On September 6, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, delivered an intervention at the Plenary Debate of the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Effective Implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the positioning of UN-Habitat, addressing the recommendations contained in the report of the Independent Panel to Assess and Enhance Effectiveness of UN-Habitat.
 
In his statement, Archbishop Auza emphasized the importance of building and nurturing sustainable, inclusive, safe and peaceful cities that are centered on the human person and provide a healthy environment for all inhabitants. Archbishop Auza highlighted Recommendation 10 of the Independent Panel's report, which warns against positioning cities in opposition to rural areas and making them compete for scarce development resources, something that often leaves those in rural areas at a disadvantage. He also emphasized the challenges urbanization poses for families, especially those of modest means, and called for their rights to be respected, noting the family is primary cell of all social development, including urban development.

The statement can be found here.