Every October, UN-Habitat and partners organize a month of activities, events and discussions on urban sustainability. This year, Urban October activities will begin with World Habitat Day on 5 October.
The purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns. World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/202, and was first celebrated in 1986. It takes place on the first Monday of October.
Previous World Habitat Days
| Year | Theme | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Public Spaces for All’ | ||
| 2012 | Changing Cities, Building Opportunities | Islamabad, Pakistan | |
| 2011 | Cities and Climate Change | Aguascalientes, Mexico | |
| 2010 | Better City, Better Life | Shanghai, China | |
| 2009 | Planning our urban future | Washington, D.C. | |
| 2008 | Harmonious Cities | Luanda, Angola | |
| 2007 | A safe city is a just city | The Hague, Netherlands | |
| 2006 | Cities, magnets of hope | Naples | |
| Kazan | |||
| 2005 | The Millennium Development Goals and the City | Jakarta | |
| 2004 | Cities – Engines of Rural Development | Nairobi | |
| 2003 | Water and Sanitation for Cities | Rio de Janeiro | |
| 2002 | City-to-City Cooperation | Brussels | |
| 2001 | Cities without Slums | Fukuoka | |
| 2000 | Women in Urban Governance | Jamaica | |
| 1999 | Cities for All | Dalian | |
| 1998 | Safer Cities | Dubai | |
| 1997 | Future Cities | Bonn | |
| 1996 | Urbanization, Citizenship and Human Solidarity | Budapest | |
| 1995 | Our Neighbourhood | Curitiba | |
| 1994 | Home and the Family | Dakar | |
| 1993 | Women and Shelter Development | New York City | |
| 1992 | Shelter and Sustainable Development | New York City | |
| 1991 | Shelter and the Living Environment | Hiroshima | |
| 1990 | Shelter and Urbanization | London | |
| 1989 | Shelter, Health and the Family | Jakarta | |
| 1988 | Shelter and Community | London | |
| 1987 | Shelter for the Homeless | New York City | |
| 1986 | Shelter is my Right | Nairobi |
Information on the previous World Habitat Day celebrations is available here.
World Habitat Day – 2020 Sri Lanka
According to a resolution adopted at the 1985 Annual Session, the United Nations has declared the first Monday in October of each year as World Habitat Day every year since 1986. Accordingly, during the last 33 years, World Habitat Day has been celebrated under various themes related to the field of housing and settlements.
The Ministry in charge of the subject of Housing is the Sri Lankan agency for the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) which implements World Habitat Day worldwide.
Accordingly, without limiting the World Habitat Day for a day, for a week or for a month, the Ministry and its affiliated institutions took measures to realize the theme “Housing for All : A Better Urban Future” and to implement the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, the government’s policy and make its results available to the public.
Development programmes, community awareness programmes, children’s programmes, entrepreneurship promotion programmes etc. were carried out for this purpose. Followings are some of those programmes.
- Handing over of other constructed houses including the completed houses under ‘Obata Geyak – Ratata Hetak’ programme to the public, / commencement of identified new houses (island wide).
- Conducting children’s programmes on the theme of World Habitat Day (An island wide art competition).
- Carrying out enterprise promotion programmes for urban low income earners – street food, handicrafts, apparel and other design promotion programmes (covering the whole island)
- Conducting community leadership workshop for urban underprivileged people (evaluating and encouraging community leaders)
- Awareness programmes, lectures and workshops, counseling programmes, community participation programmes
- Providing funds for the supply of electricity to the Guru Gammana project at Ranpokunugama, Attanagalla, Gampaha and for renovating internal roads.
Despite all arrangements made to celebrate the World Habitat Day National Programme on 05.10.2020 at Temple Trees, it was canceled on 04.10.2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
World Habitat Day – 2021 falls on 04.10.2021 and programmes on that regard will be planned in the future with the participation of relevant institutions.