KUALA LUMPUR: The establishment of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) office in the federal capital to expand the Asia-Pacific Urban Agenda Platform (AP-UAP) is a recognition of Malaysia by the UN, said Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.
He described the setting up of the UN-Habitat office as a challenging task, particularly in obtaining approval and consent from the UN.
Nga said the office was established through an agency under the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT), URBANICE Malaysia, to develop the AP-UAP, an online knowledge-sharing platform that helps monitor and report progress to accelerate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“This office will serve as a regional focal point, acting as the main link for 58 countries to UN-Habitat and its partners, expanding access to knowledge, enhancing innovative efforts, and supporting urban sustainability initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The management of this office will be overseen by the ministry through URBANICE Malaysia, with support from the UN-Habitat Secretariat, which will be represented by multi-country programme offices in Bangkok, Thailand, and the regional office for Asia and the Pacific in Fukuoka, Japan,“ he said.
He said this at a press conference after the launch of the UN-Habitat Malaysia Office and AP-UAP in Damansara Heights, as part of the KPKT 2024 Success Touch Tour, which was also attended by the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Seri Dr Maimunah Mohd Sharif, and the CEO of URBANICE Malaysia, Norliza Hashim.
Nga said reports generated through AP-UAP will be submitted to the UN Secretary-General in New York every four years to strengthen initiatives aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Agenda and fulfilling the SDGs.
He said AP-UAP is a hub for reporting the progress of NUA implementation, supporting Asia-Pacific member countries in preparing their Third Quarterly Report, which will be submitted to the UN Secretary-General in 2026.
He added that it will also serve as a resource centre, a knowledge-sharing platform, and a capacity-building training centre for sustainable project development.
To date, only 41 out of 194 countries have provided progress reports on the implementation of the NUA, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia and South Korea.
