UN-HABITAT

What UN-HABITAT does

UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) is the UN system's designated focal point for sustainable urbanization, established in 1978 by the UN General Assembly and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with 1,001-5,000 employees. It operates as an intergovernmental organization delivering policy advice, technical assistance, normative instruments, and capacity development to member states, local and municipal governments, and vulnerable urban populations across 40+ countries through six regional offices plus dedicated country offices in Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Kosovo, and Spain. Its portfolio centers on convening platforms (the biennial World Urban Forum, World Cities Day, Urban October, Scroll of Honour Award), flagship knowledge products (World Cities Report, Annual Report, Global State of Metropolis tracking 1,934 metropolises), and operational programmes spanning the Global Public Space Programme (150+ spaces in 100+ cities, 2.8M beneficiaries), Global Land Tool Network, MetroHUB, SDG Cities, RISE-UP, and Planning for Humanitarian-Development Practice.

Underlying technology includes notable proprietary and open-source components: the goLandRegistry blockchain-based urban land registry solution (built with UN OICT and LTO Network, handling 1M+ land parcels in Afghanistan), the Block by Block participatory design methodology using Minecraft, and a stack of digital knowledge platforms (Urban Data Platform, UrbanLex, Urban Policy Platform, Urban Resilience Hub). UN-Habitat is funded almost entirely (~80%) by voluntary contributions from government donors, with the remaining ~20% from intergovernmental organizations, private sector, and civil society. It does not commercialize products or charge beneficiary governments for services; its go-to-market is event-driven and partner-led, anchored by flagship convening forums and a multi-stakeholder network of ~200 World Urban Campaign partners and 800+ Global Public Space Network actors.

Name

UN-HABITAT

Legal name

United Nations Human Settlements Programme

Website

https://unhabitat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

UN-Habitat is the UN system's designated focal point for sustainable urbanization, providing free policy advice, technical assistance, and convening platforms (World Urban Forum, World Cities Report) to national and municipal governments and vulnerable urban populations across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Development and Policy Advisory Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Residential Affordable Housing Development & Construction (IMAFABAI)

Keywords

• Sustainable urbanization
• Urban policy advisory
• Land tenure security
• Urban recovery reconstruction
• Public space planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Voluntary Contributions from Government Donors: Government donors provide approximately 80% of UN-Habitat's income through voluntary contributions for specific programmes and core funding.
2. Contributions from Intergovernmental Organizations, Private Sector and Civil Society: Other donors including inter-governmental organizations, private sector, and civil society contribute approximately 20% of UN-Habitat's income for specific programmes.
3. Earmarked Project Funding: Specific project contributions such as the USD 2 million from Qatar Fund For Development for Yemen debris removal, and BMZ Germany funding for Ukraine urban recovery programmes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

UN-Habitat is the United Nations Human Settlements Programme that delivers policy advice, technical assistance, and capacity development to national and local governments on sustainable urbanization. It convenes the World Urban Forum and related advocacy platforms, operates field programmes in housing, land, public space, metropolitan management, and post-conflict recovery, and produces normative guidelines and global reports that inform urban policy worldwide.

