Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi will, together with other Global leaders, be a participant at the ninth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD-9) in Niamey, Republic of Niger from 28 February to 2 March 2023.

The regional Forum is organized jointly by the United Nation’s Economic Commission for Africa and the host Government, the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and other entities within the United Nations.

This Forum provides a platform for the sharing of experiences, good practices, lessons learnt from across the continent and to build consensus towards the accelerated implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This is further echoed in the theme “Accelerating the inclusive and green recovery from multiple crises and the integrated and full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, of the African Union”.

At this meeting, Minister Kubayi will, together with her counterparts, policy makers, the private sector, civil society organizations and international development partners, participate in various sessions with the aim to build a consensus on policy options and actions that will assist the different countries to timeously meet SDG targets.

The Forum is set to commence with a high-level panel discussion on Tuesday and is expected to adopt a declaration in respect of SDG Acceleration Actions to deliver a transformed and prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 in the coming decade.

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 that focuses on "making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable", is one of 17 goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015.

“This occasion is crucial in that it affords us an opportunity to benchmark and learn from each other as partner countries. We are confident that deliberations will enable all the country members to collectively work together in ensuring transformation is realised and that we do not lose sight of our goal to empower people and fast track inclusivity and equality in our societies,” said Minister Kubayi.

The outcomes of the Forum will serve as an input from the Africa region to the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development at the United Nations in July 2023. Key recommendations are proposed for consideration by the Forum participants, subsequently resulting in a negotiated political declaration by Heads of State at the SDG Summit, during the UN General Assembly High-level Week in September.

For more information, contact: Hlengiwe Nhlabathi-Mokota, Spokesperson to Minister Kubayi on +27 64 754 8426 or hlengiwe.nhlabathi@dhs.gov.za