Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India (MoHUA) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) signed a Memorandum of Understanding cementing the long-standing partnership towards sustainable and inclusive urbanization in India.Mr. Katikithala Srinivas, Secretary, MoHUA and Ms. Kazuko Ishigaki, Regional Representative, Asia and the Pacific region, UN-Habitat along with the respective delegations met to sign the agreement marking this momentous milestone at the Twelfth World Urban Forum in Cairo, Egypt.Through this cooperation framework, UN-Habitat and MoHUA will collaborate through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action for inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable development in urban areas and human settlements within the Republic of India.Recognizing India’s ambition to grow from a USD 3 trillion economy to USD 5 trillion economy within the next few years, the agreement emphasizes need for shared prosperity with social, economic and environmental integration of cities, city-regions and rural areas. With the acknowledgement that there are disparities in cities’ resilience to face social, environmental and economic shocks, with some more prepared than others, some better financed than others. Cities must be smarter than ever about how they position their development trajectory to respond to affordable housing and reducing inequalities manifested in slums and informal settlements. Other areas of cooperation cover, circular economy of water, wastewater and municipal solid waste catalyzed and embedded in planning and investment in cities; enhanced action to respond to the crisis of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss in cities and human settlements; and strengthened capacity of local and sub-national governments and public institutions for planning, management and financing in cities and human settlements.Demonstrating the potential of this collaboration with immediate results, Mr. K Srinivas and Ms. Ishigaki launched the Urban RAASTA (Resilient and Accelerated Advancement with Sustainable and Transformative Actions) framework. Urban RAASTA is developed for local stakeholders and actors, especially in India’s intermediary cities, to endeavor towards a healthy, sustainable, and green development pathway which is rooted in India’s traditional ways of conservation and moderation. The framework emulates a T-shaped approach, i.e. multi-sectoral horizontal integration and intra-sectoral comprehensive vertical deep dive, which is necessary to develop “fit for purpose” recommendations for urban development instruments and financing. Urban RAASTA is jointly developed with MoHUA, national and subnational partners, with four cornerstones, namely, spatial equity, SDG localization, climate resilience, and inclusive economy to inform urban planning and local financing.     

I welcome this opportunity to introduce the proposed programme budget for 2025.I do so in a context of a multiplicity of challenges and with a strong sense of urgency.In a context of major global shocks, the United Nations is more needed than ever -- with our unmatched convening power.The Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations represent a commitment towards updating and reforming international cooperation to make it more networked, effective, fair and inclusive.The 2025 programme budget proposal reflects in many ways the priorities set out in these landmark agreements.The proposal renews our commitment to deliver on our mandates to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights.  At the same time, we will continue to work to cement our reforms, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.In the new digital age, the United Nations has an essential part to play.We reached a milestone with the Global Digital Compact, which includes the first truly universal agreement on the international governance of artificial intelligence with the UN at its centre.In December 2022, the General Assembly lifted the trial period and formalized the change to an annual budget period.The format of the programme budget has stabilized.  The programme plans reflect our increased results orientation.Our 350 results frameworks continue to move further towards demonstrating the impact and positive change of our work on the ground.The planned targets have become more ambitious.More than 65 per cent of quantitative planned targets are now aiming to achieve a 10 per cent or more increase in performance.  This is an increase from less than 30 per cent in the 2018-19 biennium, 45 per cent for 2023 and 60 per cent for 2024.We have reduced duplication in the strategies and deliverables, while maintaining the same level of programmatic information.Every programme manager is expected to scrutinize every dollar spent and planned to be spent.  And they must constantly review and adjust programmatic activities to achieve planned results.  This will allow us to optimize resources for mandate delivery and focus even more effectively on results.Let me now turn to the overall resource requirements.To fully implement our mandates, we will require a total of $3.6 billion in 2025.Excluding special political missions, this includes a total of 10,494 posts, representing a net increase of 115 posts required to implement new or strengthen existing mandates.The proposed budget also includes $711 million for the continuation of 36 special political missions for 2025.This reflects a decrease of $31 million from last year primarily because of the discontinuation of the field mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) and our investigative team to promote accountability for the crimes committed in Iraq by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD).In line with the usual practice, you will consider later in the session additional proposals for construction, revised estimates and programme budget implications resulting from new or revised mandates.  