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Habitat III Preparatory Process

Habitat III counted with three main ways to formulate recommendations in the drafting process of the New Urban Agenda, in addition to the contributions made by UN member states: Regional and Thematic Meetings, Preparatory Committees and Policy Units – formed by experts that elaborated policy papers on 10 areas identified by UN Habitat. Those policy papers addressed the following thematic areas identified by UN Habitat: Right to the City and Cities for All; socio-cultural urban framework; national urban policies; urban governance, capacity and institutional development; municipal finances and local fiscal systems; urban spatial strategies, land markets and segregation; urban economic development strategies; urban ecology and resilience; urban services and technology, and housing policies.

1. Issue Papers

Those documents aimed to identify research fields related to the main issues of every policy unit, and highlighted their most relevant findings and deficits. In July 2015, our Committee issued its comments concerning the Issue Paper on the Right to the City and Cities for All. These comments were complementary to those of the Global Platform for the Right to the City. Previously, UCLG and the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments issued theirs.

2. Policy Paper Frameworks (PPF)

In January 2016, the policy paper frameworks –which defined the structure of final policy papers– were issued. As part of the Global Platform for the Right to the City, the Committee analysed each of them in the light of the Right to the City and according to its different organizations’ approaches. The Committee also contributed to the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments (GTF) comments. In this regard, it should be mentioned that they didn't formally represent local government positions, but the inputs of local government’ practitioners that take into account the work done over the years. 

3. Policy Papers (final documents)

Final Policy Papers were released on March 2016. They were used as official inputs to be considered by the Habitat III Bureau when writing the zero draft of the New Habitat Agenda. They can be accessed through the following links:

  1. Right to the City and Cities for All
  2. Socio-Cultural Urban Framework
  3. National Urban Policies
  4. Urban Governance, Capacity and Institutional Development
  5. Municipal Finances and Local Fiscal Systems
  6. Urban Spatial Strategies: Land Market and Segregation
  7. Urban Economic Development Strategies
  8. Urban Ecology and Resilience
  9. Urban Services and Technology
  10. Housing Policies

4. Urban Dialogues and Thematic Meetings

In addition to all this, Habitat III developed a section in its website for regular consultations on relevant topics, called “Urban Dialogues”. It enabled the general public to submit online inputs and recommendations on each of the thematic meetings’ topics.

5. The New Urban Agenda’s zero draft

On May 2016, the first draft of the New Urban Agenda was released, written by the Habitat III Secretariat based on contributions made by the policy units, UN member States and civil society organizations.

Local governments had the chance to officially position themselves regarding the draft on the Hearings to Local Authorities, hold in UN headquarters in New York on 16-17 May 2016.

The Second version of the draft (18th July 2016) was released on July 18th 2016, and the third one on July 28th, after the third Preparatory Committee in Surabaya.

Finally, after the last round of intergovernmental informal talks in New York (September 7-9), on September 10th, the final text for adoption at the Habitat III Conference in Quito was released. 

Committee's assessment of the final text