United Nations Working Group to End Homelessness

Urban October: Cities for All

The Vincentian Family at the United Nations is committed to advocacy work to end homelessness.  This commitment is one of the dimensions of the Vincentian Family Homeless Alliance project. We are active members of the newly created UN NGO Working Group to End Homelessness. We have been working together with UN Habitat and other stakeholders to organize a month of activities, events, and discussions around urban sustainability. This year, Urban October begins with World Habitat Day on October 1st and ends with World Cities Day on October 31st. This Urban October follows the first review at the High-Level Political Forum in New York of Sustainable Development Goal 11, on Sustainable Cities and Communities. The main purpose of this month’s activities is to encourage local, regional, and national authorities and partners to implement the commitments of the New Urban Agenda and make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October each year as World Habitat Day, to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It also reminds us we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns. This year’s theme is Municipal Solid Waste Management (which is one of the targets of SDG11). Solid Waste Management is an issue that affects everyone. The amount of individual waste grows daily, accounting for a large portion of the local government budget and affecting public health. Poor solid waste collection and disposal results in uncontrolled dump sites and waste burning. It also leads to polluted air and water. A change in public attitudes to minimize waste and stop littering, the regularization of informal waste pickers, increased recycling and reusing, sufficient funding and solid waste planning including adequate landfill sites, can help cities to improve the current state of solid waste management and save money to become ‘Waste-Wise Cities.’

World Cities Day, October 31, 2018 – Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities World Cities Day was established to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, enhance cooperation among countries and cities in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contribute to sustainable urban development. The overall World Cities Day theme is Better City, Better Life, with this year’s particular theme of Building Sustainable and Resilient Cities (closely linked to targets 11.5 and 11.b of SDG 11).

Considering our Vincentian worldwide commitment to end homelessness, we bring a unique perspective to Urban October.  Our working group is putting together an event on October 30 to bring awareness on the challenges of street homelessness for the UN urban agenda. The title of our event is: Ending Homelessness: Floors and Roofs for All in the Sustainable Cities of the Future.  A summary of this concept note can be stated as:  Social protection floors are designed to protect individuals and countries from shocks and other stresses by providing an adequate, basic standard of living for vulnerable populations.  Housing is a core component of social protection.  In addition to ensuring a basic income and access to healthcare, housing must be considered as a key component of ensuring individuals have a basic standard of living. This essential protection of individuals and communities should be the core of the Urban Agenda and it is in fact the essence to make cities sustainable. If you live in the New York area join us. For more information please email us at ngowgeh@gmail.com.

Guillermo Campuzano, CM is the Congregation of the Mission UN representative