About the GAP

The General Assembly of Partners (GAP) is an innovative, inclusive and independent multi-stakeholder partnership platform that convenes more than 1,100 unique organizations with over 58,000 networks working on sustainable urban development.

It is currently made up of 16 Partner Constituent Groups (PCGs): Local and Subnational Authorities; Research and Academia; Civil Society Organizations; Grassroots Organizations; Women; Parliamentarians; Children and Youth; Business and Industries; Foundations and Philanthropies; Professionals; Trade Unions and Workers; Farmers; Indigenous People; Media; Older Persons; Persons with Disabilities. This structure builds on the United Nations Agenda 21 major groups, the Habitat Agenda partners, as well as opens new spaces to groups that request recognition given their unique efforts and needs on sustainable urban development, such as Grassroots organizations, Older Persons, Persons with Disabilities, or the Media.

As a global platform, GAP’s membership comes from every region, and we shared a common vision on the value of stakeholders’ expertise and knowledge in the preparation, crafting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the New Urban Agenda.

Innovative Partnerships for the New Urban Agenda

Member States have recognized the relevance of sustainable urban development in the development agenda, and have endorsed the New Urban Agenda as a guide for this process. The challenges of urbanization are too large and too complex to be addressed by one actor alone, and national governments will need the support of local authorities, civil society, and the private sector in implementing the New Urban Agenda. Multi-stakeholder engagement, inclusion, and collaborative action following the Habitat III legacy will be crucial to achieving sustainable urbanization.

GAP is proposing to use innovation, inclusiveness, and engagement as a transformative agent for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The GAP goals are based on the following ideas:

  1. 1.

    Stakeholders have the expertise and knowledge needed for implementing the New Urban Agenda.

  2. 2.

    The stakeholders’ voices should be channeled effectively through their local and regional representatives to ensure that inputs of urban experts and key urban constituencies are captured in the implementation, reporting, and evaluation of the New Urban Agenda.

  3. 3.

    Different stakeholders’ constituencies are able to achieve more in collaboration with one another, and will be able to build productive partnerships, minimize competition and duplication, and reinforce the views and concerns of other PCGs through this collaborative platform. Each constituency is more effective in achieving its own goals when working together.

  4. 4.

    New groups of stakeholders should be considered and supported in a flexible, open, and inclusive platform.

A sustainable future depends upon the capacity of all countries and all stakeholders to act in collaborative partnerships and to implement a common vision.

Origins

GAP was first envisioned at a meeting during the first Urban Thinkers Campus in Caserta, Italy in October 2014 by partners of the World Urban Campaign, who recognized the need for an inclusive platform that would enable many new actors to bring their urban expertise and to engage in the Habitat III process. The GAP held its inaugural meeting at the Second Preparatory Committee of Habitat III (PrepCom2) in Kenya in April 2015, where it adopted its Constitution, By-Laws, and held its first elections.

Constitution & By-Laws

Structure & Executive Committee

GAP is structured to bring relevant constituencies and stakeholders together through a democratic and efficient platform. It has a President and a Vice President ' as in the United Nations General Assembly ' as well as two co-chairs per Partner Constituent Group (PCG), who together make up the Executive Committee.

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Partner Constituent Groups (PCGs)

The GAP structure is currently made up of 16 Partner Constituent Groups (PCGs). The original 13 groups were formed out of merging the Habitat Agenda Partners and the Agenda 21 Major Groups. Thereafter, three new groups applied to join the GAP and were approved by the Executive Committee.

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Member State Recognition

Member States have recognized the relevance of sustainable urban development in the development agenda, and have endorsed the New Urban Agenda as a guide for this process.

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FAQs

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