Distinguished Co-Facilitators,
Excellencies,
Colleagues,

At the outset, the G77 and China thanks the co-facilitators for the circulation of the Elements Paper and for the effort to consolidate the different written submissions in preparation for this consultation. We recognize that the paper contains a number of useful elements that can serve as a good basis for further work, including the reaffirmation of the New Urban Agenda as the agreed global framework for sustainable urban development and human settlements, the focus on implementation gaps, and the inclusion of important elements relating to housing, basic services, water and sustainable urbanization, infrastructure, resilience, means of implementation, and support for UN-Habitat. The Group supports the further reflection of these elements in the zero draft.

At the same time, the Group believes that the next iteration of the text should more clearly reflect the concerns and priorities of developing countries and remain firmly anchored in the carefully negotiated balance of the New Urban Agenda. In our view, the Political Declaration should build on, and not re-write, the New Urban Agenda. It should remain concise, forward-looking, action-oriented and focused on implementation. The overall framing should also more clearly reflect the eradication of poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, as well as the eradication of hunger, as overarching priorities under Section I.

The Group further considers that references to other intergovernmental frameworks should remain grounded in agreed language and support implementation and coherence without overloading the text. In this regard, the Declaration may build on the interlinkages between the New Urban Agenda and relevant internationally agreed frameworks, including the three Rio Conventions, the 2030 Agenda, especially its SDG 11, the Sevilla Commitment, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. The draft political declaration must reaffirm all the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, including, inter alia, the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, as set out in principle 7, consistent with paragraph 18 of the New Urban Agenda. If the Paris Agreement is referenced, it should be framed as in paragraph 6 of the New Urban Agenda, namely as the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

On social inclusion, the Group reiterates that adequate, affordable and sustainable housing for all should remain central. The Declaration should strengthen language on universal and equitable access to basic services, including safe drinking water, sanitation, food security and nutrition, and social protection systems. It should also preserve the links between urban development, public health, social cohesion and equitable access to opportunities and services. The Group further underlines the importance of the interlinkages between water and sustainable urbanization, including through stronger recognition of integrated environmental sanitation systems, particularly in underserved and rapidly growing urban and peri-urban areas.

The Group also believes that the zero draft should better reflect the agreed language proposed by the Group on the unique and emerging urban development challenges facing all countries, in particular developing countries, including African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, as well as the specific challenges facing middle-income countries, countries in situations of conflict, countries and territories under foreign occupation, post-conflict countries and countries affected by natural and human-made disasters. The Group underscores that paragraph 19 of the New Urban Agenda addresses the specific challenges faced by developing countries, and emphasizes that all these elements should be duly reflected in the present review, in a manner consistent with paragraph 19 with a view to ensuring alignment with the New Urban Agenda.

The Declaration should also reaffirm the importance of respecting the national unity and territorial integrity of States and avoiding actions that may undermine them, consistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

The Group further believes that the zero draft should more accurately reflect the specific challenges faced by cities affected by armed conflict and crisis, including damage to housing and infrastructure, post-conflict recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts, the presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war, and the need to address these challenges. The Political Declaration should also express deep concern over the devastating impacts of armed conflicts on urban areas, particularly the destruction and disruption of critical infrastructure and essential services, which undermine development gains and the achievement of SDG 11.

On environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development, the Group supports stronger commitments to resilient and risk-informed urban development, including disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, resilience-building and integrated planning. At the same time, this section should remain balanced and should not duplicate or prejudge discussions under other intergovernmental processes. Concepts like green and blue economies that are not grounded in agreed intergovernmental terminology should be avoided.

On implementation, follow-up and review, the Group reiterates that means of implementation must remain a central pillar of the Political Declaration. Implementation will only be credible if it is supported by adequate, sustainable, predictable and accessible means of implementation for developing countries, including finance, capacity-building, technology transfer and international cooperation. In this regard, the text should better reflect the importance of international support, including ODA, technical assistance, and support for strengthening local planning and implementation capacities. References to local and regional governments should remain balanced and framed in accordance with national ownership, national legal frameworks and institutional arrangements. Likewise, on data and technology, the focus should remain on capacity-building, national ownership, bridging digital divides, including support to digitalization and smart cities approaches, and avoiding new inequalities or burdens for developing countries. Furthermore, reference to Beyond 2030 should be avoided as it would be pre-emptive of its dedicated discussion.

Finally, the Group underscores that some important elements from its written input remain absent from the Elements Paper and should be reflected in the zero draft of the Political Declaration. These include the reference to paragraph 84 of the New Urban Agenda regarding unilateral economic, financial and trade measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations; the importance of the Nairobi headquarters location of UN-Habitat; and a more specific reflection of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum soon to be held in Baku and its contribution, including through the Ministerial Meeting on the New Urban Agenda, to the midterm review process.

Dear Co-Facilitators,

The Group remains committed to engaging constructively with you and the wider membership with a view to achieving a meaningful, balanced and implementable Political Declaration that faithfully supports the full and effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

I thank you.