Press Release
President of the UN General Assembly to Ecuador for Habitat III Conference
UNITED NATIONS, New York, 15 October 2016 — The President of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Peter Thomson, will travel to Ecuador to participate in the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), that will take place in Quito from 17 to 20 October 2016.
The third conference in a series that began in 1976, Habitat III will be the first UN global summit on urbanization since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The objective of the conference will be to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable urban development, assessing accomplishments to date, addressing poverty and identifying and addressing new and emerging challenges.
The conference will result in a concise, focused, forward-looking and action-oriented outcome document, the “New Urban Agenda” which has been agreed upon by member states after the final round of negotiations in September.
The New Urban Agenda will set a framework for future action, and working with partnerships at the local and global levels will create a space of opportunity to ensure that the cities of the future are inclusive, sustainable, and safe for all.
During his stay, the President of the General Assembly will engage in a series of activities, including a lecture to students of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, an Urban Walk through the Habitat III Village, the World Mayors Assembly, the Business Assembly, a Youth Commitments event and several high-level meetings.
Travel and accommodation expenses for the President of the United Nations General Assembly and accompanying officers will be covered by the Secretariat of Habitat III.