Mr. Chairman,

 

I have the honor to speak on behalf of the member countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and we would like to thank the Secretary General for the presentation of the report relevant to this agenda item.

The importance of human settlements to the promotion of sustainable development has been fully recognized by the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals. Its final report contains a goal dedicated to "making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable". Representing one of the most urbanized regions in the world, CELAC calls the attention of the relevance of urban sustainability for the Post-2015 Development Agenda, given its direct impact in promoting social inclusion, environmental protection and sustained and inclusive economic growth.

As part of the implementation of the results of the UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the strengthening of the United Nations Programme for Human Settlements, we reiterate the importance of the commitments made by members States and the initiatives undertaken by other stakeholders to ensure an integrated approach to the planning and building of sustainable and resilient cities and urban settlements, promoting sustainable development policies that support the generation of decent jobs, inclusive housing and social services for all, particularly children, youth, women and the elderly and disable.

In that sense, we emphasize the importance of equitable and adequate access to basic urban services, as a basis for sustainable development and, therefore, to overall social and economic development.

Mr. Chairman,

We are in an important phase on the way to Habitat III. In that sense, we recall resolution 24/14 of the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT on the contributions and the support to the preparatory process, and encourage the Secretary General to seek voluntary financial support for these purposes and invite all Member States and relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, policy makers, local government leaders, non-governmental stakeholders and expert practitioners in the field of human settlements to actively contribute to the preparation of the Conference.

To move in this direction, it is essential to address the phenomenon of rapid urbanization through development and implementation of effective public policies to prevent social distress, geographic exclusion and environmental degradation, particularly in large cities. This phenomenon could lead to social and economic inequalities and exclusion, exacerbating one of the structural challenges of the Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

Based on the projections of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), it is expected that by 2025, cities like Lima and Bogota will become megacities with a population of at least 10 million people, joining Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in the group of the largest cities in the world. In that sense, for having our region one of the  highest urbanization rates, we will have to deal with unprecedented sustainable development challenges related to urban services, infrastructure, and other related challenges that will need adequate political will and strong commitment from all local, national, regional and international relevant stakeholders to face all our development needs.

It is also imperative for our cities to become safer, innovative, inclusive, sustainable and resilient. It is an action that cannot be taken independently and in isolation, it requires joint efforts, agreed actions and collective initiatives. In that line, we would like to welcome the outcome of the VII World Urban Forum held in Medellin, Colombia, in April of this year and invite all stakeholders to provide inputs and to contribute to the process leading to the Conference.

Mr. Chairman,

Habitat III will be the first major UN Conference to be held after the definition of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. It will give us the first opportunity to discuss the implementation of the new development framework and work towards a global agenda for sustainable urban development. In that sense, we recognize the importance of having an open and comprehensive intergovernmental preparatory process with the effective contribution and active participation of all relevant stakeholders, including local governments, major groups, the relevant United Nations funds and programmes, the regional commissions and specialized agencies. We welcome the outcome of the the first preparatory meeting that took place in this venue a few weeks ago and look forward to reach substantial advances in the second meeting to be held in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2015. It will be essential to continue with an integrated and comprehensive debate, including the fundraising in supporting to Habitat III.

We are confident that the outcome of this important conference will build on the guidelines defined by the inernationally agreed goals of the Post-2015 Agenda Development.

We believe that all these elements must be galvanized in the next stages of the preparation for Habitat III and in that regard, CELAC Member States would like to express their strong support to the Government of Ecuador for its proposal to host this important Conference.

We believe that our regional experience will enrich this process and will provide key elements to advance in the consideration of cities as engines of sustainable economic growth in order to promote poverty eradication as well as economically, socially and environmentally sustainable societies.

 

Thank you