First Daily Journal

On Tuesday, 27 October 2020, the second session of the Executive Board of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) for the year 2020 commenced online.

Agenda Item 1: Opening of the Meeting

The meeting started with a moment of silence to remember colleagues who passed away in the last few months, specifically Dr. Alioune Badiane who had always championed UN-Habitat’s values during the sessions of the Executive Board, especially during the 29 June 2020 session; and H.E Ambassador Anthony Andanje, former Permanent Representative of Kenya to UN-Habitat who passed away after fighting so hard for the new governance structure of UN-Habitat.

The meeting began with opening remarks by the Chair of the Executive Board, Mr. Jafaar Barmaki of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who recalled that the Executive Board elected a new Bureau for the period 2020–2021 at the resumed 2020 first session of the Executive Board on 29 July 2020. He also noted that the Bureau of the Executive Board met four times prior to the second session of the year 2020 to review the preparations for the session and to recommend that in light of the unpredictable situation with respect to COVID-19, the second session be held online and benefit from interpretation.

The Chair’s remarks were followed by a statement by the President of the UN-Habitat Assembly, Ms. Martha Delgado of Mexico, who commended the work of UN-Habitat for its contributions to the fight against COVID-19 and urged Member states to renew their support including financial contributions to the agency.

UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif provided an update on the work of the agency and its reform process. She thanked Member States, particularly Sweden and Germany, for their continued financial support.

She also acknowledged that COVID-19 made it difficult for Member States to provide funding to UN-Habitat, but highlighted that contributions were necessary to ensure that sustainable urbanization is “not left out in multilateral as well as national platforms”.

The opening statements concluded with remarks by Hon. Charles Hinga, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and representing Kenya, who committed to supporting the work of UN-Habitat. He also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic served as a reminder of the importance of urbanization and of the key role of UN-Habitat in the development agenda, and encouraged Member States to pledge financially to UN-Habitat.

The Executive Board:

• Adopted the agenda and workplan of its 2020 second session
• Took note of the report of the Executive Board on the work of its 2020 first session

Agenda Item 2: Reports on the Working Groups

The Executive Board took note of the reports of the Ad-hoc working group on programmatic, budgetary and administrative matters and of the Ad-hoc working group on the working methods .

The Chair of the Ad-hoc working group on programmatic, budgetary and administrative matters recalled that the working group discussed the Foundation Non-Earmarked Budget of the draft work programme and budget of UN-Habitat for 2021 and reached an agreement by way of consensus to recommend to the Executive Board the USD 10 million budget scenario for the draft work programme and budget of UN-Habitat for 2021, for its consideration at its second session of 2020.

The Ad-hoc working group also discussed the draft capacity building strategy, the draft accountability framework, the draft results framework, the draft resource mobilization strategy, the draft partnership strategy, and the impact communication strategy, all necessary for the implementation of the Strategic Plan 2020-2023.

During the question and answer session, expectations underscored by Member States included the following:

1. Increased resource mobilization efforts with traditional donors, non-traditional donors, the private sector and philanthropies.
2. Strengthened engagement with Permanent Missions in Nairobi and their capitals on the work of UN-Habitat.
3. Engagement with Member States on the regional architecture under the UN-Habitat restructuring process.
4. Increased joint programming with other UN agencies through proactive engagement for such opportunities.
5. Strengthened efficiency and transparency of the Organization, and
6. Timely preparation of documentation including the work programme and budget to enable robust discussions by the working group and subsequent timely consideration of the work programme and budget by the Executive Board.

The Chair of the Ad-hoc working group on working methods presented the recommendations on the working methods of the Executive Board covering the proposed working methods related to the following three key areas;

1. The Executive Board and Member States
2. Documents and Presentations
3. The role of the Secretariat

During the question and answer session, Member States took note of the reports of the Ad-hoc working group and recommended to adopt the report of the Ad-hoc working group on working methods.

Agenda Item 3: Financial, budgetary and administrative matters.

Following the briefing by the Executive Director on the financial, budgetary and administrative matters of the organization which included the interim financial status as at 30 June 2020 and 30 September 2020, the Report on Staffing as at 30 June 2020 and 30 September 2020 and on its resource mobilization efforts as well as implementation of the report of the Board of Auditors, Member States took the opportunity to discuss the presentations so made.

They cautioned on the need for a realistic budget, noting that the last three-year revenue trend would form the basis amount of the Foundation non-earmarked budget. Member States indicated that they remained concerned about the ability to obtain funding for the budget level proposed in 2021 and called for support to the voluntary non-earmarked contributions to the organization.

