Opening Ceremony of the 12th World Urban Forum, 4 November 2024

 

Your Excellency, mister President,

Your Excellencies,

dear representatives of national, regional and local governments,

your excellency, Anacláudia Rossbach,

dear governor of Cairo,

distinguished guests,

 

I am honoured to be here today, in this opening ceremony of the 12th World Urban Forum.

I have the honor, pride and pleasure of representing the self-organised constituency of local and regional governments, gathered within the Global Taskforce, and as President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

 

The road of sustainable cities and territories is one that our constituency has walked hand in hand with UN Habitat.

Allow me to wish here in public on behalf of all of us a very successful mandate and first World Urban Forum to Anacláudia Rossbach.

Dear Executive Director,

We look forward to working closely with you.

Also, allow me to acknowledge the mayor of Kuala Lumpur Maimunah Mohd Sharif, the former mayor of Barcelona Joan Clos, and all previous leaders for their efforts to support to the self-organised constituency of local and regional governments.

 

The two years since the last Forum in Katowice have been some of the most difficult in recent memory in many parts of the globe.

The hope of a better recovery after the global pandemic, has stalled.

Now, we are facing a transformed, and harsh world.

The conflicts that shook us then still remain now.

 

To respond to these overlapping crises, the theme of the World Urban Forum, “It Starts at Home”, resonates more than ever.

It starts within our communities.

It starts at the local and territorial level.

Transformation starts with us.

Local and regional governments are the sphere of government that has led the way to protect lives, and livelihoods,

provide services, guarantee access to housing, and place people first.

Just last week I heard first hand from local leaders from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania such as Mayor Wilson from Koboko, and mayor Iranqe of Arusha in a session of the Strong Cities Network how these leaders tackle polarisation and radicalisation.

 

Local and regional governments are crucial, for achieving the 2030 Agenda.

And in my city, The Hague, due to its location by the sea and being surrounded by other cities, there’s little space for new housing.

As a result we built more high-rise buildings.

While we are not Cairo or Hong Kong it’s important to monitor the level of services as we build higher and accommodate more residents.

We continuously seek the right balance, ensuring that green spaces in the city remain a priority.

 

There’s also a strong emphasis on facilitating dialogue between residents and stakeholders, allowing for participation.

This example shows the significance of local governments on achieving a prosperous, green and safe living environment for all.

It is (also) essential to build upon the display of care provided by local and regional governments over the past years.

 

This is why we call on the international system to honour the commitments of the Summit of the Future and to involve our constituency of local and regional governments, in the discussions around financing and governance.

 

We have to emphasize the role that the New Urban Agenda will play to accelerate the transformation from the bottom-up.

Only through its localization will we ensure access to housing, face the climate emergency, be able to transform our financial ecosystems, and place our communities at the heart of a peaceful, safe and sustainable future for all.

 

We are convinced that the localization of the New Urban Agenda remains critical to achieve the SDGs, as well as the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Global Compact for Safe,

Orderly and Regular Migration and all other universal development agendas.

 

Coming out of the Summit of the Future, we fully believe in the ways that it can implement the 2030 Agenda, and be the cornerstone of the local SDG Rescue Plan.

 

It is in this context, with the Summit and the Pact as a very recent memory, that would like to take a moment to celebrate the efforts and the successes of this UN Secretary General’s Advisory Group, whose deliverables have been essential to enhance the dialogue between our constituency and the international system.

 

Your Excellencies, dear colleagues, dear friends,

 

Our self-organised constituency is here as true multilateralists. I was honored to host the UCLG constituency at the World Council in The Hague this October.

As such, we call on national governments to support our pledges as key political actors.

Local and Regional Governments have high hopes in a renewed multilateralism that recognizes our role in reducing poverty and hunger, in acting to protect our planet, and in building peace and good governance.

 

We have high hopes in a system that considers current and future generations, and that is focused on peace, partnerships and equity; building solutions from the bottom-up.

Our constituency is firmly convinced that the agenda of UN-Habitat is the proof that more involvement is needed.

This is what we think of when we hear the phrase

“It starts at home”:

It starts with all of us.

It starts now.

Thank you.