(Courtesy Translation)
Mr. President, Excellencies, Distinguished Colleagues,
Italy aligns itself with the statement delivered by the European Union on behalf of its Member States.
The midterm review of the New Urban Agenda provides an important opportunity to renew our collective commitment and to reflect on the essential role that cities and territories play in advancing our global objectives.
Drawing on Italy’s experience, we wish to highlight four key priorities to strengthen the implementation of the New Urban Agenda over the coming decade.
First, achieving sustainable urban development requires effective multilevel governance, greater policy coherence for sustainable development, and stronger integration across sectors and levels of government. It is essential to ensure the full participation of local authorities in decision-making, implementation and monitoring processes. Italy’s Voluntary National Review, presented this year at the High-level Political Forum, provides a concrete example of this approach, incorporating fourteen Voluntary Local Reviews.
Second, the localization of sustainable development is critical to accelerating the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. In this regard, the Partnership Platform on SDG Localization, promoted jointly with UN-Habitat and linked to the UN Local2030 Coalition, supports collaboration between national governments and territorial stakeholders, fosters peer learning, and advances the development of National Frameworks for SDG Localization, whose importance is appropriately recognized in the Political Declaration.
Third, we underscore the importance of ensuring the meaningful participation of young people in decision-making processes. This year, Italy completed its first Voluntary Youth Review, thereby contributing to the implementation of the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations.
Finally, we reaffirm the importance of integrated and participatory urban and territorial planning that promotes nature-based solutions and recognizes culture and sport as powerful drivers of sustainable development, social cohesion and community well-being. In this regard, Italy is committed to promoting sporting events and sports facilities as spaces for community engagement, social inclusion and the active participation of younger generations in advancing the sustainability of their territories.
Ten years after the adoption of the New Urban Agenda, Italy renews its commitment to working closely with partner countries, cities, territories, international organizations and all relevant stakeholders to advance its full implementation, guided by the principle that no person and no place should be left behind.
Thank you.
