Nairobi – Just six months after it was adopted, the ideas contained in the New Urban Agenda are trickling down and can be found in a variety of UN programmes, says the head of the UN’s urban issues agency.

Joan Clos, the executive director of UN-Habitat, is pleased with the successes in the six months since the New Urban Agenda was adopted at least year’s Habitat III summit in Quito. Key among those is that the New Urban Agenda was unanimously endorsed by the General Assembly in December, he told Citiscope in an interview. Equally important is that the New Urban Agenda is now fully integrated with the process of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), elevating urbanisation for the first time as one of the pillars of sustainable development. 

According to Clos, the ideas found in the New Urban Agenda are taking root and appearing in a range of UN programmes. The urban aspects of climate change were recognised during the Paris Agreement negotiations and that momentum continues to this day. Similarly, the International Organisation for Migration and the World Bank are holding events spotlighting the links between migration, tourism and urbanisation.

Clos dismissed concerns that the UN’s independent assessment of UN-Habitat will influence implementation of the New Urban Agenda. As he told Citiscope, “implementation of the New Urban Agenda is the responsibility of the member states, as signatories of the commitment”. The assessment is rather meant to find ways to strengthen UN-Habitat as a tool to support member states in implementing the New Urban Agenda....

Nairobi – Just six months after it was adopted, the ideas contained in the New Urban Agenda are trickling down and can be found in a variety of UN programmes, says the head of the UN’s urban issues agency.

Joan Clos, the executive director of UN-Habitat, is pleased with the successes in the six months since the New Urban Agenda was adopted at least year’s Habitat III summit in Quito. Key among those is that the New Urban Agenda was unanimously endorsed by the General Assembly in December, he told Citiscope in an interview. Equally important is that the New Urban Agenda is now fully integrated with the process of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), elevating urbanisation for the first time as one of the pillars of sustainable development. 

According to Clos, the ideas found in the New Urban Agenda are taking root and appearing in a range of UN programmes. The urban aspects of climate change were recognised during the Paris Agreement negotiations and that momentum continues to this day. Similarly, the International Organisation for Migration and the World Bank are holding events spotlighting the links between migration, tourism and urbanisation.

Clos dismissed concerns that the UN’s independent assessment of UN-Habitat will influence implementation of the New Urban Agenda. As he told Citiscope, “implementation of the New Urban Agenda is the responsibility of the member states, as signatories of the commitment”. The assessment is rather meant to find ways to strengthen UN-Habitat as a tool to support member states in implementing the New Urban Agenda.