UN-Habitat, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Regional Programme Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (KAS), and the University of Michigan (United States of America), through the project on Urban Law for Resilient and Low Carbon Urban Development in Malawi, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, were able to assess the capacity of climate laws and policies in Namibia to adapt to climate change.

The assessment was done through the UN-Habitat Urban Law Module of the Law and Climate Change Toolkit – an innovative online tool designed to help countries establish legal frameworks necessary for effective domestic implementation of the Paris Agreement. This was based on the five key performance indicators namely: i) governance framework for urban and climate planning; ii) urban and territorial planning; iii) urban planning and design for adaptation; iv) urban planning and design for mitigation; and v) economic and non-economic instruments for climate friendly urban planning.

It is hoped that this assessment will be instrumental in fulfilling the potential of urban areas in Namibia to lead the way and be truly transformative spaces for climate action. In addition to this full report, UN-Habitat has produced a shorter version of the full report (summary report) that contains key points and recommendations from the sections mentioned above.

The EUTF Programme entitled ‘Enhancing self-reliance for refugees and host communities in Kenya’ aims to improve the capacity of national and county governments to support the development of all relevant sectors in Garissa and Turkana Counties in refugee management, in addition to the implementation of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) approaches.

Under the programme, UN-Habitat in collaboration with Garissa County Government has undertaken an exercise of future visioning for the host and refugee communities of Dadaab. 

This Dadaab Future Vision lays out the challenges and opportunities that the area of Dadaab face and proposes a new Vision of what the locality could become in 10-15 years’ time. The Vision was developed in line with a whole-of-society approach, informed by government and transnational policies, community perspectives and sound urban planning principles. The aim of the Vision is to understand how all the spatial, economic, environmental, and social-cultural layers interact and propose a pathway forward to capitalize on the opportunities available while making the most of all existing assets.

Following recent years marked by the compounding factors of protracted displacement, shifting national policies and the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic, a plan to enable self-reliance and to chart a path towards a more sustainable future is all the more necessary.

The Dadaab Future Vision will be used to help inform and guide future development and will act as a basis for a detailed regeneration and consolidation plan for Dadaab, which will identify specific action areas and projects through which Dadaab Vision can become a reality.

UN-Habitat, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Regional Programme Energy Security and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa (KAS), and the University of Michigan (United States of America), through the project on Urban Law for Resilient and Low Carbon Urban Development in Malawi, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, were able to assess the capacity of climate laws and policies in Zimbabwe to adapt to climate change. The assessment was done through the UN-Habitat Urban Law Module of the Law and Climate Change Toolkit – an innovative online tool designed to help countries establish legal frameworks necessary for effective domestic implementation of the Paris Agreement. The assessment was based on the five key performance indicators namely: i) governance framework for urban and climate planning; ii) urban and territorial planning; iii) urban planning and design for adaptation; iv) urban planning and design for mitigation; and v) economic and non-economic instruments for climate friendly urban planning. It is hoped that this assessment and the impending climate law reform will be instrumental in fulfilling the potential of urban areas in Zimbabwe to lead the way and be truly transformative spaces for climate action. In addition to this full report, UN-Habitat has produced a shorter version of the full report (summary report) that contains key points and recommendations from the sections mentioned above.

GEO for Cities aims to inform, engage and support dialogue among city decision makers and other actors involved in urban issues. The GEO-6 report, published in 2019, identified urbanization as one of five main drivers of environmental change and also looked at the impact on cities and city residents of related challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The GEO for Cities looks at these issues but also presents the types of solutions that can lead to environmentally sustainable and just cities. The GEO for Cities process is led by two co-chairs, guided by an Advisory Committee of organizations focused on urban and environment solutions (ICLEI, C40, Cities Alliance, IIED, ODI, IIHS, GCSE), has been drafted by around 20 expert authors and supported by the GEO Secretariat. The environmental and urban challenges outlined in this report require urgent and sustained attention from everyone involved in building or managing cities.

To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, we must make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and environmentally sustainable. UNEP, UN-Habitat, the GEO for Cities Advisory Committee, its co-chairs and the expert authors hope that this report will lead to the urgent action needed for cities to become the beacons of environmental excellence that help their citizens lead productive, prosperous and equitable lives. Enjoy and take action!

The protracted conflict Darfur since 2003 has caused massive displacements of people to or around the main urban centres, causing a complex, rapid, unplanned and uncontrolled urbanisation process and resulting in severe environmental degradation and social stress.

The Regional Spatial Planning Strategy of Darfur (RSPSD) is a functional methodology designed to facilitate a smooth transition from humanitarian relief to early recovery, reconstruction and economic development. The RSPSD aims to maximise the benefits of infrastructural investment, identifying priorities against a background of scarce resources and capacities, in an effort to bring about a more balanced spatial development, ultimately contributing to peace, stabilisation and economic growth. The Strategy advocates for the establishment of a network of urban settlements that can efficiently integrate a broad range of socioeconomic, basic services and infrastructure dimensions. This will benefit the population of Darfur as a whole, while at the same time laying the foundations of its future development.

For more than forty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world. The efforts of UN-Habitat have been focused on building a brighter future for developing villages, towns and cities of all sizes, which are most in need of support in guiding the process of urbanization. Towards this end we have created a new vision which makes a shift in focus and incorporates three essential urban elements into a new, integrated working methodology: Urban Legislation, Urban Design and Urban Finance, as a three-legged strategy in advancing sustainable urbanization. “Governments want us to promote an integrated approach to planning and building sustainable cities and urban settlements. We are tasked with supporting local authorities, increasing public awareness and enhancing the involvement of local people, including the poor, in decision making.”