Well-Managed Urbanization a ‘Powerful Engine’ for Sustainable Development, Secretary-General Tells World Cities Summit

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message, delivered by Han Seung-Soo, Special Envoy for Disaster Risk Reduction and Water, to the World Cities Summit, Singapore International Water Week and Cleanenviro Summit, in Singapore today: 

I am pleased to send greetings to everyone at the Singapore World Cities Summit, Singapore International Water Week and the CleanEnviro Summit.  I thank the Government of Singapore for hosting these important events for Government leaders, policymakers, regulators and industry captains.

Preparing for sustainable urbanization, maintaining a clean and safe environment and ensuring access to safe drinking water pose significant challenges to development in the twenty-first century.

Well-managed urbanization can be a powerful engine for sustainable development, creating social prosperity and quality jobs.  Failure to manage urbanization can increase poverty and insecurity and have a devastating impact on the natural environment

Cities also play a critical role in ensuring universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water.  We are making progress in improving access to drinking water, but more than 660 million people were still using unimproved water sources or surface water in 2015.

Effective urban planning and water management are fundamental elements of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, the set of seventeen goals agreed by all countries last year for peace and prosperity on a healthy planet.  Goal 6 calls for the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.  Goal 11 calls for making cities and urban settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Cities, the private sector, investors, the finance community and civil society are also driving the transformative change to the low-carbon, climate-resilient future promised by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Local authorities and communities, national Governments, regional and international organizations all have a role to play in renewing and planning our cities and human settlements and managing our water resources in an integrated and coordinated way.

I send you my best wishes for a productive meeting, and my thanks for your commitment to this important cause.