United Nations Human Settlements Programme (Palestine)

UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.
Governments at the 19th Session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council in 2003, adopted by consensus resolution 19/18 calling on UN-Habitat to establish a Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People (SHSPPP). The long-term development objective of the Programme is to improve the human settlements conditions of the Palestinian People and in so doing contribute in a modest way to reaching peace, security and stability in the region. During the 23rd Governing Council in 2011, a new resolution 23/2 was adopted, requesting UN-Habitat "to further focus its operations on planning, land and housing issues in view of improving the housing and human settlement conditions of Palestinians, addressing the urbanisation challenges, supporting the building of a Palestinian State, humanitarian action and peace-building, in the areas where there are acute humanitarian and development needs"
UN-Habitat is now playing a more substantive role in Palestine - leading debate on urbanisation issues, supporting NGOs, Government and private sector firms on Planning, and informing advocacy efforts by the international community on planning and building rights for Palestinian Communities in Area C and East Jerusalem.