Contribution of Local & Regional Authorities to the zero draft of the New Urban Agenda
Regional and Local authorities from around the world took part in the Habitat III Informal Hearings open on Monday, 16 May 2016 at the UN Headquarters in New York. These hearings allowed the participating local and regional governments to address Member states directly for the first time in the United Nations history on the recently submitted zero draft of the Habitat III outcome document, the New Urban Agenda.
Convened by the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, the Habitat III Informal Hearings gave the opportunity for local and regional authorities to make key proposals to the New Urban Agenda and to give praise to the current proposals coming from the Habitat III zero draft. They also celebrate the text’s reference to the “fundamental role” of local and regional authorities in “ensuring (…) the wellbeing of communities”.
The constituency of local and regional authorities welcomed the recognition of mechanisms to improve dialogue between Member States and local and regional authorities such as the United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities (UNACLA) and the Global Taskforce.
They also call on Member States to provide local and regional authorities with a status beyond the “observer” status to a special status for local authorities that will allow them to play their full role as active partners both at the HABITAT III Conference and in the overall UN System.
The key proposals of the Global Taskforce for the New Urban Agenda concern mainly implementation mechanisms and governance.
The complete Global Taskforce recommendations on the zero draft of the New Urban Agenda is available here.
The UNACLA Statement on Habitat III Zero Draft is available here.
Watch all the sessions of the Habitat III Informal Hearings in New York, 15-17 may 2016, with local authorities here.
Use the #Listen2Cities hashtag on Twitter to know more about local governments’ messages to the international community. Click here.