In 2015, the State of Palestine (non-Member Observer State) committed to the attainment of the Agenda for Sustainable Development by the year 2030 – a blueprint for achieving sustainable development through working towards the attainment of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an urgent call for action that recognizes that the ending of poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve the environment. The purpose of this report is to track progress towards Palestine’s implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA). The report covers the period from 2016 until June 2021, changing variably depending on the available data for each target and/or indicator. It also captures the impact of COVID-19 on the attainment of the NUA. The report aims to act as a tool for the public, policymakers, as well as development actors involved in the urban, development sector to share a common knowledge base and set a common agenda towards the advancement of the NUA in order to support the transformation into safer and more inclusive cities in Palestine.

Over the past decades, sustainable urban development matters have been the focus of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as these challenges formed a fertile ground for research and discussion at various levels of decision-making bodies, which resulted in many national initiatives in planning for housing, infrastructure, open spaces, transport and communication, energy consumption, and waste recycling. Not to mention that Bahrain has a rich experience in dealing with the spatial variable by organising places through urban planning and urban development, in line with its international commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, Sendai Framework for risk and disaster reduction, and the New Urban Agenda. These commitments formed the reference for the Kingdom’s orientations towards urban prosperity, social inclusion, sustainability, and resilience.

The implementation of the New Urban Agenda in Indonesia has been initiated by various entities concerned with the current state of urban development, not only the government but also community organizations, professional associations and research organizations. At the policy dimensions, the government of the Republic of Indonesia incorporates the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), as part of SDGs, throughout the national development agenda. With the enactment of Presidential Decree No 59 the Year 2017 about Implementation Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, NUA is framed into national action plans and policies. Its implementation is monitored and reported. It also recognizes the roles of the national level of government as well as the local level. This is a massive and collaborative endeavour between government and non-state actors designed to serve 264 million people. The Explanation of Law no. 1 the year 2011 on Housing and Human Settlement states the active participation of Indonesia in the international community, including activities of the United Nations Center for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat).

The New Urban Agenda (NUA) requests that member states carry out follow-up and review actions in a periodic manner in order to track progress, assess the impact and ensure its effective and timely implementation, and warrant accountability and transparency to citizens. It also emphasises that the follow-up and review should be executed in a continual process, taking into account the contributions of government at all levels as well as the contributions of the United Nations system, regional and sub-regional organisations and stakeholders to create and reinforce partnership, exchange urban solutions and mutual learning. Accordingly, this National Progress Report (NPR) has been prepared as the first of its kind for Lao PDR with the joint effort of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) and UN-Habitat. The Lao NPR is structured in accordance with the Guidelines for Reporting on the Implementation of the New Urban Agenda. The paper consists of three parts. Part 1 addresses: 1) sustainable urban development for social inclusion and ending poverty; 2) sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity and opportunity for all; 3) environmentally sustainable and resilient urban development. Part 2 describes 1) building the urban government structure and the establishment of a supportive framework; 2) planning and managing urban spatial development, and 3) means of implementation. Part 3 focuses on the follow-up and review of the NUA.