Statement by Deputy Permanent Representative Dmitry Chumakov at the High-Level Luncheon of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Dear colleagues,
UN-Habitat continues to play an important role as a focal point for sustainable urbanization and human settlements, in collaboration with other United Nations system entities. This organization relies on over 40 years of experience in development of cities. Its expertise in indispensable when it comes to the achievement of many internationally agreed goals and targets.
The New Urban Agenda has become a milestone in framing policies and international cooperation on urban development giving due attention to the local level of governance. It is crucial that we scale up efforts to drive its implementation that will contribute to our common objectives on climate change, food security, reliable energy and water issues.
In Russia, urban development has been enjoying a growing momentum in recent years. It has become a topic that brings together government officials at all levels, private sector and civil society. Bearing in mind the diverse nature and economic and social structure of Russia, we have no other choice but to focus on the local context to make sure that the right policies and best practices are put in place in each specific case.
We are always happy to share our experience and welcoming spirit of Russian cities internationally as well as to continue enhancing our cooperation with UN-Habitat and all interested partners. In 2017 we held the World Festival of Youth and Students in Sochi which included a panel discussion with UN-Habitat and young people about their vision of urban development. In 2018, the city of Moscow hosted the Urban Forum and the Cities Climate Forum. Last October we presented a report on the progress in implementation of Sustainable Development Goals at the local level in Russia using the examples of Moscow and Sverdlovsk Oblast. It is also my pleasure to announce that in October this year we will be organizing the World Cities Day in Ekaterinburg – a city inthe Urals famous for its industrial potential.
