Summary
The Habitat III Informal Hearings with Stakeholders opened at UN Headquarters in New York City, US, on 6 June 2016. The meeting brought together stakeholders from the Global Assembly of Partners for Habitat III (GAP), the UN Major Groups, and others to exchange views with member states on the recently submitted zero draft of the Habitat III outcome. The meeting was mandated by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2015 (A/RES/70/210).
In the morning, following a brief opening session, a panel convened on key recommendations by co-chairs of the GAP. In the afternoon, two panels addressed: vision – Quito Declaration; and transformative commitments for sustainable urban development.
Opening the session, Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, Habitat III Secretary General Joan Clos, GAP President Eugenie Birch and GAP Vice President Shipra Narang Suri welcomed the participatory process, underscoring the importance of stakeholder involvement in every stage of the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
During the session on key recommendations by co-chairs of the GAP, a panel composed of the GAP Partner Constituent Groups (PCGs)—business and industries, women, civil society, farmers, parliamentarians, trade unions and workers, foundations and philanthropies, grassroots, indigenous people, local authorities, trade unions and workers, older persons, professionals, research and academia, and children and youth—presented their views on the zero draft of the New Urban Agenda.
In the panel on the Quito Declaration, panelists addressed issues including: the role of philanthropic organizations; integrated approaches to sustainable urban development; cooperative approaches and the right to the city; and conceptualization of the range of human experiences to enable the full participation of persons with disabilities.
The panel on transformative commitments for sustainable urban development captured views on: placing women at the center of the New Urban Agenda; addressing the impacts of urbanization in rural areas; instituting enabling conditions for finance; and recognizing the linkages between informal employment and informal settlements.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web updates and a summary report from the Habitat III Informal Hearings with Stakeholders. Our report is available in HTML or PDF format.
Opening Session Panel (L-R): Vice President of the General Assembly of Partners for Habitat III (GAP) Shirpa Narang Suri;
Habitat III Secretary-General Joan Clos;
Habitat III Co-Chair Maryse Gautier, France;
Sonia Elliot, Secretary to Habitat III; and
GAP President Eugenie Birch.
GAP Vice President Shirpa Narang Suri
GAP President Eugenie Birch
Panel on Vision-Quito Declaration (L-R):
Victor Pineda, World Enabled, US;
Daniela Carrera Marquis, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB);
Bachir Kanoute, Executive Director, Enda ECOPOP, Senegal;
Habitat III Deputy Secretary-General Kumaresh Misra;
Moderator Christopher Dekki, Pax Romana, US;
Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary to Habitat III;
Nicholas You, Citiscope, on behalf of Metropolis;
and Betsy Campbell, European Foundation Center, US.
View of the participants to the Habitat III Informal Hearings with Stakeholders.