Navigating Towards Just & Social Urban Transformation: Post UNHA II Reflection Workshop
How can African cities be more just, social, and sustainable? This was the question that brought together civil society, academia, and UN-HABITAT at a workshop in Nairobi on 2nd November 2023. The workshop was organized by FES-Kenya, UN-HABITAT, TRIALOG, and CSUDP, as part of their partnership to promote just, social, and sustainable cities in Africa. The workshop aimed to reflect on the outcomes of the 2nd UN-HABITAT Assembly (UNHA II) that took place in May 2023, and to explore ways of implementing the resolutions adopted by the member states.
The workshop also aimed to identify opportunities for collaboration and synergies among the partners and other actors working on urban issues in Africa. The workshop was opened by Bastian Schulz, FES-Kenya Country Representative, and Mutinta Munyati, Program Manager, UN-HABITAT Regional Office for Africa (ROA). They both highlighted the challenges and opportunities of urbanization in Africa, and the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to address them.
The workshop featured an introductory panel that provided an overview of the UNHA II resolutions and their implications for urban development in Africa. The panel was moderated by George Wasonga, Chief Executive Officer, CSUDP, and had three panelists: Mutinta Munyati from UN-HABITAT, Musyimi Mbathi from University of Nairobi, and Dr. Steve Ouma from TRIALOG Board.The workshop also included group discussions that allowed the participants to delve deeper into specific topics related to the UNHA II resolutions. The topics included: urban governance and finance; urban planning and design; urban basic services; housing and slum upgrading; urban resilience and climate change; urban culture and innovation; urban social inclusion; urban migration; urban safety; urban human rights; urban youth; urban gender equality; urban partnerships; urban data; urban monitoring and evaluation.
The workshop concluded with a plenary session that summarized the main findings and recommendations from the group discussions. The participants agreed on the following action points:
To develop a joint action plan for implementing the UNHA II resolutions in Africa.
To establish a network of partners for just and social urban transformation in Africa.
To create a platform for sharing knowledge and best practices on urban issues in Africa.
To organize follow-up events such as the Justice in Africa Conference (2024) and the Africa Urban Forum (2024) to further advance the agenda of just, social, and sustainable cities in Africa.
