In June 2001, five years after the Habitat II conference in Istanbul, the U.N. General Assembly will hold a special session to review progress made in implementing the Habitat Agenda. Governments and NGOs have been asked to prepare reports on national and local implementation. Non-government organizations are expected to play an important role. But, what is the Habitat Agenda? Few people have read it. How many Canadian politicians and top civil servants even know it exists? Is anyone better off thanks to the Habitat Agenda? These are questions we, and our governments, are being asked to answer.