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
|
 |