These include revised estimates in support of the implementation of the Pact of the Future and for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).We continue to make every effort to find efficiencies while also recognizing that any further cuts to support departments risk jeopardizing policy, operational, or communication support to our programmatic work.Allow me to highlight five specific elements of our 2025 programme budget proposals:First, we propose to continue our investment in sustainable development.We propose an increase of approximately $4.5 million, the sixth consecutive annual increase for the development pillar.The regular programme of technical cooperation -- or RPTC -- will be a key recipient.The increases will further strengthen the direct support provided to Governments to help advance their development efforts.With the proposed increase of $2 million, resources for the regular programme of technical cooperation will have grown by more than 45 per cent since 2019.The proposed increase in the regular programme of technical cooperation will be split evenly between all entities.However, we propose an additional $0.5 million for the Economic Commission for Africa for technical assistance and advice to Member States on the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.Our proposal also includes an increase of $1 million for the Development Account to enhance and expand targeted, country-level capacity development support and to broaden the dissemination of the projects’ results to more countries.We also seek increases of $0.6 million for the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa and $0.75 million for the Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.Further, we want to strengthen the UN development system through structural changes to help ensure sufficient and predictable funding -- and enhanced accountability.The resident coordinator system has faced a chronic funding shortfall since day one.A sustainable and predictable funding mechanism, through partial financing from the regular budget, is essential.  My proposal for assessed funding is under review by this Committee.  It is important to reach a decision on this topic.Member States’ expectations of the resident coordinator system are growing.The effects of the funding gap are felt every day.  For example, the recruitment for 78 posts across 52 countries has been suspended.We also seek to put the small System-Wide Evaluation Office on a firmer footing with regular budget funding.This will further enhance transparency and ensure effective, independent evaluation of the UN development system at the country level -- the raison d’etre of the UN Sustainable Development Goals System-Wide Evaluation Office.Second, human rights.The proposal includes an additional $8.3 million to support the work of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic and ensure its functioning at full capacity in 2025.We are also seeking an increase of $8 million for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for more effective implementation of mandates, especially at the regional level.Additionally, based on the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the guidance from the General Assembly, we have included resource requirements that will arise from anticipated mandate renewals by the Human Rights Council later in the year.By presenting these resource requirements now rather than separately later in the session, Member States have a more complete picture of the resources being sought for the Office.  This will also reduce fragmentation and increase transparency.Let me emphasize that this consolidation, which amounts to $28.8 million, does not represent an increase in resources -- only a change in presentation.Third, boosting support for the unprecedented humanitarian challenges in Gaza, with approximately $3.5 million in additional resources.This includes an increase of nearly $2.5 million for UNRWA which complements the additional $30 million approved for 2024.  UNRWA is a lifeline for Palestine refugees, and a crucial factor for regional stability.Fourth, advancing peace and security.This includes an increase of $2.5 million for disarmament, including the establishment of nine posts to implement activities requested by the General Assembly.  We are also seeking an increase of $1 million for the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process to intensify its vital work.Following the landmark decision of the General Assembly, we will address persistent funding challenges of the Peacebuilding Fund due to its exclusive reliance on voluntary contributions -- by approving a $50 million grant for the Peacebuilding and Recovery Facility of the Peacebuilding Fund starting in 2025.And fifth, strengthening our capacities in investigation and ethics.We are seeking an approximately $2 million increase for the creation of three temporary positions for the Ethics Office and ten for the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS).With the structural aspects of the reforms now well consolidated, it is imperative to keep working together to achieve the cultural change for results.Our 2025 budget continues to strive towards our shared vision for UN 2.0, through a forward-thinking workforce culture, empowered by cutting-edge skills.Gender equality and geographical representation remain priorities.We are working nonstop to ensure that our workforce reflects the membership of the United Nations.The General Assembly decision to increase the number of geographical posts has enabled us to reduce the total countries that were un- or under-represented and over-represented.  