The New Urban Agenda: Exploring the local and global impacts of Habitat III

From the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, to addressing development finance in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to signing the Paris climate change agreement, it’s been an extraordinary year for international development at the United Nations. Now the U.N. is convening once again for Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador, in October, to discuss the future of cities and sustainable urban development.

The summit takes place once every 20 years. And since 20 years from now nearly two thirds of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, cities are increasingly playing an essential role in how we approach development.

So what can we expect in advance of October, and what is set to happen following Habitat III? Why does it matter so much for global development practitioners and the communities they serve? What is the value add for philanthropies in the process? And how are organizations and stakeholders that work with urban development preparing for — and looking beyond — the conference?

In this New Urban Agenda webinar, Devex Partnerships Editor Richard Jones discusses the issues that matter with four panelists who have been extensively involved in the lead-up to Habitat III. Gregory Scruggs, a Habitat III correspondent with Citiscope; Jane Katz, director of international affairs and programs at Habitat for Humanity; Ana Marie Argilagos, senior adviser at the Ford Foundation; and Oscar Fergutz, program director at the Avina Foundation, share their in-depth knowledge of summit preparations and the expected New Urban Agenda outcome document, and give us the inside track on what happens next.

Click on the video above to watch the webinar in full.

What do you want to see on the #NewUrbanAgenda? Over the next six months Habitat for Humanity, Cities Alliance and Devex will join forces to explore the future of our increasingly urbanized world in the run up to Habitat III in October. Spread the word, share your views below or tag @devex and #NewUrbanAgenda.