Sustainable urbanisation an imperative: UN-Habitat

Blitz Bureau

NAIROBI: The momentum toward creation of smart, resilient and inclusive cities is on course despite challenges posed by the climate crisis, geopolitical tremors and global economic slowdown, a senior United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) official said, reported IANS.

Anaclaudia Rossbach, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said that sustainable urbanisation is an imperative to help secure a more equal, cohesive and green future for humanity. “Our mandate of enabling inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable urbanisation has become increasingly clear and recognised,” Rossbach told the opening plenary of the third Open-Ended Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (OECPR-3) in Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Rossbach said during the threeday OECPR meeting, delegates, including senior policymakers, diplomats, representatives of civil society, industry and academia, will assess progress towards realising a new urban agenda, rooted in universal access to basic services such as housing, clean water and sanitation. Tapping into forward-looking leadership, smart policies, technologies and innovations will be key to realising the eleventh Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 11) that lays emphasis on sustainable cities and communities, Rossbach said, Xinhua news agency reported.

She said that full implementation of the UN-Habitat’s strategic plan covering 2026-2029, which focuses on housing, land and basic services, will hasten urban renewal, while tackling social and ecological challenges facing city dwellers. According to Rossbach, the global liquidity crisis, coupled with rapid geopolitical shifts, calls for innovative ways to finance activities aimed at realising the sustainable urban agenda.

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