120 countries are now within range compared to 103 in December 2023.We are revising our strategy for equitable geographical distribution to focus on attracting more staff from countries that are un- or under-represented.Through our resident coordinator system and UN Information Centres, we have launched targeted outreach strategies in those countries, namely in many of the developing countries that are under-represented.In the same vein, we strive to expand opportunities for recruitment from as wide a geographical basis as possible for all posts.All these efforts are yielding results.  For example, at the start of the UN development system reform, 41 per cent of resident coordinators were from the Global South. Today, this number has increased to 57 per cent.We have successfully maintained gender parity at senior levels and, based on current projections, we will be able to reach parity at an organizational level before 2028.But we must do more to achieve parity at every entity and every level.We are also working on the next phase of our system-wide disability inclusion strategy and making progress in our efforts to combat racism and racial discrimination at work.The proposal before you reflects our ambition to respond to new threats and opportunities.For us to deliver on our promises, Member States must also honour their commitments to this Organization.Ultimately, the effectiveness of programme delivery and use of financial resources in 2025 will depend on the availability of cash.I hope that we can end the current trend of declining liquidity.The Organization started this year with only about $67 million in cash, compared to $700 million last year, making it extremely vulnerable to adverse changes in payment patterns of assessed contributions.On top of that, the Organization had to return $114 million as credits to Member States as part of the 2024 assessments, which meant that we would collect less than the budget approved for 2024, even if all Member States pay in full in 2024.The depletion of the regular budget liquidity reserves at the end of 2023 therefore necessitated imposing stringent cash-conservation measures from the very beginning of 2024.Unless the liquidity reserves are replenished fully at the end of this year, cash conservation measures are again likely to constrain budget implementation in 2025.This is why I have proposed that the General Assembly temporarily suspend the return of credits for 2023 against the 2025 assessment.The credits will be held in a reserve and released to Member States as soon as conditions improve.This is critical to both minimize the risk of negative impact on programme delivery and the ability to fulfil even non-discretionary commitments to personnel and third-party partners in 2025.I once again urge Member States to meet their financial obligations in full and on time.I thank Member States that have paid in advance or earlier than before, and have made adjustments to their internal processes to continue to pay earlier.We will keep monitoring the situation and reach out to Member States to pay in full and inform us of their plans so we can adapt our spending based as needed.However, when programme delivery is repeatedly constrained by liquidity, past spending patterns become less reliable indicators of the real needs of the Organization.The outcome of the Summit of the Future has opened pathways to new possibilities and opportunities towards securing a peaceful and liveable future for everyone on our planet.Against this backdrop, I look forward to your support for my 2025 programme budget proposal.I welcome this opportunity to engage with you today and assure you that my senior managers will continue to support your deliberations on these proposals.[END]

It is a pleasure to join you today at PreCop, and I thank the Government of Azerbaijan for hosting us.  I appreciate the constructive engagement and leadership of the troika.I welcome all the hard work done so far, including yesterday, which sends helpful signals for agreement at COP29 on the New Collective Quantified Goal.  However, as the UN Secretary-General has said, we are at a moment of truth in our fight against the climate crisis.We are minutes to midnight in our efforts to limit the rise in global temperature to 1.5°C.  We are witnessing the consequences of inaction in real time.  As we meet, the west coast of Florida is reeling from the catastrophic impacts of hurricane Milton.  Extreme weather is devastating lives and livelihoods around the world, with those who contributed the least paying the highest price.But there is hope and we are moving in the right direction. At the signing of the Paris Agreement, the world was heading towards four degrees Celsius of warming.  By Dubai we were headed for somewhere between 2.1 and 2.8 degrees based on the UNFCCC’s synthesis report.Last year at COP28, you all committed to make 1.5°C a reality in your next generation of nationally determined contributions and you acknowledged that the transition away from fossil fuels must accelerate in this critical decade.  And at last month’s Summit of the Future, world leaders from the Global North and South came together to agree on steps to begin reforming our international financial architecture:Raising the voice and representation of developing countries in our international financial institutions to build trust and legitimacy.  Scaling up development finance to unlock the scale of resources required to meet today’s vast financing gaps.  