Asunción, 4 August 2016 – The 25th Assembly of Ministers and High Authorities of Housing and Urban Development of Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI) was recently held here and one of the topics of work was the New Urban Agenda and the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, Habitat III, which will be in Quito Ecuador, between 17 and 20 October.

In this event, each country reviewed plans in housing policies and urban development and all assumed a commitment for the next 20 years. "We also think how Latin America and the Caribbean can address the great challenge of providing decent and adequate housing for all citizens and especially a decent habitat that has to do with the construction of more equitable, prosperous, safer cities and resilient to climate change, "said Minister of the National Secretariat for Housing and Habitat of Paraguay, Soledad Núñez.

Work is concentrated in the Declaration of Asuncion

In order to agree on a proposal for a New Urban Agenda for the region, the dialogues continued on the Declaration of Asuncion document, during the last day of the Assembly. Representatives of various delegations from Latin America and the Caribbean, international agencies and organizations related to habitat, housing and urban development, discussed proposals for sustainable urban development in the region. After two days of meetings, the Asuncion Declaration was put forward as the MINURVI proposal document to be presented at the Habitat III Conference.

"This New Urban Agenda will define priorities and strategies for sustainable urban development for our countries and cities. Our nations are a step away from making a commitment for the next 20 years; a commitment that we hope will provide better living conditions to the population. We hope that commitments and agreements that allow people to provide better opportunities for the development of a decent life, quality and welfare assume, "said Mr. Núñez.