Malawi Co-Leads UN Political Declaration on New Urban Agenda

The Government of Malawi co-facilitated the adoption of a Political Declaration on the midterm review of the New Urban Agenda during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York. Working alongside Poland under the appointment of UNGA President Annalena Baerbock, Malawi helped lead the negotiations to accelerate the implementation of sustainable urban strategies through 2036.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu delivered a national statement emphasizing that the next decade must be defined by decisive implementation. Chipungu detailed Malawi's efforts to combat the fact that nearly 70 percent of its urban residents live in informal settlements. Key strategies under the Malawi 2063 Vision include developing secondary cities to decentralize economic growth, digitizing land administration via the Land Information Management System, and drafting a new housing bill.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Ben Malunga Phiri characterized the declaration's adoption as evidence of the power of multilateralism. To translate the agreement into action, Phiri announced plans to strengthen local authorities, digitalize revenue collection, and increase funding through a reformed Constituency Development Fund. Malawi continues to seek increased climate finance and technical support to build resilient infrastructure and integrated informal settlement upgrades, citing existing collaborations in Lilongwe with Habitat for Humanity Malawi.