Overhauling the debt architecture to free up fiscal space and give countries the confidence to invest boldly in their economies.  And creating a stronger global financial safety net to protect economies when crises strike.COP29 must build on this momentum -- and translate the ambitions and commitments in the Global Stocktake into real-world, real-economy outcomes.  In November, you must agree on an ambitious new climate finance goal that meets the scale of the challenge faced by developing countries.  Success is an imperative if we are to keep 1.5°C a reality.  We can only meet the goals of the Paris Agreement if every country has the means to accelerate climate mitigation and adaptation action.The New Collective Quantified Goal -- or NCQG -- is an opportunity to reimagine your economies, climate finance, restore trust, build solidarity, and catalyse ambition.  It must help address the well-known challenges faced by developing countries:  high cost of capital, high levels of indebtedness, and insufficient risk-bearing and affordable capital.  It must send the right political and policy signals to markets and investors:  building confidence in the direction of travel.  And it must drive further progress in reforming the international financial architecture and implementing innovative sources of finance.Yesterday’s high-level ministerial dialogue on the NQCG provided important direction and momentum to this process.  I heard from you a willingness to find common ground on outstanding elements, building on our shared ambition to keep 1.5 within reach and secure a climate resilient future.  There was also a clear recognition on the importance of the NQCG as an enabler of ambition and action. Positions are well known.  Now is the time to work together to find agreement.  We must also secure agreement on Article 6, with an outcome from COP29 that is effective, fair, and ready for implementation.  We need high integrity carbon markets that are credible and with rules consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C.Baku must be an enabling COP.  It marks the beginning of the deadline for the next generation of nationally determined contributions -- or NDCs. These must be economy-wide and aligned with the 1.5°limit, covering all sectors and all greenhouse gases.  They must also show how each country intends to transition away from fossil fuels, in line with the COP28 outcome.  This is a chance for countries to align energy strategies and development priorities with climate ambition.And the Group of 20 (G20), who have the greatest capacity and responsibility, must demonstrate to the rest of the world what good looks like -- on ambition, quality, and process.If COP29 is to deliver the concrete outcomes urgently needed, your work here is absolutely vital.  We need success to be in reach when decision-makers arrive here in Baku next month.  Right now, the greatest threat to global ambition is lack of political will to act.In today’s fraught and divided world, we must redouble our collective efforts to keep 1.5 within reach and protect those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.  And we must ensure justice and equity so that no country is left behind in the race to net zero.  The UN is here to support you every step of the way, as convenors and custodians of this process.So, I urge you to keep a laser focus on the concrete outcomes needed this year.  And to keep a spirit of compromise and global solidarity at the fore, especially in the harder moments ahead.  Thank you for your crucial service and for your dedication, to people and planet.[END]

Today marks one year since the horrific events of October 7th when Hamas launched a large-scale terror attack in Israel killing over 1,250 Israelis and foreign nationals, including children and women.More than 250 people were abducted and taken to Gaza, including many women and children. The October 7th attack scarred souls – and on this day we remember all those who were brutally killed and suffered unspeakable violence – including sexual violence – as they were simply living their lives. This is a day for the global community to repeat in the loudest voice our utter condemnation of the abhorrent acts of Hamas, including the taking of hostages. Over the course of the past year, I have met with the families of hostages…learned more about the lives, hopes and dreams of their loved ones … and shared in their anguish and pain.I cannot imagine the torture they are forced to endure every day.  I demand once again the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Until then, Hamas must allow the International Committee of the Red Cross to visit those hostages. The 7th of October is naturally a day to focus on the events of that awful day.  I express my solidarity with all the victims and their loved ones.Since October 7th, a wave of shocking violence and bloodshed has erupted.The war that has followed the terrible attacks of one year ago continues to shatter lives and inflict profound human suffering for Palestinians in Gaza, and now the people of Lebanon. I have spoken out about this often and clearly. It is time for the release of the hostages.  Time to silence the guns.  Time to stop the suffering that has engulfed the region.  Time for peace, international law and justice.The United Nations is fully committed to achieving those goals.In the midst of so much bloodshed and division, we must hold on to hope. Let us honour the memory of the victims, reunite families and end the suffering and violence in the whole Middle East.And let us never stop working for a lasting solution to the conflict where Israel, Palestine and all other countries of the region can finally live in peace and dignity and with respect for one another. Thank you. [END]