Malaysia urges UN member states to accelerate New Urban Agenda implementation, stressing inclusive and sustainable cities before 2030.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has called for stronger global action to accelerate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), stressing the need to turn commitments into tangible outcomes in building inclusive, resilient and sustainable cities before 2030.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the Midterm Review of the NUA this year provides a critical opportunity for member states to move beyond assessing progress and focus on delivering meaningful outcomes for billions of people living in urban areas.
“A midterm review is meaningless if it merely documents our shortfalls. It must be an inflection point. We have only four years left until 2030,” he said in a statement issued today following his participation in the High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the NUA at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.
As President of the UN-Habitat Assembly, he urged member states to strengthen efforts in addressing key urban challenges, including the global housing crisis, the urban digital divide and climate resilience, while ensuring that no community is left behind in the pursuit of sustainable urban development.
Nga also reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to providing practical, inclusive and scalable leadership in advancing sustainable urbanisation globally under the MADANI Economy framework.
He highlighted Malaysia’s role in championing the Asia-Pacific Urban Action Platform (AP-UAP) with regional partners, describing it as an important mechanism to localise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), facilitate cross-border knowledge sharing and strengthen green infrastructure financing across the Asia-Pacific region.
Nga said the region’s experience demonstrated that meaningful urban transformation could be achieved through strong political commitment, locally driven solutions and close collaboration among governments, development partners and local stakeholders.
“Member states must resolve to invest more in climate-resilient infrastructure. For instance, Malaysia has achieved more than 500 million square feet of green index buildings and more will be built before 2030,” he said.
Nga also urged member states to leave the High-Level Meeting with renewed determination to build cities that are inclusive, equitable and sustainable for present and future generations.
“Let us leave this high-level meeting with more than just a renewed declaration, to build cities that leave no one and no place behind,” he said.
He also expressed appreciation to the President of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Executive Director of UN-Habitat Anacláudia Rossbach as well as local and regional governments, civil society organisations and grassroots communities for their contributions towards advancing the NUA.
The two-day High-Level Meeting, themed “Delivering Sustainable Urbanisation for All: Accelerating and Scaling Implementation of the New Urban Agenda to 2036 Together”, brought together UN Member States, senior officials, local and regional government leaders and civil society representatives to review progress and strengthen efforts towards sustainable urban development.