An enquiry was made as to how the 58 positions proposed in the 2021 revised budget were determined. Member States acknowledged the fact that the Board of Auditors found no material deficiencies and encouraged UN-Habitat to implement recommendations of the Board of Auditors. The meeting also emphasised the need for better geographical and gender distribution in its structure.

Conclusion

The Executive Board took note of the financial and staffing status of UN-Habitat and further took note of the financial report and audited financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2019 and of the report of the Board of Auditors. The Executive Board further welcomed the Executive Director’s efforts on the resource mobilization and ongoing restructuring efforts.

Agenda Item 4: Action by UN-Habitat to address geographical and gender imbalances in the composition of its staff

The Executive Director provided an update on the Organization’s initiatives to address geographical and gender imbalance. While she renewed her commitment to reach parity at all levels, she also indicated that the current austerity measures offered little flexibility to hire new staff.

The discussions focused on:

• Gender imbalance, including over-representation of women at the higher General Service levels, and under-representation at the senior Professional level.
• Geographical imbalance, including issues of over-representation, under-representation, and non-representation of nationalities.
• Key challenges for a more diverse workforce, including recruitment limitations due to austerity measures and the conditions of employment associated with project posts.

UN-Habitat outlined the measures taken to remedy the situation, including the adoption of targeted approaches to recruitment as well as wider information sharing with Member States.

Member States commended the efforts by UN-Habitat to bridge the gaps but called for greater efforts and concrete steps to address imbalances. Member States further encouraged UN-Habitat to learn lessons from other Secretariat agencies and to consider creating pools of qualified candidates. The Executive Director mentioned that she will work in consultation with the Ad-hoc working group on programmatic, budgetary and administrative matters to improve the Organization’s initiatives to address geographical and gender imbalance.

Statements by stakeholders

At the end of Agenda item 4, the Chair of the Executive Board invited representatives of intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to make statements.

Hannes Juhlin Lagrelius of the World Blind Union said the organization was fully committed to sustaining the “vibrant and constructive partnership with UN-Habitat,” and recognised the critical importance of engaging with a broad range of stakeholders to advance towards more inclusive and accessible cities for all.

This year the COVID-19 pandemic has shone light on that we have not done enough to address global inequalities, for instance those faced by persons with disabilities many of which face exacerbated challenges to access basic services and information on an equal basis with others during the pandemic,” he said.

The Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) network, Emilia Saiz said it was critical to support UN-Habitat’s normative work and for Member States to continue financing local level activities and programmes.

In a context of unprecedented and universal challenges we, the local and regional governments around the world, are at the forefront of the efforts to overcome these … times as allies of other spheres of government, of the scientific community, and as global actors with important transformational and convening power,” she said.

Agenda Item 5: Discussions and possible approval of the draft annual work programme and budget of UN-Habitat for the year 2021

Member States welcomed and supported the approval of the annual work programme and budget of UN-Habitat for the year 2021.

Member states discussions focused on the need for:

• An increased access to the allocation of resources and rationale for the prioritization of areas of work.
• A more consistent mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues such as gender and climate change.
• The 2022 work programme and budget to be more realistic and reflect the recommendations by the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC) and the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ).
• The visibility of linkages between the work programme and budget to be improved.
• A better understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on programming such as lessons learned, cooperation with other UN agencies, efficiencies gained, and impact on expenditures.
• A more transparent approach to prioritization of programmes and projects.
• An assessment and explanation of how a reduced budget could affect the Organization’s capacity to function.
• UN-Habitat to be able to carry out its core mandate in an equitable manner around the globe.

UN-Habitat indicated that:

• Comments from the CPC will be considered during the formulation of the 2022 work programme and budget.
• The ability to connect normative and operational work on the ground is currently strongly limited due to budget constraints.
• There were both positive ang negative gains from COVID-19 in terms of savings and expenses.
• A budget decrease to below USD 10 million would potentially result in the downsizing of the organization and the inability to support normative work.
• COVID-19 had caused a 25 per cent decrease in project implementation.
• The equitable distribution of resources into projects around the globe was a priority for the agency.

The Executive Board decided to empower the Ad-hoc working group on programmatic, budgetary and administrative matters of the Executive Board to:

• Discuss the Draft Work Programme of UN-Habitat for the year 2022 in readiness for submission to UNHQ in New York by 15 January 2021. This will allow the Secretariat to prepare the initial draft budget for 2022 with an initial working figure for the resource envelope of the foundation non-earmarked fund of the 2022 draft work programme and budget. The Ad-hoc working group will meet during the week of 11-15 January 2021 in order to meet the deadline of 15 January 2020 for submission of the draft work programme to New York.
• Discuss the draft budget of UN-Habitat for the year 2022 in readiness for submission to UNHQ in New York by 15 February 2021, without the need for further discussion by the Executive Board at an early session in 2021. The Ad-hoc working group will meet during the week of 8-12 February 2021 in order to meet the deadline of 15 February 2021 for submission of the Budget to the Controller in New York.

