UN-HABITAT.:. HABITAT III

1976
Habitat I
Vancouver, Canada

The United Nations General Assembly convened the Habitat I conference in Vancouver in 1976, as governments began to recognise the need for sustainable human settlements and the consequences of rapid urbanisation, especially in the developing world. Read More......
1996
Habitat II
Istanbul, Turkey

The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in Istanbul, focused on sustainable cities and adequate shelter for all and adopted the influential Habitat Agenda. It also built on the successes of LA21 and UN recognition was given to local Read More...
2001
istanbul+5
New York, USA

The largest gathering of world leaders in history, this New York meeting debated the role of the UN in the new century and adopted the Millennium Declaration, which heavily informed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the GA immediately thereafter.
2016
Habitat III

World leaders will again meet to review the global urban agenda as well as the mandate, structure and further strengthening of UN-Habitat as it enters its fifth decade.

Move
Close

The United Nations General Assembly convened the Habitat I conference in Vancouver in 1976, as governments began to recognise the need for sustainable human settlements and the consequences of rapid urbanisation, especially in the developing world. At that time, urbanisation and its impacts were barely considered by the international community, but the world was starting to witness the greatest and fastest migration of people into cities and towns in history as well as rising urban population through natural growth resulting from advances in medicine.

Move
Close

The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in Istanbul, focused on sustainable cities and adequate shelter for all and adopted the influential Habitat Agenda. It also built on the successes of LA21 and UN recognition was given to local authorities and NGOs.

Move
Close

Twenty years after the 'Earth Summit', The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) again took place in Rio de Janeiro to review progress and renew commitments towards sustainable development. Its outcome text The Future We Want gave the urban agenda strengthened impetus, called for adequate and predictable funding for the Habitat Agenda, and mandated UN-Habitat to lead the UN system in the pursuit of this Agenda. It also endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the 10-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) and a High-Level Forum to replace the Commission on Sustainable Development.

Move
Close

The UN Secretary-General will present his post-2015 vision for sustainable development at the 68th General Assembly in September 2013. That vision will have been heavily informed by civil society -- in large part through consultations on The World We Want 2015 web platform -- regional and national consultations led by UNDP, UN system-wide activities led by UNDESA and the UN Task Team (UNTT), a Member State-led Open Working Group (OWG) and a High Level Panel (HLP).

Move
Close

A new global agenda for sustainable development will be led in the UN by a successor body to the Commission on Sustainable Development (to be determined) and guided by a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, also to be determined). UN-Habitat has already proposed a goal and targets on Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements.See UN-Habitat's Proposed Sustainable Cities SDGs.