GFHS

Committed to Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements for All

In Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC


 
Annual2019
Background​​​

Sustainable Development Goal 11 of the United Nations is committed to making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. As part of an integrated agenda, cities and human settlements have an important role to play across the 17-goal spectrum of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The New Urban Agenda sets out a shared vision for the future of the city and provides a systematic implementation plan, realistic methodology and pragmatic ideas for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 11.


According to an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, 51.2 percent of the global population, or 3.9 billion people, were using the Internet at the end of 2018. Countries around the world are making great strides toward building a more inclusive global information society. The digital revolution, led by information technology characterized by mobile internet, big data, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain technology, is on the rise. While promoting economic and social transformation, information technology and the digital economy have also triggered comprehensive and profound changes for urban development and human settlements, which is reshaping our cities and communities. Article 66 of the New Urban Agenda states that “we commit ourselves to adopting a smart-city approach that makes use of opportunities from digitalization, clean energy and technologies, as well as innovative transport technologies, thus providing options for inhabitants to make more environmentally friendly choices and boost sustainable economic growth and enabling cities to improve their service delivery.” 


Against this background, the 14th Global Forum on Human Settlements is scheduled to take place on September 5th and 6th, 2019 in the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa (UNCC-AA). Centered around the theme “Sustainable Development of Cities and Human Settlements in the Digital Era”, the Forum will explore in-depth how to harness the huge opportunities arising from the digital revolution, to upgrade the planning, construction and management of cities and human settlements and make them greener, smarter and more sustainable. This would promote enhanced green growth, poverty alleviation, urban resilience, ecosystem conservation, livability and inclusiveness as well as respond more effectively to climate change especially in Africa region, and build stronger, enhanced, and lasting partnerships for sustainability, thereby realizing SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda. Concerned national dignitaries, senior officials from UN and other international organizations, mayors, heads of multinational corporations, well-known experts and scholars will attend the conference and contribute to its deliberations and outcome.

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UN Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia