The second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly will be held from 5 to 9 June 2023 in Nairobi. Kenya. The theme of the session is “A sustainable urban future through inclusive and effective multilateralism: achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in times of global crises.”

As the governance body of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the United Nations Habitat Assembly convenes every four years. It is the highest global decision-making body on sustainable urbanization and human settlements.

The 193 UN Member States cast the votes, while participants include non-Member States, other UN bodies and specialized agencies, as well as intergovernmental organizations, civil society, private sector, academia and research institutions, women, youth and children, and grassroots organizations.

Thematic debates and discussions during the Assembly will focus on the following topics:
Universal access to affordable housing: Member States are encouraged to explore mechanisms to achieve the universal right to adequate housing and move towards removing existing barriers to affordable housing.

Urban climate action: to achieve the global commitment to stay within 1.5˚C limit on rising temperatures by 2030, Member States are encouraged to explore realistic urban pathways for climate action.

Urban crises recovery: current crises are increasingly more urban, with cities very often serving as the main places of arrival for displaced people. Member States are encouraged to empower cities to respond to urban crises and support national recovery efforts.

Localization of the SDGs: the Assembly will look at local actions needed to advance the implementation of SDGs to meet the 2030 Development Agenda targets. Member States will also be invited to explore financial mechanisms to ensure resources are directed toward urban development and reach local levels.

Prosperity and local finance: to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, respond to urban crises, advance urban climate action, and ensure adequate and affordable housing for all, cities need policies and fiscal resources. Member States are invited to explore policies and market mechanisms to ensure financial flows directed towards urban development and reach local levels. 

On-site accreditation and badging for both the UN-Habitat Assembly and the OECPR will open at the Pass & ID office (entrance via Visitors Pavilion) UNON Complex on the following dates:

Urban Expo Overview

The Urban Expo at the UN-habitat Assembly has feature 65 exhibitors from Asia, Africa, North America, the Americas, and Europe. The Urban Expo showcase sustainable urban development projects, best practices, and cutting-edge solutions to tackle the challenges of housing, transport, energy, and climate change. Below is more information for Exhibitors.

Key exhibitions

Emerging solutions in times of global crises

This installation by UN-Habitat features four SDG 11 cubes and 17 benches representing all the sustainable development goals (SDGs). They symbolize our road to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11 over the past four years, since the first United Nations Habitat Assembly, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other crises. The first three cubes progressively emerge from the ground, representing the initial struggles of sustainable urban development. The fourth cube serves as a portal to the Assembly area focusing on solutions for achieving SDGs.

Kenyan Pavilion

This exhibition showcases urban development projects in Kenya including universal access to affordable housing, urban climate action through green building technology, land tenure, tourism, culture, and conservation. The exhibition is led by the State Department of Housing and Urban Development and brings together various government departments and partners.

45 Years of urbanization in Kenya

This exhibition presents the long-term collaboration between Kenya and UN-Habitat through a timeline with major global milestones that defined UN-Habitat’s mandate and ground-breaking initiatives that shaped urban development in Kenya.

Smart Cities and Digital Transformation

The aim of the exhibition is to showcase the power of digital technologies to contribute to sustainable urbanization and people-centered smart cities. Central to the booth will be UNITAC tools but space will also be given to UN-Habitat and City Science Lab digital, data, innovation, and people-centered smart city initiatives and normative efforts such as the smart city playbooks, HerCity, and the Cockpit for Social Infrastructure. It will also provide space to host events and sessions on innovation and people-centered smart cities.

Prefabricated demo house

The demo house is built with recycled plastic by Othalo, a Norwegian start-up that invented a process of recycling plastic and use it to produce building envelopes and slabs. The walls are made of treated recycled plastic with a strength that can carry up to 4 floors. The house is 42 square meters with two rooms and one living room and can be designed based on the needs of the occupants and can be built in two days.

