United Nations Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon has nominated Mr. Joan Clos, a former mayor of Barcelona as the next head of UN-HABITAT. If the nomination is approved by the General Assembly, he will serve a four year term as the head of the agency.

If elected, he will succeed Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka who has headed UN-HABITAT since it was formed in 2001 to replace the UN Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS). The agency is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.