Windhoek and UN-Habitat Strengthen Ties to Advance Smart City Goals and SDG Localization. The City of Windhoek has reinforced its collaboration with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) following a high-level visit by Masayuki Yokota, Head of UN-Habitat’s Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa. The engagement, held at the Mayor’s Office, focused on aligning local development priorities with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerating the city’s Smart City Strategy.
Mayor Ndeshihafela Larandja welcomed the UN-Habitat delegation and acknowledged the organization’s pivotal role in supporting the city’s efforts to integrate the SDGs into local governance frameworks. She also highlighted Windhoek’s involvement in UN-Habitat’s United Nations Innovation Technology Accelerator for Cities (UNITAC), which supports innovation in urban development through smart technologies.
During the meeting, Mr. Yokota emphasized the importance of advancing Windhoek’s Smart City Strategy and reiterated UN-Habitat’s readiness to offer technical and advisory assistance to support its implementation. He proposed the formalization of the working relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would establish a structured framework for ongoing cooperation.
Mayor Larandja welcomed the proposal, expressing appreciation for the continuous support from UN-Habitat and reaffirming the city’s commitment to enhancing their partnership. She noted that formalizing the collaboration would enable more focused efforts on projects that support sustainable urban development, improved service delivery, and digital innovation.
This renewed partnership is expected to strengthen Windhoek’s ability to respond to urban challenges while aligning with broader global development goals.
