Opening plenary - The era of strong local government: recalling the Spirit of Habitat II

Local and regional governments have called for the New Urban Agenda to recover the spirit of Habitat II, which acknowledged local governments as “the closest partner” of UN-Habitat and “essential” to the implementation of the Urban Agenda. Why are local and regional governments in a unique position to promote the well-being of all? In what ways do they need to be strengthened in the different regions of the world?