undp_full.jpg United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN HABITAT)


 

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. Habitat was established in 1978 and was later given full UN programme status in 2002 under its present name, UN-HABITAT. Its headquarter is located in Nairobi, Kenya, and its current Executive Director is Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka. UN-HABITAT’s main document, the Habitat Agenda, was adopted 1996 in Istanbul, Turkey, by 171 countries and contains over 100 commitments and 600 recommendations.

The United Nations Millennium Declaration recognises the dire circumstances of the world’s urban poor. 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. UN-HABITAT’s programmes are designed to help policy-makers and local communities get to grips with human settlements and urban issues in order to find workable, lasting solutions.

UN-HABITAT’s Urban poverty reduction strategies derive from an understanding of current conditions and trends (e.g., urbanization, globalization, the growth of slums and the gross inequities in urban life) and from the norms and principles that guide the United Nations response to these conditions. A key function of UN-HABITAT in fulfilling its mandate is the monitoring of global trends and conditions and the assessment of progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda at the international, regional, national and local levels. Every two years, UN-HABITAT's work and relationships with its partners are examined in detail by a Governing Council composed of 58 member states. It is a high-level forum of governments at the ministerial level during which policy guidelines and the organisation's budget are established for the next two-year period. UN-HABITAT work is currently outlined in the UN-HABITAT 2008-2009 biennial work plan and the Medium Term Strategic Institutional Plan (MTSIP) that were adopted in 2007 by the 21st Governing Council of UN-HABITAT.

Main documents outlining the mandate of the organization:


UN-HABITAT Liaison Office to the European Union and Belgium

The UN-HABITAT Liaison Office to the European Union and Belgium was established in Brussels in 2001. It aims to provide an added value to the overall work of UN-HABITAT in its relations with European Union (EU) entities and bodies, the network of Member State Permanent Representations, the Government of Belgium, the Northern European bilateral donors, the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Institutions, civil society organisations and think tanks that have established themselves around the EU. It also aims to support UN-HABITAT’s activities.

The Brussels Office’s main objectives are:

  • Undertaking, maintaining and addressing policy dialogue with European Partners.
  • Contributing to UN-HABITAT advocacy and communication campaigns.
  • Mobilizing funds and programme support.
  • Coordinating UN-HABITAT’s common action with other UN-HABITAT Offices in Europe and UN Agencies based in Brussels.


Contact:

Headquarters
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, GPO,
Nairobi, 00100, Kenya
Tel: (254-20) 7621234 (Operator) / 7 623120 (Information Services Section)
Tel: (254-20) 762 3151/3153 (Media and Press Relations)
Fax: (254-20) 7624266/7624267/
7624264/7623477/624060
E-mail: infohabitat@unhabitat.org
Website: www.unhabitat.org

Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium
Rue Montoyer 14, 2nd Floor
B-1000 Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32-2-503-3572
Fax: +32-2-503-4624
E-mail: info@unhabitat.be

Regional offices
UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Africa and the Arab States
UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean

Liaison offices
UN-HABITAT New York Office
UN-HABITAT Geneva Office
UN-HABITAT Warsaw Office

Information offices
UN-HABITAT Information Office Hungary
UN-HABITAT Information Office India
UN-HABITAT Information Office China
UN-HABITAT Information Office Moscow
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