South Africa will carry its vision of inclusive, people-centred cities onto the world stage this week, as Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane represents the country at the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Midterm Review of the New Urban Agenda on Thursday and Friday.
Held under the theme “Delivering Sustainable Urbanisation for all: Accelerating and Scaling Implementation of the New Urban Agenda to 2036 Together”, the meeting brings countries together to take stock of progress and share experiences on sustainable urban development since the agenda was adopted in 2016.
South Africa’s message: put people first
The Department of Human Settlements said Simelane will use the platform to underscore South Africa’s position on inclusive development and people-centred urban development, accelerating implementation of the New Urban Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
“These imperatives are aligned to the department’s imperatives relating to informal settlements transformation and integrated human settlements development, the provision of adequate housing and climate resilience,” the department said.
The gathering will showcase effective practices, scalable solutions and innovative partnerships – including financing mechanisms – and identify priority accelerators and policy innovations to advance adequate housing and sustainable urbanisation up to 2036. It is expected to adopt an action-oriented political declaration renewing global commitment, so that no one is left behind.
A new partnership with Libya
There was more good news on the sidelines of the ministry’s international work. Simelane met Libya’s Minister of Housing and Construction, Essam Al-Tamouni, to reaffirm the longstanding relations between the two countries and explore new opportunities for cooperation.
The ministers discussed collaboration across a rich agenda:
- Affordable housing and integrated human settlements
- Informal settlement upgrading
- Innovative building technologies
- Spatial planning and urban development
- Housing finance models
The two countries agreed to strengthen technical cooperation through a bilateral framework that will support knowledge sharing and advance sustainable, inclusive and resilient communities.
“The engagement reflects a shared commitment to advancing Agenda 2063 and strengthening intra-African cooperation for the benefit of the continent’s people,” the department said.
From the UN General Assembly to new African partnerships, South Africa’s human settlements agenda is winning friends and sharing home-grown solutions – a quiet but confident example of the country leading with its values. The department’s plans were reported by SAnews.gov.za.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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