KUALA LUMPUR: UN-Habitat Assembly president Nga Kor Ming has secured support from China, Vietnam, and Brunei to strengthen collaboration on the UN-Habitat platform and integrate the New Urban Agenda into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change processes.
Nga, who is also Malaysia’s Minister of Housing and Local Government, held bilateral meetings with key representatives from the three countries on the sidelines of the ASEAN-China Ministerial Roundtable on Construction 2025 in Guilin from 14 to 16 September.
The delegations were led by China’s Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Tuong Van, and Brunei’s Minister of Development Datuk Seri Awang Muhammad Juanda Abdul Rashid.
Among the key topics discussed was the integration of the New Urban Agenda into the processes of the Conference of the Parties under the UNFCCC.
“Cities and human settlements generate nearly 70% of energy-related emissions, concentrate the most acute climate vulnerabilities, and also embody the greatest potential for innovation and resilience,” he said in a statement issued by the Ministry.
According to him, the integration would mark a significant advancement in climate policy by linking global climate ambition with local transformation in at least six ways.
These include advancing multi-level climate governance, unlocking urban levers of decarbonisation, and strengthening adaptation and resilience.
The integration would also mobilise finance to the local level, ensure equity and inclusion, and enhance coherence across global agendas.
“Such integration would create important synergies with sectoral initiatives by linking industrial decarbonisation pathways with the urban systems that drive demand for steel, cement, shipping, and other critical sectors,” he said.
The statement also mentioned that the proposal drew supportive responses from the participating parties.
According to the statement, the Declaration on Integrating the New Urban Agenda into the UNFCCC Process is set to be presented at the High-Level Closing Ceremony of the Ministerial Meetings on Urbanisation and Climate Change at COP30 in Belém, Brazil.
Nga invites more member states to support the cause and advance the implementation of the New Urban Agenda at the local level, aiming to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. – Bernama
