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• Author: Warah, Rasna
• Position: The State of the World's Cities 2001 - Review

The State of the World's Cities 2001

Published by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements Nairobi, 2001

Most United Nations reports focus on country-level analyses of human development. Now, for the first time, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements-UNCHS (Habitat)--has released a report focusing exclusively on city-level analyses of a wide range of urban issues. Produced to coincide with the Istanbul +5 special session of the General Assembly, held from 6 to 8 June 2001, The State of the World's Cities 2001 is a first in-depth attempt to monitor, analyze and report on the realities faced by urban populations around the world.

The report notes that cities are the main players in the global economy. Large cities typically produce a significant share of the gross domestic product of countries, yet manage to capture only a small percentage of national revenue per year. This, suggests the report, has significant ramifications for urban development. It also touches on urban poverty and how liberalized trade and finance, without proper safeguards, make urban populations everywhere more vulnerable to external shocks.

The report underscores that people's processes and initiatives and enabling governing structures must unite to form broad-based partnerships that will promote justice, equity and sustainability in cities. It concludes that a country's global success rests on local shoulders: for the good of all citizens, city and State must become political partners rather than competitors. Most importantly, if accommodation requires new political arrangements, institutional structures or constitutional amendments, it is never too late--or too early--to begin making changes.

In his foreword UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan refers to The State of the World's Cities 2001 as "a milestone in the efforts of the United Nations to build and disseminate knowledge for policy makers and the general public", adding that it is a valuable contribution to collective efforts to implement the Habitat Agenda. At its launch in New York on 4 June, Anna K. Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UNCHS (Habitat), stated that the report presented the United Nations with an additional tool to monitor urban conditions and trends. The report is significant in that it uses the city, rather than the country, as the basic unit of analysis, she said. "This means that we can now authoritatively differentiate between national development and urban development and make...