Local and regional authorities, their networks and partners will provide their inputs to the discussions of the first Habitat III Preparatory Committee meeting, to be held in New York on 15-18 September, setting out their priorities for the Habitat III agenda and identifying the links between the Sustainable Development Goals and Habitat III.

The first step towards a shared vision of the New Urban Agenda

The first Preparatory Committee meeting (Prepcom I) of Habitat III, the Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, will be the first step towards the definition of a shared vision of the “New Urban Agenda” an Agenda which many expect to define the implementation mechanisms of the 2015 Summit Resolutions and Sustainable Development Goals.

The presence of Local and Regional Governments in Prepcom I, through the Global Taskforce, will set the expectations of the constituency on the role to be played in the definition of the agenda and on future governance.

Global Taskforce activities and events

Prior to and during Prepcom I, the Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments for Post-2015 Development Agenda and towards Habitat III, which is facilitated by UCLG and brings gathering all the main global, regional and thematic networks of Local and Regional Governments, will be organising events and side events to feed the debates of national governments and provide the views of local authorities on some of the key issues identified.

• 15 September, morning: The technical meeting of the Global Taskforce will finalise the messages of Local and Regional Governments, their networks and partners and will allow participants to exchange information on the PrepCom I agenda.

• 15 September, afternoon: With the support of the Spanish mission, the Policy Dialogue of Local and Regional Governments supported by the Spanish Mission will discuss the development of the Global Agenda of Local and Regional Governments, building on membership priorities, expectations and concerns. The Dialogue will involve representatives from UN missions, governments and agencies such as UN Habitat, Cities Alliance, UNDP and other urban partners

• 16 September, morning: The Global Taskforce will coordinate the Local and Regional Governments: Priorities for HabitatIII event, which will present views on the implementation of Habitat II, discuss the links between the Sustainable Development Goals and Habitat III and set out their priorities for the Habitat III agenda. High-Level UN officials and political representatives will be present.

• On 18 September, the Side-Event of local and regional authorities will take place from 1:30pm to 2:30pm and will deal with the "Local and regional governments’ contributions to Habitat III: priorities, expectations, and challenges for sustainable cities and territories”. 

Participation of local leaders in the official segment

The UCLG and the Global Taskforce will organize a side event during the official Prepcom I segment on 18 September from 13:30 to 14:30.

Spread the message!

In order to raise awareness of the involvement of local and regional authorities in this process, UCLG and the Global Taskforce will be promoting the use of social media outreach material.

Click here to download the toolkit and graphics to be used to promote the messages on Facebook and Twitter. Please feel free to share it on social networks.

For more information on Prepcom I, taking place on 17-18 September, please visit: http://unhabitat.org/preparatory-process/