Afghanistan kicks off urban October with the annual national mayors conference
7 October, Kabul. Urban October has started in Afghanistan with the Third Edition of the National Mayors Conference organized by the Independent Directorate for Local Government (IDLG) and the Deputy Ministry for Municipalities (DMM).
The conference gathered 34 mayors for three days (1-3 October). The discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities offered by the rapid urbanization process in Afghanistan. Some of the latest legislative and policy developments by the Government of Afghanistan that were discussed at the conference include the adoption of a Municipal Law, a regulation on the registration of urban informal properties and a presidential decree on land allocation for IDPs and refugees, as well as ongoing work on policies on Housing and on Informal Settlement Upgrading and Redevelopment.
Urbanization is recognized as a strategic tool for achieving socioeconomic development, climate action and job creation if well planned including proper legislation and municipal financial systems. Afghanistan has taken systematic actions in all these areas with the adoption of an Urban National Priority Programme that aligns with the principles that are outlined in the New Urban Agenda, the UN guiding framework for achieving sustainable urban development.
The opening ceremony of the conference was chaired by H.E Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, on 1 October, coinciding with World Habitat Day, the official UN day commemorating the relevance of urbanization and its contribution to development and prosperity.
The President encouraged mayors to support ongoing reforms and to strive for more productivity and less external dependence. Afghan cities are already contributing 50% of the national GDP despite high levels of informality.
In line with the spirit of Habitat III, Mr. Abdul Baqi Popal, Deputy Minister of Municipalities, reiterated the importance of the coordination mechanisms between the national and local governments. This was followed with a series of discussions by key stakeholders of the urban sector: Ministry of Housing and Urban Development; the Afghanistan Land Authority; Kabul Municipality; Provincial Municipalities; academia; civil society; donors and international partners including UN-Habitat.
During the conference, UN-Habitat presented a promotional video showcasing Afghanistan as a successful model in implementing the New Urban Agenda with specific reference to the role of UN-Habitat as technical advisor to national and local governments through its six different programmes.
UN-Habitat also led a session on the Sustainable Development Goals with an emphasis on SDG11 and other urban-related SDGs, highlighting existing linkages between the government’s actions and the SDG indicators of achievement.
Urban October is assigned by UN-Habitat to raise awareness about the strategic role of urbanization in the daily lives of the world’s citizens, half of whom already live in cities. The month kicks off with World Habitat Day on the first Monday of October and ends with World Cities Day on the last day of October every year.
UN-Habitat staff Ahmad Bilal Khalil during the SDG presentation
UN-Habitat staff attending the launch of the National Mayors Conference at the Presidential Palace
For more information, please contact UN-Habitat Afghanistan Head of Communications,
Mr. Koussay Boulaich,