PUTRAJAYA, July 18 — Malaysia will continue to support the mandate of the United Nations (UN) Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, as the country’s urbanisation rate is expected to reach 85 per cent by 2040.
This was conveyed by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming during his meeting with newly appointed UN-Habitat executive director Anaclaudia Rossbach in New York, the United States, recently.
Nga said Malaysia believes the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), adopted by more than 190 UN members, is a constructive way to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“We must avoid a tale of two cities… We cannot have one part of our cities for the poor and one part for the rich,” he said in a statement today.
He said Malaysia will accelerate SDG implementation by assigning each goal to a specific ministry for strategy and action.
“We hope to reach zero poverty by 2025. We believe that housing, especially the provision of adequate and affordable housing, is critical for us to achieve sustainable development,” he said while sharing Malaysia’s continued commitment to support the NUA platform, which will help UN members in the Asia-Pacific region to prepare and submit their NUA reports.
UN-Habitat is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable cities and urban management to provide adequate shelter for all.
Rossbach, from Brazil, succeeded Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia, who was appointed in 2018.
— Bernama
