UN-Habitat and UNDP have signed a new enhanced collaborative framework to ensure that cities are better equipped to respond to future crises and at the same time recover from Covid-19. The new framework describes urbanization as a 'transformative force' that, if properly harnessed, can help cities and countries overcome major development challenges and make progress towards achieving the SDGs.
Under the new partnership framework, the two UN agencies will support countries in developing National Urban Policies (NUPs) and strengthen cities’ and countries’ capacity to fulfill climate action commitments. They will also help local and national governments to develop innovative financing frameworks that prioritize the role of cities in national economies. In addition, the UN agencies will help to adopt integrated approaches to strengthen urban resilience and pursue innovative digital technologies for people-centered smart cities.
“The areas of focus within this collaboration respond to the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the New Urban Agenda adopted in 2016,” said Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat.
According to a press release announcing the framework, UN-Habitat is currently implementing 20 projects funded through UNDP, two-thirds of which focus on urban planning, reconstruction and/or resilience. The other projects deal with access to land, local governance and development.
