Cities Are Where Sustainable Development Goals Will Be Won or Lost, Deputy Secretary-General Says at Mid-term Review of New Urban Agenda Opening

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed's remarks, as prepared for delivery on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, at the opening ceremony of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the Mid-term Review of the New Urban Agenda, in New York today:

I am delighted to join the [General Assembly] President Annalena [Baerbock] in welcoming you for the Mid-term Review of the New Urban Agenda.

Every global challenge eventually arrives at someone's front door. Conflict displaces families into cities. Climate shocks overwhelm homes and infrastructure. Rising costs push housing and basic services further out of reach. Inequality becomes visible street by street.

That is why this Mid-term Review of the New Urban Agenda reaches far beyond urban policy. It is one of the clearest ways sustainable development shows up in lives of people on a daily basis, and it does more than look back: It tells us what cities and communities need from us now.

Three things stand out.

First, the Sustainable Development Goals will be delivered at the local level, or they will not be delivered at all. More than half of humanity already lives in urban areas. By the middle of this century, nearly 70 per cent will do so.

Cities can drive progress as hubs of innovation, economic activity, and social interaction and dignity. Yet, the choices made in cities will determine whether families can find an affordable home. Whether children can get to school. Whether people can reach work and essential services. Whether communities are ready for the next flood, heatwave or storm.

Last week, during the review of Sustainable Development Goal 11, Member States reaffirmed this point. Sustainable urbanization is one of the clearest routes to faster progress across the 2030 Agenda.

Second, urban growth is moving faster than urban transformation, and we need to catch up. The Review shows progress since Quito. Countries have strengthened national urban policies and planning systems. Cities are advancing climate action and improving public services. Local governments and communities are showing what can be done, often under enormous pressure.

But progress is not keeping pace with need. Housing is becoming less affordable. Informal settlements are expanding. Infrastructure and essential public services are falling behind. Climate risks and inequality are growing.

We know the result. When housing costs swallow household incomes, inequality deepens, disproportionally affecting women as well as marginalized and vulnerable groups. When services fail, health and education suffer, severely limiting a young person's potential. When cities are unprepared for climate shocks, the poorest communities pay the highest price.

But these challenges can turn into opportunities if we lean into strategic city planning, integrated policy reform and by strengthening institutions. Clearer, disaggregated data will also help us identify the pain points.

Third, cities need the power and resources to deliver. Local and regional authorities are being asked to manage rapid growth, respond to crises and drive progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. Many are still expected to do this without the money or authority to act, and without the systems needed to carry the work through. Cities need better access to finance. Local authorities and institutions need to be engaged and recognized as key partners.

Data and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, should help authorities plan and reach all sectors of the community, improving services without deepening inequality or excluding the people they are meant to serve. National Governments and international partners also need to work with local leaders, not around them.

The Pact for the Future reinforces the need for stronger cooperation across all levels of government. Across the United Nations system, UN-Habitat, Resident Coordinators, Regional Commissions, local and regional governments and other local partners are working to connect global commitments with local delivery.

That is where multilateralism proves its value.

At the World Urban Forum in Baku, I saw the ideas and partnerships already driving progress. The Baku Call to Action captured that determination. Now we need to take the ambition and the energy from Baku and make it contagious.

Many of you will be familiar with the new Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, who is a powerful advocate for healthier, more sustainable cities that work for everyone,[CS1] has spoken of the day "when the city they love finally loves them back".

A city loves its people back when it protects their dignity and gives them a stake in its prosperity. The New Urban Agenda gives us a clear horizon to do that; the Review shows us where the gaps are.

It is time to close that gap, city by city and community by community. Thank you.