Conclusion

The Board took note of the draft work programme and budget for the year 2021 for its adoption as one the possible outcomes of the second session.

Under this item, the Executive Director also briefed the Executive Board on the UN-Habitat COVID-19 Response

Serbia noted the importance of coordination and collaboration in the response to the pandemic, notably in the framework of the UN system. On the geographical scope of the response, Serbia noted that the presentation referred to 13 countries as a limited amount of countries involved.

Canada recommended that the concrete results achieved by UN-Habitat in the response to COVID-19 be used in its resource mobilization efforts as an example of the impact the agency can produce.

Sweden hailed the nimble way the organization is responding and acting on the COVID-19 response; it also appreciated the nexus between development and humanitarian work in UN-Habitat’s response plan.

Finally, Russia noted that the COVID-19 pandemic was mostly an urban problem – especially for big cities. Russia appreciated all the publications to support the COVID-19 response, including their translation into the UN languages. Further clarification was requested about the Secretariat reforms and more details were requested to be shared with Member States.

Conclusion

Members States thanked and appreciated the efforts of UN-Habitat to support countries in the response and recovery to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also acknowledged the collaboration within the UN system, concrete results achieved on the ground, and availability of knowledge materials.

Agenda Item 7: Status of implementation of resolutions and decisions adopted during the first session of the UN-Habitat Assembly

The Executive Director gave a status update on the implementation of resolutions and decisions adopted by the UN-Habitat Assembly at its first session in May 2019. She noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had made this work challenging, forcing UN-Habitat to revise and revisit its efforts to meet the aspirations contained in the resolutions.

The Executive Director highlighted progress made to date on implementing the resolutions and decisions adopted during the first Habitat Assembly as follows:

1. Resolution 1/2 on UN system-wide Guidelines on Safer Cities and Human Settlements

• The concept note requires additional resources to support normative work at the global and country activities for the period 2021-2023. A draft TOR for peer review has been developed.
• An update was provided on urban October activities and specifically the annual 40 Days Safer Cities Challenge launched to raise awareness on safety in cities and promote concrete actions by citizens.
• A joint programming framework has been developed with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to support the implementation of the United Nations System-wide Guidelines on Safer Cities and Human Settlements, including joint fundraising efforts.

2. Resolution 1/3 on Enhancing capacity-building for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the urban dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

• The draft capacity-building strategy and implementation plan to illustrate how the strategy will be rolled out is ready
• The focus is on strategic partnerships on gender, human rights and other social inclusion issues.

3. Resolution 1/4 on Achieving gender equality through the work of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme to support inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements

• The UN-Habitat Policy and Plan for Gender Equality as well as other guiding documents are under review.
• The work includes the UN-Habitat Evaluation of gender equality and the empowerment of women (2014-2019), using the Advisory Group on Gender Issues.
• The focus is on strategic partnerships on gender, human rights and other social inclusion issues

4. Resolution 1/5 on Enhancing urban-rural linkages for sustainable urbanization and human settlements

• UN-Habitat supports Member States with mainstreaming urban-rural linkage in policies and plans.
• UN-Habitat carries out capacity development activities through training manuals (including e-learning platform under development) and toolkits.
• Best practices are shared through publications and online platforms.

5. Decision 1/3 on arrangements for the transition towards the new governance structure of the UN-Habitat.

• Meetings have been suspended due the global pandemic and will resume when physical meetings are possible again.
• On 10 September 2020, the Bureau recommended to appoint the new Chair of the Working Group (Pakistan) and a co-Chair (Malawi).
• The recommended Chair and co-Chair will provide guidance on when the next meeting of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Stakeholder Engagement Policy will be held to primarily consider organizational matters.

The Executive Director noted that the lack of consistent and annual funding coupled with other challenges made it difficult to implement all resolutions equally. She however indicated that UN-Habitat was committed to seek out earmarked funding to continue to implement the resolutions.

The session was adjourned and discussions on Agenda item 7 will resume on 28 October at 9 a.m. East African time. On Day Two of the session, the Executive Board is expected to be briefed on the progress in implementing the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan. Member States will also hold consultations on the possible outcomes for the second session of the Executive Board.