GLOBAL STATE OF NATIONAL URBAN POLICY 2021 : achieving sustainable development goals and... delivering climate action.

National Urban Policy (NUP) is a key instrument to achieve sustainable urban development in a shared responsibility across countries, regions and cities. The scale and urgency of the current urban challenges has given prominence to NUPs. The COVID-19 crisis has amplified the potential of NUPs in shaping more resilient, green and inclusive cities as part of countries recovery packages.This report reviews NUPs of 162 countries across the globe. Building on the first edition launched in 2018, the report serves as a critical source of information and analysis for policymakers and urban professionals, as it establishes the foundation for understanding how and in what forms NUPs have been developed, implemented and monitored globally. The overarching objective of the report is to assist national governments in advancing their NUP processes, especially in creating a stronger link between NUPs and urban-related global agendas, such as the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, and in mainstreaming climate action into NUPs. The report is a co-creation of the OECD, UN-Habitat and Cities Alliance, as a key outcome of the National Urban Policy Programme, a global partnership launched in 2016 at the Habitat III Conference. Preface Foreword Acknowledgements Table of contents Abbreviations and acronyms Executive summary Key findings The 10 key recommendations Résumé Principales conclusions Les dix principales recommandations contenues dans le rapport 1 Introduction and methodology Global monitoring of national urban policy: The context Objectives of the report Methodology Overview NUP country survey Definitions NUP Form of NUP Characteristics of NUP Stage of development of NUP Thematic scope of NUP Sub-national government engagement/contribution in NUP Stakeholder engagement in the NUP process Country coverage References Note 2 Perception of NUPs in today’s policy environment National definitions of NUP Expected outcomes of NUP Institutional context for NUPs Urban policies at different levels of government Sub-national urban policies Supra-national urban policies Emerging policy needs for NUP The contribution of NUP to rebuilding cities after COVID-19 NUP contribution to global and regional urban agendas NUP contribution to balanced urbanisation and urban-rural linkages Ways forward References 3 Key trends and characteristics of NUP Forms of NUP Characteristics of NUP Explicit NUPs NUPs in non-explicit forms Stage of development of NUP Thematic scope of NUP Institutions leading the NUP process Ways forward Annex 3.A. List of NUP References Notes 4 Factors for successful NUP processes Aligning policies among and across levels of government Horizontal co-ordination at the national level Vertical coordination between national and sub-national governments Horizontal co-ordination within and between urban areas Working together with stakeholders Engaging sub-national governments Engaging non-governmental stakeholder groups Inclusion of vulnerable urban populations Increasing implementation capacity Major implementation mechanisms Implementation challenges for national governments Implementation challenges for sub-national governments Financing NUP implementation Measuring enabling environment for cities Ways forward References 5 Data, monitoring and evaluation of NUP Data in the NUP process Types of monitoring and evaluation frameworks Designing NUP monitoring and evaluation to serve broader purposes Developing a more robust urban monitoring framework Applying a harmonised definition of cities, rural and urban areas Selecting appropriate geographical scale for measuring policy impacts Defining localised yet comparable indicator frameworks Ways forward References 6 Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals and global agendas through NUP The role of NUP in advancing and localising global agendas NUP and global agendas Monitoring the progress of SDG 11.a through NUP Linking the 17 SDGs through NUP Co-ordinating between NUP and SDGs implementation Institutions leading NUP and SDGs implementation Integrating NUP targets and indicators with SDGs Ways forward Annex 6.A. Measuring how NUPs fulfil SDG 11.a.1 qualifiers and contribute to global agendas References 7 Driving the zero-carbon transition and climate resilience through NUP Urgent need for climate action in cities Traction for climate resilience and the low-carbon transition Expertise and co-ordination to integrate climate change and urban policy Recognising benefits from mainstreaming climate action Delivering mitigation targets through traditional and new approaches Reinforced climate resilience through risk reduction Co-ordination mechanisms to embed climate action in NUP Mechanisms need improvement and attention to financing Regulatory mechanisms commonly employed Improving the climate resilience of vulnerable urban populations Ways forward Annex 7.A. Assessing how NUPs address climate change References National Urban Policy (NUP) is a key instrument to achieve sustainable urban development in a shared responsibility across countries, regions and cities. The scale and urgency of the current urban challenges has given prominence to NUPs. The COVID-19 crisis has amplified the potential of NUPs in shaping more resilient, green and inclusive cities as part of countries recovery packages. This report reviews NUPs of 162 countries across the globe. Building on the first edition launched in 2018, the report serves as a critical source of information and analysis for policymakers and urban professionals, as it establishes the foundation for understanding how and in what forms NUPs have been developed, implemented and monitored globally. The overarching objective of the report is to assist national governments in advancing their NUP processes, especially in creating a stronger link between NUPs and urban-related global agendas, such as the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, and in mainstreaming climate action into NUPs. The report is a co-creation of the OECD, UN-Habitat and Cities Alliance, as a key outcome of the National Urban Policy Programme, a global partnership launched in 2016 at the Habitat III Conference