Affordable and energy-efficient demo house

The house is a two-storey building with a footprint of 29 square meters and a height of six meters. It is made from burnt bricks produced using renewable fuel (agriculture waste and sawdust). The carbon footprint of the building is limited to a minimum. This low-carbon and affordable building model was developed by the Swiss Resource Center and Consultancies for Development (SKAT) as a solution to housing needs in developing countries. The model has been adopted and replicated by both public and private building stakeholders, resulting in the construction of over 5,000 social houses in the past four years.

E-mobility exhibition

This exhibition features electric vehicles (EVs) including an electric tuk-tuk by Autotruck and electric bicycles by Jua eBikes, E-bee, and Limitless Outdoors, two electric motorcycles by Stimaboda and Kiri EV as well as a solar charging station by E-Safiri. Participants will be able to test out the EVs and interact with the entrepreneurs. Electric buses by BasiGo will ferry delegates to and from the venue to Gigiri and Westlands.

List of Exhibitors

Find more information on confirmed exhibitors from the documents below,

• List of Exhibitors
• Floor Plan Lobby
• Floor Plan Expo Tent
• Venue Map

How can exhibitors order additional services and equipment?

Exhibitors can order printing services, rent extra furniture and equipment from Omnispace’s online catalogue. Orders can be placed via email through UNHA2@omnispace3d.com and copied to andrew.simiyu@omnispace3d.com.

• Omnispace Introductory Letter
• Standard Booth Wall graphics

How long will exhibitions be on display?

The exhibition will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily from 5 - 9 June 2023.

Do Exhibitors need to be present at the booth for the entire Assembly?

Yes, we kindly ask exhibitors to ensure that one staff is present at their booth at all times throughout the entire Conference. The daily hours will follow the programme of the UN-Habitat Assembly.

When will the booths be installed and decorated?

All standard booths will be installed by 2 June by the event management company, Omnispace. Exhibitors will decorate their booths on 3 and 4 June. All custom booths must be installed by 3 June.

Where can practical information for the UN-Habitat Assembly participants be found?

An information note for participants can be found on the UN-Habitat Assembly website. Please refer to this note for more information on entry requirements, hotels, etc.

How do exhibitor staff register and gain access to the Assembly?

All exhibition personnel must register for the Assembly. Personnel who are part of an accredited organization, UN organization, or member state will get a delegate badge which will enable them to gain access to the Assembly proceedings. Exhibition personnel who are not part of an accredited organization will receive an Exhibitor badge with no access to official assembly proceedings. More information can be found on the registration page of the UN-Habitat Assembly

Where can Exhibitors find Assembly communication materials to promote their Exhibition?

UN-Habitat Assembly communication materials and guidelines will be available on the Assembly website shortly.

I have more questions, who can I contact?

If you still have questions or if any issues occur at the Assembly, please write to unhabitat-exhibition@un.org 

Download Exhibition Guidelines

Side events are linked to the five key action areas highlighted in the Report of the Executive Director on the special theme of the second session of the United Nations Habitat Assembly. Side events showcase innovative approaches and transformative actions through effective and inclusive multilateralism in the following five areas:  

1. Universal access to adequate housing
2. Urban climate action and environmental protection
3. Urban crisis recovery
4. Localization of the SDGs and multilevel governance
5. Urban prosperity and local finance

Side Events Programm        
 

Rule 17 of the rules of procedure of the United Nations Habitat Assembly on “Credentials” provides the following:

“1. The credentials of representatives and the names of alternate representatives and advisers shall be submitted to the Executive Director before the first meeting that the representatives are to attend.

2. The Bureau of the UN-Habitat Assembly shall examine the credentials and submit its report to the Assembly. The present rule shall not, however, prevent a State Member of the United Nations from changing its representatives, alternate representatives or advisers subsequently, subject to proper submission and examination of credentials, where needed.”

In this regard, UN-Habitat wishes to encourage Permanent and Observer Missions to submit credentials at the earliest, and if possible, by Thursday 25 May 2023.

The credentials should be submitted through a formal letter or Note Verbale from the Head of State or Government or the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the Secretary to the Governing Bodies of UN-Habitat, Mr. Chris Mensah through the emails: chris.mensah@un.org and unhabitat-sgb@un.org

It is the participant’s own responsibility to obtain a visa for the Republic of Kenya. Participants required to be in possession of a visa are advised to obtain one as early as possible. A valid visa should be obtained in advance from the Kenyan Embassy/High Commission in the participant’s country of residence or the nearest Kenya Embassy in the region. The information provided here acts only as guidance.

