Excellencies, distinguished delegates, thank you for this opportunity to speak.

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My name is Chris Elisara, and I speak on behalf of Faith for Cities and the Faith Pavilion here at WUF13. This Roundtable is focused on turning urban commitments into national action through legislation, budgets, oversight, land governance, and basic services. That is exactly where faith communities can help bridge the gap between policy and practice.

First, I want to thank UN-Habitat for the progress made since Habitat III in recognizing the role of faith-based engagement in advancing the New Urban Agenda. When people of faith-representing roughly 80 percent of the world’s population-were not explicitly named as stakeholders in the New Urban Agenda, that omission opened up an important conversation, one that has since grown into a constructive partnership between faith communities and UN-Habitat.

In 2017, the first Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campus in Singapore produced the Singapore Declaration, which simply and profoundly states:

“Inclusion of germane faith-based perspectives, and working relationships with faith-based organizations co-committed to the common good,  are necessary to the success of the New Urban Agenda.”

Since then, we have seen encouraging progress through continued collaboration between faith actors and UN-Habitat, including Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campuses, engagement through the World Urban Campaign, and now the Faith Pavilion here at WUF13. This week, that journey culminated in the release of the Faith Pavilion Call to Action on Housing-a multi-faith statement that affirms:

Quote“Rooted in the conviction that every person possesses sacred and inherent dignity and deserves access to safe, secure, and affordable housing, this Call to Action affirms the vital role faith communities can play in addressing the global housing crisis through collaboration, stewardship, justice, compassion, and informed action.” End of quote:

Please read the full Call to Action on the Faith for Cities website.

Today, the need for genuine partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector, and faith communities is more urgent than ever if the global community is to deliver on the New Urban Agenda in a time of deepening crises and pernicious challenges.

The housing crisis cannot be solved by governments, markets, or civil society alone. Faith communities remain among the largest and most trusted local actors in the world. They steward land, mobilize volunteers and capital, sustain a long-term presence, and serve in communities where others often cannot remain.

So I offer two practical recommendations.

First, establish formal and sustained mechanisms for engagement between UN-Habitat and faith partners (and parliaments and faith partners), while strengthening and institutionalizing existing pathways for collaboration. For UN-Habitat these include the Faith Pavilion at future World Urban Forums, Faith-Based Urban Thinkers Campuses, and meaningful participation in UN-Habitat working groups, networks, and implementation platforms. Together, these spaces can help translate dialogue into practical action and accelerate delivery of the New Urban Agenda.

Second, seize the upcoming review of the New Urban Agenda and SDG 11 as an opportunity for a high-level, trust-building conversation. Let this ten-year review become a moment for parliamentarians, local governments, UN-Habitat, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and faith-based actors to come together, identify common ground, align our efforts, and deepen practical cooperation. As we enter the next decade of implementation and localization, let us strengthen the partnerships needed to turn shared commitments into tangible outcomes for communities around the world.

We are not asking for a parallel agenda. We are asking to help deliver our common agenda.

Faith for Cities stands ready to help convene these partnerships and support the shared work of advancing housing, human dignity, and flourishing communities for all.

Thank you.