Addis Ababa, 23 June 2021 (ECA) - Representatives of African city authorities are benefitting from a new webinar series, which is designed to strengthen their capacities to implement, monitor and report on the continental priorities of the New Urban Agenda at local, national and sub-regional levels.
The series, which is being jointly organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), began with its first webinar on 16 June. Participants were drawn from ministries, city authorities, community administrators, UN agencies, civil society and academia with an aim to localize the New Urban Agenda across all sectors and levels.
The purpose of the series is to popularize an effective and integrated approach to implementing, monitoring and reporting of the New Urban Agenda in Africa while sharing good practices, producing internationally comparable data and building institutional capacities.
An appeal for urban development funds
Opening the webinar on behalf of the Acting Director of Governance and Conflicts Prevention at the African Union Commission, Mr. Guy Cyrille Tapoko said: “I appeal to national authorities and local communities to dedicate reliable and adequate internal resources in favor of the implementation and monitoring of the New Urban Agenda, in particular through the creation of national urban development funds.”
Adopted by world leaders in 2016, the New Urban Agenda sets a global standard for urban development that integrates all facets of sustainable development to promote equity, welfare and prosperity. The Agenda is of particular significance to Africa which is the world’s fastest urbanizing region.
For this reason, the ECA and UN-Habitat developed a Harmonized Framework to help African member states adapt their plans at local, national and sub-regional levels for a coherent implementation, monitoring and reporting of the New Urban Agenda based on continental priorities.
An integrated regional reporting approach
Speaking at the webinar, Ms. Edna Deimi Tobi, Deputy Director of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, urged member states and partners to strengthen the Africa regional reporting on the New Urban Agenda which would inform the global reporting process culminating in April 2022.
She reminded member states that Africa’s united position informed this global commitment and that the same regional unity should be observed in its monitoring and reporting process.
The first session of the webinar, which had two main segments, focused on the benefits of the Harmonized Framework in helping member states align national plans with regional priorities, strengthen institutional capacity and establish multi-sectoral partnerships on urban development. Participants heard about South Africa’s experience in adapting the framework at local and national levels to achieve its New Urban Agenda priorities such as poverty eradication and sustainable human settlements.
Everyone needs to be involved
In her presentation, Ms. Monika Glinzler, Director of International Relations for South Africa’s Department of Human Settlements, said her country places a premium on bringing various stakeholders – including local governments, civil society and academia – together to agree on implementation priorities and to subsequently report on progress.
In the final session, participants discussed progress monitoring tools, data production practices and knowledge transfer techniques to support a coordinated reporting on the regional and global priorities of the New Urban Agenda, while using the evidence as a basis for policy interventions for sustainable and inclusive urban planning.
The series will have two more webinars taking place in July and August. It comes at a time when member states prepare their quadrennial reports on the progress made towards the priorities of the New Urban Agenda. The interventions will inform the national reporting processes as well as regional coordination and cooperation.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
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