Nairobi, Kenya, 26 May 2019: The New Urban Agenda shows that by 2050, the world’s urban population is expected to nearly double. It further shows that populations, economic activities, social and cultural interactions, as well as environmental and humanitarian impacts, are increasingly concentrated in cities, posing sustainability challenges in terms of housing, infrastructure, basic services, food security, health, education, decent jobs, safety and natural resources, among others. In acknowledging the urgent need for effective policy responses to Africa’s rapid urban growth, and the acceleration of coherent and systematic implementation of the New Urban Agenda, the African Union convened to reflect on the Common African Position on habitat that consolidates Africa’s interests for deliberations and inclusion in the sessional report to be adopted in the upcoming inaugural UN-Habitat Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.

A ministerial meeting of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee (AU-STC 8) Sub Committee on Housing and Urban Development, met to enhance the African position on some of the pertinent issues set to be deliberated at the UN-Habitat Assembly. The ministers also agreed on the representatives of Africa to the Bureau of the Assembly as well as the membership of the Executive Board of UN-Habitat. The Harmonized Regional Framework for the Implementation, Monitoring and Reporting of New Urban Agenda in Africa, inspired by the Common African Position on Habitat III (CAPH3), Africa Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goal 11, was endorsed by African Member States in 2019 and guides the agenda for the Africa Group, which is an integral part of the UN member States.
The Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Urban Development and Human Settlements, H.E. Jean Bosco Ntunzwenimana and Minister of Urban Development of the Republic of Burundi, underscored the importance of the meeting in rallying “Africa’s voice” in informing the outcomes of the UN-Habitat Assembly. He at the same time also noted that to achieve the transformation brought about by urbanization, members states would have to upscale their national development plans and gave emphasis to the need for closer collaboration between the ministries in charge of urbanization and those in charge of economy, as means to strengthen African economies through industrialization.

The African Union Commission Director for Political Affairs, Dr. Khabele Matlosa, emphasized on the role of urbanization in relation to Africa’s structural transformation agenda, recalling the recognition, in both the Progress Report of the Commission on the African Union Agenda 2063, and in the Report of the High-Level Committee on the Post-2015 that underscore Urban and Human settlement development as key drivers of Africa’s transformation. He noted that the meeting was an opportunity to enhance Africa’s participation at the UN Habitat Assembly in a more focused, coordinated and coherent manner, particularly as the Assembly outcomes will guide policy and programmatic interventions in human settlements development for the next four years.

The Director of the Regional Office for Africa at UN-Habitat, Mr. Nelson Mungissa observed that the meeting was a platform for the AU Commission, the UN-Habitat and the UN Economic Commission for Africa to deliberate on the implementation and monitoring of the New Urban Agenda in Africa and making careful considerations on how sustainable urbanization and human settlements could promote structural change in local and national development as a means to realize the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.

Ms. Edlam Yemeru, a representative from the UN Economic Commission for Africa, while observing that no country in the world has developed without urbanization and industrialization, emphasized on the need to ensure that urbanization is accompanied by economic growth to drive Africa’s development vision. She added that while the African continent records the highest rate of urbanization, the recommendations in the New Urban Agenda would prevent and/or address challenges of urbanization and be an opportunity to increase economic exchanges, reduce poverty, and enable more industrialization.

The UN Habitat meeting is being held under the theme “Innovation for a better quality of life in cities and communities.” delegates will deliberate on how to make big cities more habitable.

For further inquiry, please contact:
Mr. Issaka Garba Abdou, Senior Political officer/Coordinator of the STC8 Secretariat, Department of Political Affairs, African Union Commission; garbaabdoui@africa-union.org; Tel: +251115182611;

Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Media Center Coordinator; Directorate of Information and Communication; AU Commission. molalett@africa-union.org; Tel: 0911 630631.

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia