UN-HABITAT

10/06/2026

Gender-inclusive planning asks a simple question: who benefits, who is excluded, and whose voices are shaping the city?

It is about recognizing that people experience cities differently based on gender, age, disability, income, and caregiving responsibilities - and ensuring these realities are reflected in how we design and manage urban spaces.

❌ It isn't:

• Planning only for women
• A box-ticking exercise or one-off consultation
• Simply adding CCTV or more policing to address safety
• Treating everyone the same and assuming one-size-fits-all solutions
• A niche issue disconnected from infrastructure and economic development

✅ It is:

• Designing for diverse needs and daily realities
• Recognizing unpaid care work and complex mobility patterns
• Creating safer, more accessible, and inclusive public spaces
• Ensuring meaningful participation and shared decision-making
• Applying an equity lens across transport, housing, sanitation, public space, and climate resilience

Gender-inclusive planning features like safe sidewalks, lighting, accessible transport, public toilets, and mixed-use neighborhoods benefit not only women and girls, but children, older persons, people with disabilities, and ultimately entire communities.

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📢 Do you know an individual, organization, or initiative making a meaningful contribution to housing and sustainable urban development, consider recognizing their work?

We are now accepting nominations for the 2026 Scroll of Honour Award.

Nominations are open until 23 June 2026, with awards to be presented on World Habitat Day (5 October 2026).

🔗 Learn more and submit a nomination search "Scroll of Honour" or visit https://urbanoctober.unhabitat.org/2026-scroll-honour-call-nomination

09/06/2026

As the world grapples with a housing deficit affecting billions of people, the construction sector faces another challenge: buildings account for roughly 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Which begs the question, why are we overlooking the value of traditional building materials?

Here is a comparison between earthen (mud-based) construction and conventional cement-based construction:

🌍 Earthen construction
✔️ Very low embodied carbon
✔️ Excellent thermal comfort, reducing cooling needs
✔️ Lower costs and local sourcing
✔️ Supports livelihoods and traditional skills
✔️ Circular and highly recyclable

🏗️ Cement-based construction
✔️ High structural strength
✔️ Greater durability and water resistance
✔️ Suitable for high-rise and dense urban environments
✔️ Standardized engineering and building codes

Increasingly, climate-smart housing points to hybrid approaches - combining stabilized earth blocks with reinforced foundations and improved design - to deliver affordable, resilient, and low-carbon homes.

When combined with modern engineering, traditional materials offer a pathway toward housing that is more sustainable, more affordable, and better adapted to local climates.

As cities continue to grow, perhaps the future of construction lies in rethinking and upgrading the materials and knowledge that have served communities for centuries.

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📢 UN-Habitat is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Scroll of Honour Award.

If you know an individual, organization, or initiative making a meaningful contribution to housing and sustainable urban development, consider recognizing their work.

Nominations are open until 23 June 2026, with awards to be presented on World Habitat Day (5 October 2026).

🔗 Learn more and submit a nomination search "Scroll of Honour" or visit https://urbanoctober.unhabitat.org/2026-scroll-honour-call-nomination

08/06/2026

UN-Habitat has opened nominations for the 2026 Scroll of Honour Award — one of the world’s most prestigious recognitions for outstanding contributions to adequate housing and sustainable urban development.

📌 What you need to know:

🗓️ Nominations close: 23 June 2026
🏅 Awards presented at: World Habitat Day 2026 (5 October 2026)
🌍 Theme: Adequate Housing for All

This year’s theme underscores the urgent need to accelerate action towards safe, affordable, accessible, and adequate housing for all.

📢 Know a person or initiative making a real impact in housing or cities? This is the moment to recognize them.

👉 Learn more and apply: https://urbanoctober.unhabitat.org/2026-scroll-honour-call-nomination

05/06/2026

🏘️ Urban public spaces are essential infrastructure for children's health, development, and rights.

Yet only 44% of urban residents live near open public space, and that drops to just 30% in low- and middle-income countries.

A guide by World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and UN-HABITAT outlines the SPACES framework for creating child-friendly urban areas:

🔹 Safety & protection – spaces where children can play without fear
🔹 Play & recreation – areas supporting developmental needs
🔹 Access where need is greatest – prioritizing marginalized communities
🔹 Child health & well-being – clean air, exercise, social connection
🔹 Equity & inclusion – spaces for ALL children regardless of background
🔹 Sustainability & resilience – climate-adaptive designs for future challenges

These spaces go far beyond simple playgrounds, they foster social cohesion, revitalize local economies, and build community resilience.

From pop-up play installations in crisis zones to integrated urban planning in Medellín, the guide showcases how cities worldwide are making public spaces work for children.

