Abuja. April 5, 2024 – Nigeria has been elected the chair of the Executive Board for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development announced this in a statement on its website.
The announcement was made during a meeting of the UN-Habitat office and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Abuja on Thursday.
Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, has accepted the chairmanship position, pledging that Nigeria will fulfill its mission.
He commended the UN-Habitat and the African Group for their trust in Nigeria’s leadership, which he attributed to Nigeria’s dedication and notable role in advancing the African Urban Agenda (AUA) and the 2030 Agenda in the continent.
Gwarzo assured of Nigeria’s dedication to achieving the objectives of UN-Habitat.
The minister also acknowledged significant progress in Nigeria’s human settlement sector since 2003, attributing it to the strong partnership between UN-Habitat and the Federal Government.
Gwarzo also reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to delivering affordable housing in all areas of Nigeria.
He said the collaboration with UN-Habitat would maximize results.
“In this wise, UN-Habitat remains a critical partner. We therefore seek more of UN-Habitat’s collaboration in realizing this vision and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda vision for housing and urban development in Nigeria, aimed at improving the living conditions of Nigerians through Urban Renewal and the development of New Towns,” he said.
Gwarzo expressed optimism that the ongoing funding for UN-Habitat Programme Support Office (UN-HAPSO) in Nigeria would enhance their partnership and enable the office to effectively support housing and urban development stakeholders at all levels.
“We equally look forward to early commencement and successful implementation of the Work-plan of the extant MoU which is geared towards a more robust human settlements development in the country,” he said.
Mathias Spaliviero, the leader of the UN-Habitat delegation, congratulated the minister on Nigeria’s appointment as the chair of the executive board of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and formally handed over the appointment letter to the Minister of State.
He described the executive board as a body consisting of 40-50 member states, tasked with decision-making, evaluating UN-Habitat’s progress against its strategic plan, and providing recommendations.
Spaliviero said the UN-Habitat had offered technical assistance for the National Urban Development policy and committed to continued support until the policy would be ratified. (GBN)
