World Habitat Day declared by the United Nations on the basis of a resolution submitted by the then Prime Minister, the late President His Excellency Ranasinghe Premadasa to the United Nations Habitat Commission session held in Kingston, Jamaica in the year 1985, has been celebrated since 1986 under various themes connected with housing and settlements sector.
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.Each year, World Habitat Day takes on a new theme chosen by the United Nations based on current issues relevant to the Habitat Agenda. The themes are selected to bring attention to UN-Habitat’s mandate to promote sustainable development policies that ensure adequate shelter for all.
The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day.
The theme for World Habitat Day 2 October 2017 is Housing Policies: Affordable Homes
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 |
