BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, or UN-HABITAT, is the United Nations agency for human settlements, mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.

    Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, the agency has a team of some 200 international and local staff.

    In October 1978, when the United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UNCHS) was established, urbanization and its impact were less significant on the agenda of United Nations. In December2001, the agency's mandate was strengthened and its status elevated to that of a fully fledged programme of the UN system in UN General Assembly Resolution A/56/206, with the name of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, or UN-HABITAT.

    The executive body of the agency is the Governing Council, consisting of 58 member states, each elected for a four-year term.The Governing Council provides policy guidance, direction and supervision to UN-HABITAT.The Governing Council reports to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC),which coordinates the work of the subsidiary bodies of the GeneralAssembly.

    The Executive Director of UN-HABITAT is United Nations Under Secretary-General, Anna Tibaijuka.

    UN-HABITAT runs two major world wide campaigns: the Global Campaign on Urban Governance, and the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure. Through these campaigns and by other means, the agency focuses on a range of issues and special projects.

    The agency also has some 154 technical programs and projects in61 countries around the world, most of them in the least developedcountries.

    A key function of UN-HABITAT in fulfilling its mandate is the monitoring of global trends and conditions and assessment of progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda at international, regional and local levels. It is through this agenda that UN-HABITAT contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

    UN-HABITAT maintains a good cooperative relationship with China,where its programs, including urban management and refuse disposalprograms, are under way. By November 2005, China had been awarded 12 UN World Habitat Awards. Enditem