President Officially Opens UN - Habitat Sub Regional Office for Southern Africa

In an historic milestone, H. E. Advocate Duma Gideon Boko officially opened the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Southern Africa based in Gaborone, Botswana, marking a significant step in strengthening sustainable urban development and regional cooperation. The office will promote housing and sustainable urban development aligned with Agenda 2063, the New Urban Agenda, and the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 11, which seeks to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

Speaking at the ceremony in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, President Duma Boko emphasized that the UN-Habitat's presence would bolster the country's efforts to achieve affordable housing for all by leveraging global expertise, technical resources, and policy experience.

"Your global expertise, technical resources, and policy experience will be instrumental in helping us design and implement tailored solutions, from informal settlement upgrades and slum prevention to climate-resilient infrastructure and inclusive urban planning for youth and gender equity," Boko said.

He highlighted urbanization as one of Botswana's major challenges, with nearly 70 percent of the population now residing in urban areas.

Wenyan Yang, UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana, noted that the new hub positions UN-Habitat to better serve Southern Africa by functioning as a platform for policy advice, capacity development, and knowledge exchange. Key focus areas include housing, land governance, smart cities, and climate adaptation.

"It enhances our technical support to the government and anchors our efforts in one of today's most dynamic development priorities, urban transformation," Yang said.

Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat, described the hub as a testament to the shared commitment to tackling the region's most pressing urban challenges.

"This initiative stems from the Memorandum of Understanding between UN-Habitat and Botswana, outlining our collaboration to advance sustainable urban development in line with (African Union) Agenda 2063, the New Urban Agenda, and the (United Nations) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 11, which aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable," Rossbach explained.