New York 16 September 2016— Governments have agreed to the draft New Urban Agenda, the Habitat III Secretariat has announced.

Following discussions over the past four months, culminating in New York, the Secretariat announced that the agreement emanated from the Surabaya Draft which was the outcome of the third Preparatory Committee held in Indonesia in July.

The draft is expected to be adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development taking place in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 – 20 October 2016. The New Urban Agenda sets the framework for global efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11 - Making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable - as well as other SDGs in urban areas.

Stakeholders and observers agree that the adoption of the draft will be a milestone in the history of human settlements all over the world.