Refugees and the City: UN-Habitat’s New Urban Agenda

The UN-Habitat New Urban Agenda adopts human rights language, with repeated references to the principle of nondiscrimination “regardless of their migration status”. Unlike its predecessor Habitat II, the Agenda calls for inclusion of urban refugees within existing city structures; however, it remains a legally non-binding document without any enforcement mechanisms.

In preparation for Habitat III (the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development held in October 2016), one issue paper co-led by UNHCR, OHCHR and IOM affirms the importance of urban space in refugee protection. [...]