Somalia Assumes Co-Chair Role as UN-Habitat Executive Board Opens in Nairobi

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Somalia stepped into a key global leadership position as the 3rd Session of the Executive Board of UN-Habitat opened in Nairobi on Thursday, with the country participating for the first time as Co-Chair of the board.

Somalia’s delegation is led by the Ministry of Public Works, Reconstruction and Housing, with Somalia’s Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Jabril Ibrahim Abdulle, heading the team alongside Dr. Abdirahman Hmuud Ahmed Aleel, Senior Advisor and Head of Projects at the ministry.

The two-day meeting brings together member states to review UN-Habitat’s ongoing work and set priorities for global urban development. Delegates will assess the agency’s programme implementation and financial status, and negotiate elements of the Strategic Plan for 2026–2029, which will shape its direction over the next four years.

The board will also examine recent UN General Assembly decisions related to human settlements and review preparations for the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled to take place in Azerbaijan in mid-2026.

Somalia’s co-chairmanship signals its increasing engagement in multilateral policymaking and its push to strengthen housing, reconstruction, and sustainable urban development efforts at home while contributing to international urban policy.