MOHD SHARIF: My six-year journey at UN-Habitat

By Maimunah Mohd Sharif

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I took my first step into the United Nations in 2017 when I accepted my appointment as the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya. Upon entering the United Nations Office at Nairobi for the first time on 20 January 2018, I understood that the tasks before me would be exceptionally challenging. As the first Asian woman to serve in the position of Executive Director of UN-Habitat, I felt both extremely humbled and proud.

Six years ago, when I arrived, UN Habitat was in the red, experiencing acute financial challenges, and struggling to pay staff. Today, like many people have said, UN-Habitat is back, we have moved to a surplus in our coffers and grown in strength and visibility. None of this would have been possible without my dedicated team and the support of all staff and personnel. I have learned to live by the wise African saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.”

Upon joining UN-Habitat, it became clear that significant internal changes were needed for the organization to deliver on its vision of building a better quality of life for all in an urbanizing world. We had to make UN-Habitat fit for purpose and offer a better response to the growing urbanization needs around the world.

In the first years of my tenure, we needed to regain the trust of Member States and our donors. This involved carrying out a forensic audit and taking firm steps to reform the Programme.

A new governance structure was proposed within six months of my arrival in Nairobi, and UN-Habitat developed a five-year strategic plan for 2020-2025. The new governance model was approved in May 2019 after almost 15 years in the making.

We also adopted a new approach to our work programme and budget, and I am leaving UN-Habitat today with a surplus for 2 consecutive years, after almost 12 years of being in the red.

For 45 years, UN-Habitat has served as the UN entity responsible for promoting socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements and adequate shelter for all. This task is more important than ever today as the world rapidly urbanizes. Half of the world’s population resides in cities. By 2050, this number is projected to increase to almost 70 per cent. Urbanization impacts every aspect of our lives in cities and communities. Housing is a problem both for the Global North and South. By 2030, UN-Habitat estimates that 3 billion people, about 40 per cent of the world’s population, will need access to adequate housing.

Alongside the internal administrative reform, together with my staff, we began to reposition UN-Habitat as a thought leader on sustainable urbanization. A concerted outreach effort was made to better engage with Member States, multilateral and bilateral donors, implementing partners, and the beneficiaries of the Programme. UN-Habitat stepped up efforts to enhance its partnerships and collaboration with the wider United Nations family to collectively address both the challenges and opportunities arising from rapid urbanization.

In the second half of my term at the helm of UN-Habitat, we focused on positioning the Programme as the thought leader on sustainable urban development to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. We focused on local action and co-chaired the UN Secretary-General’s Task Force on the Future of Cities and the Local2030 Coalition, designed to accelerate local delivery of the SDGs.

The World Urban Forum, convened by UN-Habitat, has evolved into the premier global conference on sustainable urbanization. Urban development issues were elevated on the global political agenda with the High-Level Meeting on the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda in 2022.

UN-Habitat has also built up a significant portfolio in urban crisis management. With the support of donors and partners, we have strengthened our services and support to communities in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, DR Congo, Somalia, and other countries facing conflict. UN-Habitat is a member of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) where it is now recognized that crises, whether man-made or as a result of extreme weather and natural disasters, have a major urban component. The provision of adequate shelter continues to be at the core of UN-Habitat’s mandate.

Today, UN-Habitat and its sustainable urbanization agenda are present in all global platforms. We have successfully advocated for the ministerial roundtable at the climate summits of COP27 and COP28. Now, it is a standard fixture, linking the mandate of the organization with the wider priority of the triple planetary crisis – climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution. UN-Habitat is also invited to attend the ministerial meeting on sustainable urbanization by the G7, G20, and G77+China. It is very clear that shelter, housing, and sustainable urbanization cut across all political divides. UN-Habitat’s efforts here once again highlight the value added of the United Nations and its funds and programmes as bridge-builders.

Looking ahead, I wish to highlight the building metaphor that best describes what we do at UN-Habitat. In the past six years, we have not only built greater coherence within the organization where the normative and operational dimensions of our work have become more aligned, but we have also aligned our aspirations with those that Member States are willing to support. In the field as well as in the multilateral arena, we have managed to build bridges between those we serve and those who govern.

We have covered a lot of ground over the past six years. UN-Habitat must continue on this path as it completes the implementation of the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan and embarks on the development of the next strategic plan that will double the positive impact of our work on the people we serve. Time is of the essence, and we must adopt a whole-of-society approach as we help Member States achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The author is United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat