The main objective of the Policy Analysis Branch is to raise awareness of global human settlements conditions and trends. The main activities undertaken by the Branch to achieve this goal are the preparation of UN-HABITAT's flagship report, the Global Report on Human Settlements, and a range of activities seeking to advance global dialogue on human settlements issues.

The international Advisory Board of the Global Report provides external advice on the substantive content of the Global Report on Human Settlements and for the Branch's activities as it relates to the global dialogue on human settlements issues.

The preparation of the Global Report on Human Settlements is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly through its resolutions 34/114 and 55/194, and the report is currently being published on a biennial basis. So far, seven issues of this report (1986, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009) have been published.

The branch also determines the key findings and messages of the Global report through a dedicated Mailing list