Habitat III Urban Breakfast Held At Palais Des Nations
9 May 2016, Geneva, Switzerland – Representatives from over 30 UN Member States gathered with other stakeholders at the Palais des Nations for the event, “Habitat III Urban Breakfast: Briefing for Permanent Representatives.” Habitat III, a United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development, will take place 17-20 October 2016 in Quito, Ecuador as the culmination of a multi-stakeholder intergovernmental process.
As stated in the Habitat III zero draft of the “New Urban Agenda” document, “The battle for sustainable development will be won or lost in cities.” By 2050, it is expected that nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. With this increase in urban population alongside the recent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Habitat III conference will provide a timely platform for developing a global, action-oriented approach to urbanization and sustainable development.
The purpose of the Urban Breakfast in Geneva was threefold: to mobilize Geneva-based stakeholders towards the 3rd session of the Preparatory committee that will take place in Indonesia in July; to present the zero draft of the “New Urban Agenda” to be adopted at the Habitat III Conference to Permanent Representatives and to a Geneva-based audience; and to provide an overview of the roadmap towards the Habitat III conference in Ecuador, promoting the participation of all member states represented at the United Nations in Geneva.
The Urban Breakfast began with opening remarks from H.E. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to UNOG, who welcomed the audience on behalf of the host nation and conveyed Ecuador’s commitment to this important conference. The event continued with a briefing by Mr. Roi Chiti, Regional and Inter-agency Coordinator of the Habitat III Secretariat, who described the preparatory process behind Habitat III, including meetings of the preparatory committee, and provided an overview of stakeholder participation in the conference itself. He was followed by Mr. Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), who shared about UNITAR’s efforts to build capacity towards the implementation of the outcomes of Habitat III and explained the linkages between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda.
The Urban Breakfast included the participation of Ms. Jyoti Sanghera Ghazi, Expert from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mr. Graham Saunders, Head of the Shelter and Settlements Department at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Ms. Sanghera described the connection between cities and human rights, mentioning four key elements of adequate housing that relate to human rights: affordability, accessibility, cultural adaptivity, and quality of housing. Mr. Saunders shared about the relationship between humanitarian situations and urbanization, demonstrating that they are intimately linked. The panel was chaired by Mr. Alex Mejia of UNITAR.
The Bureau of the Preparatory Committee for Habitat III is co-chaired by Ecuador and France, with Senegal as Rapporteur. The members of the Preparatory Committee are Chad, Chile, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. The Habitat conference occurs every 20 years, with Habitat II taking place in Istanbul, Turkey in 1996.
UNITAR is committed to supporting the process and outcomes of Habitat III through capacity-building initiatives and the engagement of the CIFAL Global Network.
Photo 1: The audience was comprised of representatives from over 30 Member States as well as representatives from international organizations.
Photo 2: The Habitat III Urban Breakfast speakers (left to right): Ms. Jyoti Sanghera Ghazi, Expert from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mr. Graham Saunders, Head of the Shelter and Settlements Department at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies; Mr. Nikhil Seth, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research; H.E. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to UNOG; Mr. Roi Chiti, Regional and Inter-agency Coordinator of the Habitat III Secretariat; Mr. Alex Mejia, Senior Manager, United Nations Institute for Training and Research.