Product overview

UN-Habitat is the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, operating as an international policy and advocacy organization rather than a single commercial software product. Its portfolio consists of major convening platforms (World Urban Forum, World Cities Day, World Habitat Day), awards (Scroll of Honour Award, Shanghai Award), flagship research publications (World Cities Report, Annual Report, Global State of Metropolis), and operational programmes organized around thematic areas including the Global Public Space Programme, Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), MetroHUB, People-Centred Smart Cities, Inclusive Communities - Thriving Cities, SDG Cities, RISE-UP, and Planning for Humanitarian-Development Practice. UN-Habitat also produces digital knowledge platforms (Urban Data Platform, Urban Resilience Hub, Urban Policy Platform, UrbanLex) and normative instruments including the International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning (IG-UTP) and Guidelines on Decentralization. A notable digital product is the goLandRegistry blockchain-based land registry solution developed for Afghanistan, which interoperates with LTO Network's hybrid blockchain via APIs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Urban Forum (WUF) The world's premier non-legislative advocacy and networking platform for urban issues, convened by UN-Habitat every two years for exchanging views on sustainable urban development among governments, city leaders, experts, civil society, and the private sector.
• World Cities Report UN-Habitat's flagship annual research publication providing data and analysis on sustainable urbanization, including the 2026 edition titled 'The Global Housing Crisis: Pathways to Action'.
• Global Public Space Programme UN-Habitat programme delivering safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces in cities worldwide; has completed more than 150 projects in over 100 cities, benefiting 2.8 million people and engaging 52,000+ in co-design.
• Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) A multisectoral alliance of international partners developing and implementing pro-poor, gender-responsive land tools and approaches for land reform, good land governance, and inclusive land administration.
• MetroHUB UN-Habitat initiative for supporting sustainable development in world metropolises and regions, including a comprehensive toolkit with guides on Metropolitan Institutions, Management and Planning Methodologies, and Metropolitan Observatories.
• goLandRegistry Open-source blockchain-based urban land registry solution developed with OICT and LTO Network, handling more than one million land parcels individually registered on blockchain with occupancy certificates for the Government of Afghanistan.
• Planning for Humanitarian-Development Practice Programme bridging humanitarian and development activities through urban and spatial planning, addressing the Global Compact on Refugees, Global Compact for Migration, and SDG 11 by exploring alternatives to camps.
• Urban Crisis Recovery and Reconstruction in the Arab Region Programme supporting countries in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen in sustainable and resilient urban recovery following conflict, focusing on long-term development and building back better.
• International Guidelines on Urban and Territorial Planning (IG-UTP) Normative guidelines approved by UN-Habitat Governing Council providing a framework for sustainable urban and territorial planning, applied in over 10 countries.
• Urban Data Platform Data and analytics platform operated by UN-Habitat providing access to urban data, indicators and analytical tools for sustainable development analysis by governments and researchers.
• UrbanLex Legal database and knowledge platform on urban law and legislation for policymakers and practitioners.
• Her City A guide and methodology for cities to deliver sustainable and inclusive urban planning and design together with girls, promoting gender-responsive urban development.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3.4 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing (World Cities Report 2026)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Google CloudflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu met with Google Cloud and UN-Habitat representatives in Singapore to explore partnerships in AI, digital infrastructure, and urban development for Amaravati.
• YCH Logistics GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister discussed logistics parks and supply chain development with YCH Logistics and UN-Habitat to explore cooperation in urban logistics for Amaravati.
• BLUETTIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026BLUETTI, a clean energy technology company, participated as an official partner of UN-Habitat at WUF13 in Baku. General Manager Eric Fang delivered a keynote on how clean energy addresses global housing challenges. BLUETTI's 'Lighting An African Family' initiative has provided solar power kits to over 20,000 families and 30 schools, benefiting 60,000+ people.
• UBC (University of British Columbia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026UBC signed a letter of intent with UN-Habitat to renew and strengthen their 50-year partnership beginning at Habitat I in Vancouver 1976. UBC Faculty of Applied Science and UBC Sauder School of Business researchers contribute expertise in urban planning and global economic policy to support sustainable urban development.
• Davos Baukultur AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 January 2026Davos Baukultur Alliance and UN-Habitat released a joint blueprint providing practical framework for public sector leaders to apply place-based approaches to urban planning and investment, addressing challenges of rapid urbanization and climate volatility.
• Al-FuttaimcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2025Al-Futtaim released a 10-year roadmap for urban planning and mobility across GCC cities developed in partnership with UN-Habitat and Arup, emphasizing integrated systems-based planning for rapid population growth and climate pressures.
• UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT)coreTechnology or Integration · 2 December 2020UN-Habitat and OICT collaborated to develop goLandRegistry, the first open-source blockchain-based urban land registry solution for Afghanistan, handling at least one million land parcels individually registered on blockchain.
• LTO NetworkcoreTechnology or Integration · 2 December 2020LTO Network provided hybrid blockchain platform for goLandRegistry solution, enabling immutable transactions using Live Contracts for property ownership verification and land registry operations.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN-Habitat collaborates with UNHCR on refugee settlement planning, spatial profiling, and integration of refugee populations into urban areas through programmes in Kakuma, Kalobeyei, and other refugee contexts.
• IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for humanitarian response and recovery in crisis-affected cities, particularly for shelter, housing rehabilitation, and basic services in conflict zones.
• Cities AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sustainable economic development along Turkana West Development Corridor in Kenya.
• UN-ESCWAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN-Habitat works closely with UN-ESCWA in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen under the Urban Profiling programme funded by the United Nations Development Account.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Strengthening Water and Sanitation Service Providers in Ukraine, with support from GWOPA.
• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to ensure urban regeneration, renewal and heritage projects are aligned with international agenda, SDGs, and New Urban Agenda.
• WHO (World Health Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint work on urban health, public space for health outcomes, and integrated approaches to urban well-being.
• Block by Block FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership using Minecraft as participatory design tool for co-designing public spaces with communities.
• UNITACcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnical partner implementing Just Transition: Digital Tools for Recovery programme in Ukraine.
• Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for water and sanitation service provider strengthening in Ukraine.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: A network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to address climate change. C40 competes with UN-Habitat for city-level engagement on climate and urbanization, but operates through city governments rather than national member states.
• Cities Alliance: A global partnership for sustainable urban development hosted by UNOPS and supported by UN-Habitat. Cities Alliance operates at the same intersection of city-level policy, slum upgrading, and urban planning, making it the most directly comparable peer organization.
• Habitat for Humanity International: A global non-profit housing organization working in more than 70 countries to build affordable housing and advocate for adequate shelter. Habitat for Humanity shares UN-Habitat's focus on housing for the urban poor but operates through direct construction and volunteer mobilization rather than policy advice.
• ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability: A global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. ICLEI overlaps directly with UN-Habitat's work on local government capacity, climate action, and resilience planning.

