Human Settlements Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi, has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to ensuring that the country achieves the New Urban Agenda in a more sustainable way.
Kubayi was speaking at a ministerial roundtable on the sidelines of the 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) Summit, currently underway in Cairo, Egypt.
The ministerial roundtable was hosted by the United Nations-Habitat Executive Director, Anacláudia Rossbach, on Tuesday.
It explored how different spheres of government, from national to local, can work better together to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular attention on multilevel governance arrangements and partnerships for adequate housing, climate action, finance systems, digital technology, and urban crises response.
The New Urban Agenda represents a shared vision for a better and more sustainable future, and if well-planned and well-managed, urbanisation can be a powerful tool for sustainable development for both developing and developed countries.
Speaking at the session, Kubayi said South Africa was committed to ensuring that the country meets Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which calls for countries to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
“We have recognised that this is one of the most important areas of work to address issues related to this, in terms of global shared challenges, such as rapid urbanisation, climate change, inequality and inadequate infrastructure,” Kubayi said.
Kubayi said a multistakeholder approach has been taken by the South African government, and working together with the private sector and civil society, they have committed to ensuring that no one is left behind, but “we include everybody as part of our programmes”.
She highlighted that the primary participants in terms of this work is in the policy formulation, but also ensuring that government’s activities at local level are taken up and programmes are supported.
“The private sector supports us in terms of financial support, ensuring the initiatives that we do and commit to, are also funded, but also in partnership to fast-track the implementation. We do recognise that one of the areas that we want to continue to do this, is also support in terms of academic research organisations.
“We have launched our research agenda as the South African government, to ensure that what we bring as solutions in terms of implementing the urban agenda and also in achieving the UN SGD goals, is to ensure and make sure that our solutions are evidence based but more importantly, can be sustainable,” Kubayi said.
Kubayi also committed government in ensuring that urbanisation in the work they do in critical governance and leadership of the new urban agenda, includes the three spheres of government.
“That is why in our delegation here we have representatives of the national government, provincial government and local government. We do believe that this approach is more sustainable and ensures that it is inclusive but in terms of ensuring that all hands are on deck,” the Minister said.
The 12th World Urban Forum Summit is being held under the theme: “It all starts at home. local actions for sustainable cities and communities.” – SAnews.gov.za
