Webinar-Habitat III can help accelerate action on sustainable urban transport

The BRT CoE (Bus Rapid Transit Center of Excellence) is hosting a webinar on how Transport is reflected in the Habitat III Process and the New urban agenda. 

Date: 28 June at 8pm China time, 8am Chile, 2pm Central European time

Speaker: Cornie Huizenga, Secretary General, SLoCaT Partnership

Participate in the webinar here.

Habitat III is the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development to take place from 17-20 October 2016. Habitat III will be the first UN global conference following the adoption of the Global Goals on Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; thus the “New Urban Agenda” (NUA) – the Habitat III outcome document – will be a key opportunity to shape the implementation of these agreements in a number of sectors, including transport.

The SLoCaT Partnership represents over 100 international organizations that are actively working in policy development and project implementation of sustainable urban transport projects on a global scale. SLoCaT is encouraged to see language in the New Urban Agenda urging a “transformation in [mobility] policy” . SLoCaT feels that the zero draft NUA strikes a reasonable balance between specific recommendations on mobility and providing enabling recommendations on national-urban relations; urban planning; financing; policy frameworks, and capacity building that will be key to implementing the transport related recommendations on a city level. SLoCaT is pleased at the prominent mention of public transport, walking and cycling, which is a crucial element integrated land use and transport planning. Finally, we appreciate that the Zero Draft emphasizes access to economic opportunities and social services, rather than simply access to sustainable transport systems, a key distinction between the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs.