GROUP OF 77
NAIROBI

Statement by H.E. Mr. Martin Gómez Bustillo, Ambassador of the Argentine Republic to the Republic of Kenya, and Permanent Representative to UNEP, UN-HABITAT and UNON,Chairperson of the Group of 77 and China, Nairobi Chapter, at the 63° regular meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) (Nairobi, 1 December 2016)

Mr. Chairman,
Executive Director,
Distinguished delegates,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the group of 77 and China.

This is the first meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives after the Habitat III Conference and the adoption of the New Urban Agenda. At the outset, we wish to congratulate Member States, as well as the UN-Habitat Executive Director and the Secretariat on the successful conclusion of the Conference.

Habitat III had the opportunity to build upon the foundations of what the international community agreed on in 2015, specifically the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The Group of 77 and China welcomes the outcome of the Conference. In this regard, allow me Chair to highlight the Group's views on the New Urban Agenda:

- The New Urban Agenda is comprehensive, seeks to balance the three dimensions of sustainable development and reflects cross-cutting issues such as people-centered approach, age and gender-responsive, planet sensitivity, climate change, culture and cultural diversity, sustainable consumption and production patterns and resilience.
- We welcome the references and clear interlinkages of the New Urban Agenda to the agreed outcomes of the new sustainable development framework.
- The Group is of a firm belief that the role of international cooperation and commitment of developed countries are crucial in providing additional, adequate, sustainable and predictable means of implementation including finance, technology transfer and capacity building as means to support national efforts of developing countries.
- Regarding implementation, we stress the particular attention that needs to be given to addressing the unique and emerging urban development challenges faced by developing countries, in particular African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, small island developing States, conflict and post-conflict countries as well as specific challenges that many middle-income countries face. Different national realities, capacities and levels of development must also be taken in account.
- A strong organizational machinery for implementing the New Urban Agenda must be developed. The role and expertise of the UN-Habitat was recognized by Member States during the Conference.
- CPR of UN-Habitat has an important role to play in enhancing the effectiveness of UN-Habitat, in both its normative and operational work, so as the Programme continues providing capacity development and tools to national, sub-national and local governments in designing, planning, and managing sustainable urban and human settlement policies.

Mr Chairman,

The Group also welcomes the recommendations for the Executive Director and the report of the Working Group on Programme of Work and Budget. We recall that the purpose of establishing the Working Group has been to allow Member States to have an overall understanding and supervision of the Programme and finances of UN-Habitat in order to achieve greater clarity and efficiency in the use of the funds.

This lead us to the financial situation of UN-Habitat. The Group appreciates the information provided by the Secretariat regarding the current challenges that the Programme faces in its core budget. We would like to reiterate our commitment to continue discussing on this matter with the view of finding solutions for bridging finance in the years to come. We are also aware that Member States in the New Urban Agenda have decided to take a close and constructive look at UN-Habitat with the aim of strengthening and enhancing its capabilities.

Last but not least, we look forward to the preparations for the twenty-sixth session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat that will take place from 3 to 7 of April 2017 and to the selection of the theme of the session.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.