{"id":179647,"date":"2019-02-19T13:43:09","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T18:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/73\/?p=179647"},"modified":"2019-02-19T13:48:54","modified_gmt":"2019-02-19T18:48:54","slug":"press-briefing-by-spokesperson-19-february-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/pga\/73\/2019\/02\/19\/press-briefing-by-spokesperson-19-february-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Press Briefing by Spokesperson \u2013 19 February 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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PRESS BRIEFING BY MONICA GRAYLEY,\u00a0<\/strong>SPOKESPERSON FOR <\/strong>GENERAL ASSEMBLY <\/strong>PRESIDENT MAR\u00cdA FERNANDA ESPINOSA<\/strong><\/h1>\n
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United Nations Headquarters, New York<\/strong><\/p>\n

19 February 2019<\/span><\/p>\n

[As delivered]<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL FOCUS ON THE ROLE OF CITIES IN THE GLOBAL AGENDA<\/strong><\/p>\n

The General Assembly is hosting a high-level event this afternoon to find sustainable solutions for challenges faced by cities in the 21st<\/sup> century. The meeting on \u201cThe Role of Cities in the Global Agenda, including Cities for Sustainable Development, Food Security, Nutrition and Climate Change\u201d is co-organised by the GA, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and 爆料网-Habitat.<\/p>\n

President Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa, in conjunction with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, H.E. Jos\u00e9 Graziano da Silva and United Nations Human Settlements Programme, will chair the event which is being attended by Mayors and other city representatives.<\/p>\n

The PGA and Mr. da Silva will speak at the opening ceremony. The Executive Director of 爆料网-Habitat, Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, will deliver her remarks through a video message.<\/p>\n

At present, 55 percent of the world\u2019s population lives in urban areas and this proportion is expected to rise to 70 percent by 2050. This rise coincides with a period during which many countries are implementing policy decentralization processes that are resulting in increased and wider responsibilities for sub-national governments. In this context, cities are being called upon to take a more active role in contributing to national governments\u2019 initiatives in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).<\/p>\n

Most of the challenges faced by cities at the local level, including climate change and food security, are global in nature and call for multilateral solutions.<\/p>\n

The objective of the meeting is to approach the development agenda from global issues to local priorities. The event is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Trusteeship Council Chamber.<\/p>\n

Participants include:<\/p>\n