UN-Habitat, and the League of Arab States sign MoU geared towards urban development

Cairo, 24 November 2022 – Aiming to strengthen the cooperation between the two entities, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, UN-Habitat Executive Director, and Mohammed Al-Amin Weld Kik, Assistant Secretary General of the League of Arab States (LAS), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance existing relations and focus on the localisation of the Arab Strategy for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development 2030 and the New Urban Agenda.

The MoU seeks to achieve increased technical cooperation between UN-Habitat, LAS Member States and relevant entities; development of joint projects and strengthened dialogue that contribute to provide adequate housing for communities and support sustainable urban development in the region; increased participation in relevant events, including Ministerial meetings and urban forums; cooperation among local governments in the Arab region and preparation and supporting efforts to mobilise resources and produce technical reports to serve all stakeholders in urban areas in the region and globally.

“We are trying to change the narrative of urbanisation,” Sharif commented. “If we plan well, design well, manage well, urbanisation can be full of opportunities. Urbanisation can be a solution for climate challenges.”

The MoU also aims to enhance dialogue and cooperation between local governments in the Arab region, particularly in the areas of national urban policies; urban legislation, rules and regulations; urban planning and design; urban economics and municipal finance and local implementation with a particular focus on key areas of cooperation, including, housing, basic services and infrastructure, urban demography, urban migration and displacement, land and institutional frameworks, environmental sustainability, climate change, urban prosperity and urban heritage conservation and urban observatories and data.

The MoU will promote synergies and support both parties to benefit from common goals in the field of sustainable urban development in the Arab region, as well as enhance the local, national and regional dimension in implementing the Arab strategy for sustainable urban development and global agendas for sustainable development.