From 5 – 9 June 2023 HIC will join the UN Habitat Assembly that will be celebrated in Nairobi.
The theme of the Assembly is “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises”.
HIC will be represented in Nairobi by a delegation of Members, Board Representatives and HIC Structures to highlight the habitat-related rights priorities in review of New Urban Agenda (NUA) and Agenda 2030, also in the framework of the revision of the current UN-Habitat Strategic Plan.
Why is HIC at the UN Habitat Assembly? Our priorities
The UN Habitat Assembly is one of UN Habitat’s three governing structures and it consists of 193 UN member states.The Assembly meets every four years at UN Habitat headquarters in Nairobi to review major trends related to human settlements and urbanization, as well as to coordinate and agree upon strategic actions to be taken by the agency and member states in the framework of its strategic plan.
HIC advocates for a more inclusive process and working relationship within the UN Habitat Governance, for that reason during this Assembly the Coalition will coordinate with other stakeholders (civil society, private sector and local governments) to organize its presence in the assembly as to advocate for more participatory channels and instances within the structure and governance of the Agency. This includes both the discussions around the proposed Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism, the revision of the agency’s strategic plan and the Global Monitoring Framework to review progress around the New Urban Agenda commitments.
HIC’s messages – A complete realization of the NUA commitments for structural change
Moreover, the UN Habitat Assembly is a key opportunity to call for an accelerated implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), giving continuity to the mobilization carried-out in 2022, on the occasion of the 5-year review of NUA implementation. In particular, HIC aims to highlight the importance of implementing commitments to fulfill the social and ecological function of land and human settlements, supporting social and solidarity economy and advancing participatory governance toward the democratic management of cities and territories and progressively respecting, protecting and fulfilling human rights as obligations in the urban and rural context. Moreover, to support this implementation, States and UN-Habitat are called upon to create mechanisms that channel the actions and solutions being led by civil society, community organizations and local and regional governments as key stakeholders in the effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of NUA commitments.
HIC engagements with UN Habitat – Our programme within the UN Assembly
Quito+7: A collective dialogue to accelerate and fulfil the New Urban Agenda’s Commitments ○ Co-organisers: HIC, Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Huairou Commission
This event will take stock of how the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) has advanced and what is yet to be realized.
In this year that will see the mid-term review of the 2030 Agenda at the SDG Summit and the development of UN-Habitat’s next strategic plan, the panel will renew a multi-stakeholder commitment to implementing the NUA principles and commitments and identify concrete steps to localize its implementation.
A multi-stakeholder panel
that will focus on pathways to operationalizing NUA commitments through concrete examples of policies and initiatives
Fostering alliances and Strengthening relationships with HIC members and key allies
This gathering in Nairobi will also be a moment to strengthen relations with HIC Members in the region, following the recently launched African Strategic Plan of the organization.
Taking the opportunity of this large in-person gathering, a series of strategic conversations both within the coalition and with other stakeholders will be arranged.
Building the internal HIC strategy for 2024 – 2026 at Board strategic planning session
HIC Board members have an important meeting in Nairobi to build the 2024-2026 Strategy of the Coalition.
How can you contribute?
The UN Habitat Assembly is a great opportunity to join forces and bring attention to the commitments required to make the NUA a reality, HIC will support the campaign of the Global Platform for the Right to the City from June 5th to call on the States to walk the talk for a for a true realization of the New Urban Agenda as a paradigm shift for structural change. Join us!
No forced housing tax campaign in Kenya
Solidarity with Kenyan Member Petition on the Proposed Housing Levy as Drafted in the Finance Bill, 2023
While in Nairobi, international networks and NGOs are demonstrating their solidarity with local activists calling for enhanced public participation in the process of approval of the Finance Bill 2023, to allow for a deeper discussion on how the housing levy proposed in the bill can impact the population, in particular those in a situation of economic and social vulnerability. Both local and international organizations acknowledge how the taxpayers are overburdened and the Finance Bill as conceptualized is a red flag and an indication as to how the multilateral partners are arm twisting Kenyans to repay loans which the sovereign rejected.
For more info click here.
