UN Declaration on Cities

In 2001, the UN released the “Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium.” A continuation of the Habitat II Agenda developed in 1996 in Istanbul, the document was among the most important UN policy statements on sustainable city and settlement developments. In the declaration, the importance of environmental protection and sustainability is recognized for both the social and economic development of cities. This especially concerns issues such as water management, sanitation, waste, and transport that are especially important for the urban poor.