Broad incumbents

• UNESCO: A sister UN agency working on cultural heritage, education, and science. UNESCO collaborates with UN-Habitat on urban regeneration and heritage preservation but operates with a different thematic mandate and a much larger budget.
• World Bank: A larger multilateral institution with substantial urban development, infrastructure finance, and housing programmes through its Urban, Resilience, and Land Global Practice. The World Bank operates at broader scale and with financing instruments unavailable to UN-Habitat, while overlapping in policy and advisory work for member-state governments.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): The UN's designated entity for environmental issues, working on climate, biodiversity, and pollution. UNEP intersects with UN-Habitat's work on urban climate action and city-level environmental sustainability, but focuses on natural systems rather than built environment policy.
• World Health Organization (WHO): A sister UN agency coordinating international health within the UN system. WHO partners with UN-Habitat on urban health, public space, and water/sanitation programmes, but its core mandate is global public health rather than urban development.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): The UN's broader development agency with a much larger budget and country presence. UNDP frequently partners with UN-Habitat on urban programming but covers a far wider mandate including poverty, governance, and crisis response beyond urbanization.

Emerging players

• World Resources Institute (WRI): A global research organization with major programmes on sustainable cities and urban transport. WRI produces influential research and tools (e.g., Ross Center for Sustainable Cities) that overlap with UN-Habitat's evidence base, but operates without the UN's normative mandate and member-state convening power.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UNHABITAT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxkn7WqOdNdNB3AfG65NQ_A
• Facebookfacebook.com/UNHABITAT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/un-habitat-united-nation-human-settlements-programme-
• Instagraminstagram.com/unhabitat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UN-HABITAT