What Governments could and should do

Today the world counts 7.7 billion inhabitants of which 4.3 billion live in cities (56 % of the total population). In 1980 there were 4.4 billion people of which only 1.7 billion lived in cities (39 %). In 2050, the projections predict 9.8 billion people including 6.7 billion urban dwellers (68 %)[1]. We are therefore witnessing a huge urban transition, one of the most important migrations of history that brings with it numerous challenges as well as opportunities in the political, economic, social and environmental areas. Every 20 years the UN organizes a World Summit to assess the situation and agree on common principles which should be translated into national policies. These Summits took place in Vancouver (1976), Istanbul (1996) and Quito (2016). Their recommendations are more marked by continuity than by radical shifts. They are summarized below in a menu of what all national governments (i.e. UN Member States) could and should do, with appropriate adaptation to their national circumstances. Read more...

D.BIAU UN-Habitat URBAN IMPACT June 2019.pdf