OPENING ADDRESS BY AMBASSADOR ANWARUL K. CHOWDHURYCHAIRMAN, GLOBAL FORUM ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS(GFHS),

FORMER UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL AND HIGH REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS 

AT THE INAUGURAL SESSION OF THE NINETEENTH GLOBAL FORUM ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS (GFHS XIX) 

AT UN HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK ON 24 OCTOBER 2024

A warm greeting to all of you on the occasion of the 79th birthanniversary of the United Nations.

In my capacity as the Chairman of the Global Forum on HumanSettlements (GFHS), I extend a very warm welcome to all the2participants who have joined us from various part of the globe at the Nineteenth Global Forum on Human Settlements in New York.

I mention with honor and pride that this is the fourth time that theannual gatherings of the Global Forum is being held at the UnitedNations headquarters in New York. Previous three were held in theyears 2011, 2015 and 2017.

As one of the most important annual global meetings on the urbanagenda, sustainable cities and human settlements, today’s Forumwill focus on the theme, “Invigorate Innovation and LocalLeadership for a Sustainable Urban Future”.

I thank the Forum Board members, in particular our distinguishedVice-Chairman Mr. Tajeldin Hamad, and the Forum Secretariat teamfor their commitment to the mission of the organization. Myappreciation and special thanks go to our dynamic Secretary-GeneralLyu Haifeng for his hard work and for elevating the profile of GFHS,particularly over more than a decade and half during which I had thehonor and privilege of being its Chairman.

In my brief opening remarks this morning, I would attempt to bringto your attention a broader perspective of the human settlementsagenda in a global setting.

Beginning in 2008, for the first time, half of humanity is now living intowns and cities. But this dramatic transition is far from over. Wehave seen in reality the beginning of a new urban era. 

It is projected that global urbanization levels will rise dramatically inthe coming decades to reach 70 percent by 2050. We thus live at atime of rapid, unprecedented, irreversible urbanization.

“New Urban Agenda” adopted at the UN-Habitat III in Quito,Ecuador in 2016, coming on the heels of the adoption of the SDGs,seeks to create a mutually reinforcing relationship betweenurbanization and development. The idea is that these two conceptswill become parallel vehicles for sustainable development.

It has been rightly said that “our struggle for global sustainabilitywill be won or lost in cities. The challenges of rapid urbanizationfigure prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Developmentin Goal 11 with a commitment to ‘make cities and humansettlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’.”

Cities have the potential to shape the future of humankind and towin the battle for sustainable development. Cities are at theforefront of the global battle against climate change. In the last twodecades, cities and urban centres have become the dominanthabitats for humankind and the engine-rooms of humandevelopment as a whole.

Urbanization offers unprecedented opportunities for increasingliving standards, life expectancy and environmental sustainability. Atthe same time, urban poverty is a severe, pervasive – and largelyunacknowledged – feature of modern life.

Significantly, a gendered perspective of urban poverty highlightsfundamental issues of equality and social justice by showingwomen’s unequal position in the urban labour market and theirgreater exposure to violence.

If cities are hubs of dynamism, change and opportunity, they arealso places of exploitation, disease and unemployment. Crime, drugabuse and pollution have increased in growing numbers of cities.New tensions are emerging between migrants and establishedresidents, adding to already sharp divisions along class, racial andethnic lines.

Governments must turn their attention to the needs of vulnerablepopulations as a matter of urgency as part of their development ofeffective and comprehensive responses to homelessness. The stateof sheer homelessness in the world today along with the immensecrisis faced by millions living in inadequate and insecure housing andliving conditions, calls for a combination of a humanitarian and ahuman rights approach.

As urbanization expands, more cities will find themselves managingproblems and opportunities that used to be the exclusive domain ofnational governments. And as more cities come to have populationsand economies larger than those of many countries, cities willincreasingly become the main players in the global economy.

Let me conclude by underscoring that sustainable urbandevelopment is one of the most pressing challenges facing thehuman community in the 21st century. As more and more peoplemake cities their home, cities will be the arenas in which some of theworld’s biggest social, economic, environmental and politicalchallenges will be faced and need to be addressed collectively.

As such, the leadership role of mayors and city governments is offundamental importance. Here I have the pleasure of informing you5about the launch in July 2021 of a new vision of the Mayors forPeace, a global organization with a membership of more than 8000cities in 160 countries. Titled “Vision for Peaceful Transformation toa Sustainable World”, it sets forth a new third objective of“promoting the culture of peace,” in addition to the ongoing twoobjectives, “realizing a world without nuclear weapons,” and“realizing safe and resilient cities.”

It is significant that GFHS has, since its establishment, been focusingon the challenges I have outlined at each of its annual conferences.This nineteenth Global Forum in the series is again another timely,relevant and appropriate initiative that is aimed at making theinternational community alert and proactive to the issues ofurbanization in a holistic manner.