"Statement by Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan Chairman of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme At High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the New Urban Agenda, (16 July 2026) ******** Excellencies, Colleagues, Pakistan welcomes this midterm review, an important opportunity to take stock of and renew our commitment to the New Urban Agenda. Like many other countries, Pakistan faces growing pressures on housing, transport, safety and the environment as urbanization accelerates. Allow me to outline the concrete steps Pakistan is taking to respond to these: 2. First, following frequent urban and riverine flooding that claimed over 1,000 lives nationwide in 2025 alone, we are developing our national urban strategy, in collaboration with UN-Habitat, to ensure that climate resilience is designed into our cities from the outset. 3. Second, on housing, our post-flood reconstruction programme has already rebuilt over 400,000 homes for displaced families. We remain committed to incorporating these same resilience and planning standards into our broader housing efforts. 4. Third, on transport, we are expanding affordable, low-emission mobility. 5. Fourth, on social protection, the Benazir Income Support Programme now reaches over nine million families nationwide, with a growing share of support directed to low-income households in our fastest-growing cities. 6. And Fifth, on urban safety, Safe City authorities are expanding real-time monitoring and integrated command centres across our provinces, to better protect citizens. 7. However, none of these efforts will succeed without creating opportunities for our youth, who constitute nearly 67 percent of our population. As young people increasingly migrate to cities, ensuring their access to education, employment and training will be central to ensuring that urbanization becomes a source of prosperity. It is for this reason that the Prime Minister's Youth Programme, under the able leadership of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, together with partners, launched Pur Azm Pakistan, aimed at connecting young people to skills, jobs and entrepreneurship pathways. 8. Pakistan stands ready to work with all Member States to share our experiences in handling urbanization and to ensure that this mid-term review delivers concrete outcomes for present and future generations. I thank you **************"