GROUP OF 77
NAIROBI

Statement by H.E. Mr. Raza Bashir Tarar, High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the Republic of Kenya, Permanent Representative to UNON and Chairperson of the Group of 77 & China, Nairobi Chapter at the 64th Regular Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) (Nairobi, 20 March 2017)

Mr. Chairman
Executive Director
Distinguished delegates

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

Mr. Chairman as you are aware the Governing Council of UN-habitat will hold its 26th Session in Nairobi in May 2017.

The Group of 77 and China endorses the agreed theme for the UN Governing Council entitled "Opportunities for the effective implementation of the new urban agenda" along with its three sub-themes.

This Group firmly believes that the role and commitment of international organizations and the developed world is of crucial importance in providing adequate and sustainable means of implementation including finance, technology transfer and capacity building as the means to support national efforts of developing countries.

As outlined by my predecessor the Ambassador of Argentina in regard to the implementation process, this Group once again emphasizes the attention that needs to be given to addressing the unique and emerging urban development challenges faced by developing countries especially the least developed countries, land locked developing countries, African countries, small island developing states, conflict and post conflict countries as well as many middle income countries that face specific challenges.

Mr. Chairman

I would also like to highlight that different capacities and levels of development of all nations must be taken into account while implementing the New Urban Agenda.

As underlined by me on different occasions, I would once again like to highlight the important role played by CPR of UN-Habitat in Nairobi to enhance the effectiveness of UN-Habitat. In this regard the CPR must be kept in picture of all the developments taking place in other capitals as well as in New York. This active engagement would provide opportunities for national and local governments to design plans and manage sustainable urban and human settlement policies.

Mr. Chairman

The Group appreciates country activities report including country presentation. We urge the Secretariat to provide regular briefing to the CPR on the financial aspects of the organization. We are aware of the fact that UN-Habitat faces financial challenges which need to be addressed with a view to finding solutions for bridging the gap in the years to come.

The Group thanks the Working Group on Programme and Budget for its efforts during the last one and a half year to help UN-Habitat improve its efficiency, transparency and accountability. We also hope that its work will continue pending renewal of its mandate by the next Governing Council.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.

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