A Towns and Settlement Organisation

Overview

In 1950, one-third of the world's people lived in cities. Just 50 years later, this rose to one-half and will continue to grow to two-thirds, or 6 billion people, by 2050.

Cities are now home to half of humankind. Towns and cities are growing today at unprecedented rates setting the social, political, cultural and environmental trends of the world, both good and bad. 

Remember cities are the hubs of much national production and consumption - economic and social processes that generate wealth and opportunity. But they also create disease, crime, pollution, poverty and social unrest. In many cities, especially in developing countries, slum dwellers number more than 50 per cent of the population and have little or no access to shelter, water, and sanitation, education or health services.  It is essential that policy­makers understand the power of the city as a catalyst for national development. Sustainable urbanisation is one of the most pressing challenges facing the global community in the 21st century.

• The work of UN Habitat include: Urban Development and Management, Land and Housing, Environment, Water Sanitation and Infrastructure, Information and Monitoring, Risk and Disaster Management, Social Inclusion, Urban Economy and Financing Shelter

• UN-HABITAT's programmes are designed to help policy-makers and local communities get to grips with the human settlements and urban issues and find workable, lasting solutions. UN HABITAT programmes include: Best Practices and, Local Leadership Programme, Cities Alliance, Global Urban Observatory – GUO, Housing Rights Programme, Localizing Agenda 21, Rapid Urban Sector Profiling for, Sustainability (RUSPS), Safer Cities Programme, Strengthening Training Institutions, Sustainable Cities (SCP), Urban Management Programme (UMP), Water and Sanitation Programme, Slum Upgrading Facility (SUF), Experimental Reimbursable Seeding Operations and Other Innovative Mechanisms (ERSO)

Strategy

UN-HABITAT bases its activities on four main strategic objectives:

• Advocacy
• Research and Monitoring
• Training and Capacity Building
• Technical Cooperation

Organization chart

{mosimage} 

UN Habitat in Rwanda

At the end of hostilities in Rwanda, UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP undertook a joint programme identification mission to Rwanda in September 1994. The project is named: Urgent Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Kigali and Other Urban Centres (Umbrella Project).

With the coming in of the  ‘Delivering as One’ UN reform (which intends overcoming fragmentation among operations and increase its impact and efficiency) and according to the five strategic results by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), UN-HABITAT is operating in different Joint Programmes in four of those five strategies: Governance; Health, HIV, Nutrition and Population; Environment and; Sustainable Growth and Social Protection.

For more information about the project and other activities in Rwanda, please visit us on: www.unhabitat.org

Contact in Rwanda:
Email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it