The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) was created in 1978 to “promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.” It plays a key role in helping countries manage urbanization to help cities generate wealth and improve living standards for their people, reducing inequality, discrimination, and poverty. Initially, UN-Habitat received little support, but by 2002, when half of the world’s population lived in cities, the organization was revitalized with more funding and a stronger focus. UN-Habitat became central to achieving the seventh Millennium Development Goal, which aimed at environmental sustainability and poverty reduction through better urban planning. Today, UN-Habitat works on many current Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. The organization helps transform cities and human settlements through knowledge sharing, policy advice, technical support, and collaboration in over 90 countries.

Shelter is a basic human need, but about 1.6 billion people around the world do not have enough housing. This includes children and families trapped in poverty. Many cities are growing so quickly that there is not enough affordable housing for everyone. Climate change is also making the situation worse by forcing people out of their homes because the environment is no longer safe or suitable for living. Wars and political strife also create large groups of refugees who need new homes. In other places, economic struggles have made it hard for people to find stable housing, and some governments even treat homelessness as a crime instead of addressing it as a humanitarian issue. In UN-Habitat, delegates must think about how cities can effectively build affordable homes. They also need to consider the best ways to help the housing-insecure, how to provide safe housing for refugees and those displaced by climate change, and whether making homelessness a crime is ever acceptable.

In many parts of the world, rural economies are often ignored in development plans, especially as cities grow rapidly. When local economies solely depend on imported goods from other countries, it can hurt small local farmers. Additionally, as cities expand, they can take over rural land, damaging local livelihoods and cultural traditions. This may lead to fewer jobs in rural areas, more hunger in cities, and higher environmental costs if goods need to be transported over longer distances. To help fix this, cities and rural areas should work together to build partnerships. This could involve promoting local farming, food production, crafts, and services. UN-Habitat aims to encourage food systems which rely on local produce, reduce long supply chains, and improve rural livelihoods. Delegates should think about how to help rural farmers get their products to urban markets and how to overcome the digital divide, so rural communities can connect with city consumers. Strengthening the links between cities and rural areas will help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 2 (Zero Hunger), benefiting people all around.