávila Villegas, Governor, State of Mexico, Mexico


Daily Web Coverage — About | 25 Apr | 26 Apr | 27 Apr | 28 Apr | 29 Apr | Summary
Specific funding for coverage of the Habitat III Open-Ended Informal Consultative Meetings,
has been provided by the Habitat III Secretariat
Habitat III Secretariat