A valid passport, valid for at least six months from the date of arrival, is required for entry into the Country. For more information on guidance on eligibility and visa requirements must register through the visa portal available at: https://evisa.go.ke/. Kindly take note that, Nationals who do not require visas, and participants on UNLP will get an epass free of charge on application to present to the airlines on travel. Participants on Diplomatic, Service, and Official passports will be issued with courtesy visas.

Additionally, all applicants should keep in mind that:

1. When filling the form, are advised to choose meeting/workshop as the reason for the travel.
2. On host details, please choose firm on the drop-down menu, and on the full name and address of the host, fill UN-Habitat General Assembly and use the address of UN-Habitat.
3. The document to be uploaded for both the invitation letter from the host and the company registration certificate is the invitation letter issued after registration.

Nationals of the following countries require a referred visa prior to arrival in the Republic of Kenya and which should be acquired in advance through a Kenyan Embassy: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, State of Palestine, Senegal, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, and Stateless persons.

Solomon Islands, South Africa (for less than 30 days stay), Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Participants are warned of the many pseudo sites purporting to offer the service of a Kenya visa and only apply using https://evisa.go.ke/.

Please note that visas are not required for citizens of: The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Burundi, Cyprus, Dominica(not to be confused with Dominican Republic), Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Jamaica, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Namibia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino.

How to attend as an accredited organization

Accreditation is granted to organisations to allow them to attend UN-Habitat intergovernmental meetings as observers. These meetings include the UN-Habitat Assembly, the Executive Board, and the Committee of Permanent Representatives. Accreditation is important because, it provides an opportunity for organisations to contribute to the policy-making process of the UN-Habitat and share their expertise. Accreditation is for organisations and not individuals.

Representatives of duly accredited organisations may attend the second session of the UN-Habitat Assembly and will be required to provide proof of their nomination by the accredited organizations. These include organizations accredited to either: (i) the First Session of the UN-Habitat Assembly, (ii) the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the special session of the General Assembly to assess implementation of the Habitat Agenda (Istanbul + 5), (iii) the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) – Prepcom2 and Prepcom3,  or (iv) non-governmental organisations in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The nominated representatives of accredited organisations are required to register online for the Assembly by 25 May 2023 (23:59 EAT).

The duly accredited organisations have up until 5 May 2023 to confirm attendance and to nominate not more than five representatives of each organisation to the Assembly in writing on official letter head to unhabitat-partners@un.org. 

Organization neither accredited nor in consultative status with ECOSOC as indicated in (i) to (iv) above  were invited to apply for ad hoc accreditation to attend the second session of the UN-Habitat Assembly. The deadline for application for ad hoc accreditation was Friday 31 March 2023 and is now closed. The accreditation decision will be communicated directly to the organization concerned.

UN Web TV (https://media.un.org/en/webtv) will provide multilingual live streaming for all UN-Habitat Assembly meetings held in Conference Room 2, as well as meetings in Conference Room 1 and the press conferences to be held in the Media Center.

Morning sessions are available here: High Level Strategic Dialogue

Afternoon sessions are available here: High-level Interactive Strategic Dialogue on Special Theme - 2nd session of the UN Habitat Assembly

Official Opening Press Conference - 2nd session of the UN Habitat Assembly

Press Conference with the Good Will Ambassador for the Arab region HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed AlSaud - 2nd session of the UN Habitat Assembly

WUF12 Press Conference - 2nd session of the UN Habitat Assembly

Urban October Press Event - 2nd session of the UN Habitat Assembly

All meetings scheduled for live streaming coverage on UN Web TV are available here: United Nations Habitat Assembly meetings

Press Centre Programme

UN-Habitat has been involved in implementing programmes and projects to varying degrees across several countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Lessons learnt from many years of interventions in the countries continue to contribute towards the implementation Regional Representation Strategy 2020-2025.