
Human Mobility
One billion people, or about one in every eight persons around the world, live in informal urban areas, where families across generations are often squeezed into tiny, makeshift dwellings without access to running water, adequate sanitation and other essential services. Many are unemployed or in precarious work situations that barely pay for their daily survival. The impact of disasters and climate change is increasingly worsening such challenges.
Most people in informal urban areas live in the sprawling megacities of Asia, with internal and cross-border migrants, displaced people, youth and women often over-represented, contributing to their exclusion. The marginalization of migrants and displaced people is frequently compounded by factors related to immigration status or municipal registrations, access to information and social support networks, or discrimination and xenophobia.
UNDP and its partners believe that youth can make a lasting, positive difference in tackling these challenges head-on, by developing their own opportunities through social entrepreneurship and innovation, exploring dynamic approaches to mobilizing their peers and communities, and creating adaptive solutions.