Habitat II - the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements - was held in Istanbul, Turkey from June 3-14, 1996, twenty years after the 1976 Habitat conference in Vancouver [1] that had led to the establishment of the Nairobi-based United Nations Centre on Human Settlements - UN-Habitat. The twin priorities of Habitat II were Sustainable cities and Adequate shelter for all.

Habitat II broke new ground for UN conferences in the use of innovative official dialogue sessions with NGOs and led to the adoption of the Habitat Agenda [2], which included substantial recognition of the vital roles of non-governmental partners - including NGOs, municipal governments / local authorities, professionals, scientists and others - and building on the recognition of the significance for sustainable development of major groups in Agenda 21.