Investing in child-friendly urban spaces helps build healthier, more equitable, and more sustainable cities for everyone.

Read the full guide: https://unhabitat.org/guide-to-creating-urban-public-spaces-for-children

05/06/2026

🌍 The future of humanity will be shaped in cities — and at the centre of that future is housing.

Yet the world is facing a deepening crisis:

🔴 1.2 billion people live in slums and informal settlements
🔴318 million are homeless
🔴Climate change, conflict, and inequality are intensifying the pressure

Housing is more than shelter — it is a driver of dignity, equality, climate resilience, and economic opportunity.

The 2025 Annual Report from UN-Habitat shows how housing-led development is becoming central to global action for inclusive and sustainable cities.

📘 Read report to learn more about progress and the road ahead: https://unhabitat.org/annual-report-2025

04/06/2026

Many women live under a "hidden curfew" - not one imposed by law, but by the need to constantly assess personal safety.

It shapes everyday decisions:
🚶 Which streets feel safe to walk on
🚌 Whether public transport is an option after dark
👗 What to wear to avoid unwanted attention
⏰ What time to leave an event
💰 Whether to pay extra for a taxi instead of walking

While cities are designed as public spaces for everyone, women often experience them differently. The result is an invisible "safety tax" paid in time, money, opportunities, and mental energy.

When women and girls avoid parks, public transport, cycling routes, or public spaces because they feel unsafe, cities lose out on inclusion, economic participation, social connection, and even climate goals linked to active mobility.

A truly inclusive city is not simply one that people can access. It's one where everyone feels free to use public space without fear.

The question for urban planners, policymakers, and city leaders is simple:

Are we designing cities for equal access, or merely equal permission?

04/06/2026

We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Mr. Rovshan Muradov, founding member and the Secretary-General of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and colleagues at the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

Mr. Muradov was a dedicated advocate for dialogue, international cooperation and global engagement. We are grateful for the Center’s valuable partnership and support on the road to WUF13, including its contribution to the Voices for WUF initiative and the success of the World Urban Forum in Baku.

Our thoughts are with all those who knew and worked with Mr. Muradov. His legacy will continue to inspire us.

It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we inform Rovshan Muradov’s many friends and admirers around the world that he has passed away unexpectedly in Istanbul. He was there engaged in the work he so loved—organizing the participation of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC) in an important international conference in Türkiye.

Rovshan was one of the founding members of the NGIC and served as its Secretary-General from its first days. Through his vision, dedication, and tireless efforts, he played a central role in building the institution into the internationally respected organization it is today. He recruited, mentored, and inspired the staff, established enduring partnerships across continents, and worked ceaselessly to strengthen the bonds of friendship among the Center’s distinguished members.
More than an able administrator and accomplished international figure, Rovshan possessed a rare gift for bringing people together. Through his warmth, and generosity of spirit, he fostered not only professional collaboration but also a genuine sense of family within the NGIC community. He was deeply respected, greatly admired, and sincerely loved by all who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.

His passing leaves an immense void in our hearts and in the life of the institution to which he devoted so much of himself. His legacy will endure in the organization he helped create, in the many friendships he nurtured, and in the countless lives he touched.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, his loved ones, and his many friends throughout the world. May they find comfort in the knowledge that Rovshan’s life was one of service, friendship, and lasting achievement, and that his memory will remain with us always.

Further information regarding memorial arrangements and opportunities to honor Rovshan’s memory will be communicated in due course.

04/06/2026

Housing remains one of the most urgent global challenges of our time. As highlighted in this Euronews Culture feature, Richard Gere calls for renewed global commitment to ending homelessness and advancing housing for all.

This message strongly resonates with our work at UN-Habitat, and with partners such as HOGAR SÍ, who work every day to ensure dignity, inclusion, and pathways out of homelessness.

Housing is more than shelter. Housing is a foundation for opportunity, health, and social cohesion. Strengthening partnerships across sectors and institutions is essential if we are to scale solutions that work for people and communities everywhere.

Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/e8iu8NyE

03/06/2026

🚲 A bicycle is more than a way to get from one place to another—it is a powerful tool for sustainable development.

On , we recognize the bicycle as a simple, affordable, reliable and sustainable means of transport that connects people to opportunity. From jobs and education to healthcare, markets and public spaces, cycling helps make cities more accessible, inclusive and resilient.

Investing in safe cycling infrastructure can reduce inequalities, improve health, strengthen neighbourhood connectivity, support climate action and create more people-centred cities.

When we make cycling safer and more accessible, we help connect homes to opportunity for all.