With reference to the role of UN-Habitat in the United Nations Programme working towards a better urban future, which of the statements is/are correct?

1. UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.

2. Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only.

3. UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct answer is 1 and 3 only.

Let us analyze each statement carefully with reference to the actual mandate and functioning of UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme):

Statement 1: UN-Habitat has been mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities to provide adequate shelter for all.

✅ This statement is CORRECT.
UN-Habitat was established in 1978 and is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It has been explicitly mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and to achieve the goal of adequate shelter for all. This dual mandate — sustainability of towns/cities and adequate shelter — forms the very foundation of UN-Habitat's existence. Statement 1 accurately reflects this official mandate.

Statement 2: Its partners are either governments or local urban authorities only.

❌ This statement is INCORRECT.
UN-Habitat works with a wide and diverse range of partners — not just governments and local urban authorities. Its partners include:

• Civil society organizations and NGOs
• The private sector
• Academic and research institutions
• Community-based organizations
• International development agencies and other UN bodies

Restricting its partnerships to only governments or local urban authorities is factually wrong and contradicts UN-Habitat's broad, inclusive, multi-stakeholder approach to urban development. Hence, Statement 2 is clearly incorrect.

Statement 3: UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

✅ This statement is CORRECT.
UN-Habitat's work is deeply aligned with the broader UN objectives, including poverty reduction and ensuring access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation — goals also reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). UN-Habitat actively works in these areas as part of the UN system's collective mission, making Statement 3 accurate.

Conclusion:
Since Statement 1 and Statement 3 are both correct, and Statement 2 is incorrect (due to its exclusionary and inaccurate description of UN-Habitat's partners), the right answer is 1 and 3 only.