With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct?
- UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.
- Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only.
- UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.
UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Correct Answer: Option B
UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, was established in 1978 following the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements and Sustainable Urban Development in Vancouver, Canada in 1976.
Statement 1: UN-Habitat is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
Statement 2: UN-Habitat works with a wide array of partners, including governments at all levels, local urban authorities, the private sector, relevant stakeholders and committed partners. The statement limiting partnerships to governments and local urban authorities is incorrect. India was unanimously elected as the President of UN-Habitat in March 2017. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.
Statement 3: The mandate of UN-Habitat is derived from the Habitat Agenda, which was adopted at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996. Its primary goals are to ensure adequate shelter for all and to promote the development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world. This includes contributing to poverty alleviation in both rural and urban areas. Hence, statement 3 is correct.
Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 are correct.
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