World Habitat Day is marked on the first Monday of October each year, and is recognized by the United Nations to reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. The day is also intended to remind the world that everyone has the power and the responsibility to shape the future of towns and cities. World Habitat Day was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi, Kenya, and the theme chosen for that year was "Shelter is My Right".
The United Nations General Assembly decided that this should be an annual event and the first Monday of October was chosen. The day is celebrated in many countries around the world and various activities are organized to examine the problems of rapid urbanisation and its impact on the environment and human poverty.
Annual themes for World Habitat Day have been diverse and have included "Shelter for the Homeless", "Our Neighbourhood", "Safer Cities," "Women in Urban Government," Cities without Slums" and "Water and Sanitation for Cities."
UN Habitat makes plain the need to plan cities in order to avoid the chaotic development of urban sprawl and all the associated problems that are created as a result.
Well-planned cities can be centres for economic activities and address urban challenges, providing opportunities to both current and future residents. If more city residents are able to get a job or start their own businesses, small business and broader economic growth can lead to more job creation and employment opportunities. For example, according to the World Bank, for every job added in the healthcare industry, 3.4 new jobs are created.
On the other hand, cities can also become a setting in which marginalisation, inequality and social exclusion can abound. Access to adequate housing is an important factor in ensuring this is avoided.
Another major issue is the ever-increasing risk posed by natural disasters as the climate crisis continues to develop. This risk is particularly significant in the Caribbean Region and Central America, where countries such as Haiti, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Bolivia have higher levels of poverty and where their cities are exceptionally vulnerable due to their population density and diversity.
High levels of population density, coupled with poor building techniques have given rise to shanty towns that have no proper infrastructure, community organization or security of tenure. In the event of a disaster of any kind, a complete breakdown can result in a chaotic situation and enormous loss of life.
Habitat Scroll of Honour The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award was launched by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in 1989. It is currently the most prestigious human settlements award in the world. Its aim is to acknowledge initiatives which have made outstanding contributions in various fields such as shelter provision, highlighting the plight of the homeless, leadership in post conflict reconstruction and developing and improving human settlements and the quality of urban life.
The award, a plaque engraved with the name of the winner and their achievement, is presented to the winners during the Global Observance of the World Habitat Day.
Previous World Habitat Days Year Theme Global Observance venue Host2026Adequate Housing for All Muscat, Oman 2025 Urban Crisis Response United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya UN-Habitat 2024 Engaging youth to create a better urban future Querétaro, Mexico Mauricio Kuri González, Governor of the State of Querétaro, United Mexican States 2023 Resilient urban economies. Cities as drivers of growth and recovery Baku, Azerbaijan Anar Guliyev, chairman, State Committee on Urban Planning and Architecture of the Republic of Azerbaijan 2022 Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind Balıkesir, Turkey Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change of the Republic of Turkey 2021 Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world Yaounde, Cameroon Célestine Ketcha Courtès, Minister of Housing and Urban Development 2020 Housing For All: A Better Urban Future Surabaya, Indonesia Basuki Hadimuljono, Minister of Public Works and Housing, Indonesia 2019 Frontier Technologies as an Innovative Tool to Transform Waste to Wealth Mexico City, Mexico Martha Delgado Peralta, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, and UN-Habitat Assembly President 2018 Municipal Solid Waste Management United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya 2017 Housing Policies: Affordable Housing None 2016 Housing at the Centre New Delhi, India 2015 Public Spaces for All none 2014 Voices from Slums none 2013 Urban Mobility none 2012 Changing Cities, Building Opportunities Embu, Kenya 2011 Cities and Climate Change Aguascalientes, Mexico 2010 Better City, Better Life Shanghai, China 2009 Planning our urban future Washington, D.C., United States of America 2008 Harmonious Cities Luanda, Angola José Eduardo dos Santos - President of Angola 2007 A safe city is a just city The Hague, Netherlands Wim Deetman, Mayor of The Hague and chairman of UCLG2006 Cities, magnets of hope Monterrey, Mexico Beatriz Zavala Peniche, Secretary of Social Development, (SEDESOL) on "Rescue of Public Spaces Programme" 2005 The Millennium Development Goals and the City Jakarta, Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 2004 Cities - Engines of Rural Development Nairobi, Kenya President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya 2003 Water and Sanitation for Cities Rio de Janeiro, Brazil César Maia, Mayor of Rio de Janeiro 2002 City-to-City Cooperation Brussels, Belgium H.R.H. Prince Philippe 2001 Cities without Slums Fukuoka, Japan Wataru Asō, Governor of Fukuoka Prefecture 2000 Women in Urban Governance Jamaica Seymour Mullings, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Land and Environment 1999 Cities for All Dalian, China Yu Zhengsheng, Minister of Construction, China 1998 Safer Cities Dubai, United Arab Emirates Qasim Sultan Al Banna, Director General, Dubai Municipality UAE 1997 Future Cities Bonn, Germany Klaus Töpfer, Federal Minister for Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development, Germany 1996 Urbanization, Citizenship and Human Solidarity Budapest, Hungary Minister of the Interior, Hungary 1995 Our Neighbourhood Curitiba, Brazil Mayor of Curitiba 1994 Home and the Family Dakar, Senegal Abdou Diouf, President of Senegal 1993 Women and Shelter Development New York City, United States of America Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations 1992 Shelter and Sustainable Development New York City, United States of America Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Secretary-General of the United Nations 1991 Shelter and the Living Environment Hiroshima, Japan Mayor of Hiroshima 1990 Shelter and Urbanization London, United Kingdom Sir Geoffrey Howe 1989 Shelter, Health and the Family Jakarta, Indonesia Suharto, President of Indonesia 1988 Shelter and Community London, United Kingdom Robert Runcie, Archbishop of Canterbury 1987 Shelter for the Homeless New York City, United States of America Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Secretary-General of the United Nations 1986 Shelter is my Right Nairobi, Kenya
See also World Habitat Awards
References
External links UN-Habitat Urban October website Indonesian city of Surabaya to host the Global Observance of World Habitat Day 2020