The New Urban Agenda (NUA) has been adopted in Quito, Ecuador, at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development — HABITAT III, and it is time to celebrate and clearly heave a sigh of relief. Then again, the journey has only begun for its participants especially for the gathering that takes place every 20 years. The Agenda is an inclusive, action-oriented document intended to guide, with both a declaration and implementation plan, the sustainable and transformative urban development. The concise document pulls together several commitments seeking that its signatories take responsibility for each other in aligning towards the common development of their urbanizing world. It certainly felt like an encompassing Conference, with more than 30,000 people in attendance and over 2,000 representatives of local and regional governments around the globe.
As a member of the United Nations Major Group on Children and Youth (West and Central Africa), I was opportune to be involved in the drafting or rather a collation of ideas from Youths across the region. It was delightful to be a part of committed young Africans who were quite motivated to make tangible change in their local environment. Over a period of 11 months and several drafts, it was with delight that we could achieve inputs into the Agenda in such areas as:
“We will encourage UN-Habitat, other United Nations programmes and agencies and other relevant stakeholders to generate evidence-based and practical guidance for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the urban dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals, in close collaboration with Member States, local authorities, major groups, and other relevant stakeholders, as well as through the mobilization of experts….”
“…Girls and boys, young women and young men, are key agents of change in creating a better future and when empowered, they have great potential to advocate on behalf of themselves and their communities. Ensuring more and better opportunities for their meaningful participation will be essential for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.”
More importantly, there were additional integrations for commitments to implementing sustainable modes of transportation, reducing inequality between rural and urban areas, promoting public spaces in both rural and urban areas, provision of an annual evaluation system to improve accountability and the need for an enhanced cooperation and knowledge exchange on science, technology and innovation to the benefit of sustainable urban development.
What does this mean for Nigeria and Africa at large?
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola made a call at the Conference in Quito for world leaders across the globe to take urgent action to sustain the development of the growing urban population in order to secure the future of the people. However, there is still no open commitment by the Nigerian (federal, state or local) government whose personality over the years has become embodied by futuristic statements such as: “We are looking at” or “We are in the process of” or “Federal Government to….”, which usually does not produce tangible results. Several policies and initiatives started but not meeting the set goals and objectives. If there is no attitude change in terms of effective policy implementation, then the impacts of these commitments whether long-term or short-term are merely exercises in futility.
Other African countries are not exempt from the same pitfall of inadequate or ineffective policy initiation. However, South Africa is a shining example for its proactive approach on global issues especially on addressing issues of climate change, sustainable development etc. For example, it was the first African country that committed to making efforts in combating climate change by signing up to initiatives like the Climate Action for Urban Sustainability (CURB) for implementation in Johannesburg. But this does not mean South Africa does not also face its own fair share of problems as reported by the Ford Foundation, but its performance on policy implementation and on being the pacesetter is quite exemplary and needs to be copied by other African states.
One of the limitations of the Agenda, is its voluntary nature considering that it’s not binding will certainly put the NUA on the back of other commitments such as the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Also, the Agenda considers an equal starting point for its more than 193 countries that have ratified it. This is not the case in most African cities where constant power supply, basic housing infrastructure, access to water and healthcare facilities are still not within sight. This is not the case in the global North with better-planned cities. But, a general problem facing all signatories to the NUA is ensuring sustainability in housing models for the poor based on good location, quality public space, infrastructure, and service provision. In addition, dysfunctional land markets and urban policies around issues of land ownership and property rights which are deterrents to the income generation possibilities or the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises also influence the efficient application of the Agenda.
For Africans, our governments must continuously evaluate and adapt the NUA to combine inclusive urban and territorial planning approaches, promote well located, adequate and affordable housing. Likewise, countless existing reforms have to be restructured to fit into the current problems facing the urban residents. As citizens, we need to begin to hold our governments and authorities responsible by creating channels for evaluation, spending or policy monitoring (through channels such as BudgIT and Follow the Money). Most importantly, a shift towards promoting multi-stakeholder meetings that allow for consolidation of ideas and opinions because African states still lag behind because of their prevalently “dictatorial” democracies.
While, the new proposed approach puts housing at the centre of sustainable and inclusive urban development, encouraging housing initiatives for all income groups, especially low-income dwellers, with adequate provision of quality public space, infrastructure and basic services, ensuring spatial and socio-economic integration. Because urban inequalities are often reflected in brutal ways e.g. from the distance people must travel to work every day, to the lack of quality public spaces. No wonder so much anger and resentment are accumulated in the peripheries. My hope is that in a move towards sustainable urban development, the urban poor in Africa’s urban centres will not fall victim to gentrification, thus exacerbating an already worrisome housing situation.