Malawi’s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr. Ben Malunga Phiri, welcomes the adoption by UN Member States of a Political Declaration on the midterm review of the New Urban Agenda at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to reports, Phiri praises the outcome as a sign of multilateral cooperation and a shared commitment to sustainable urban development. He made the remarks during a reception held at UN Headquarters on Friday, where he spoke after helping to co-facilitate the negotiations leading to the declaration. Both outlets describe the adoption as a key diplomatic step in the process of reviewing progress on the New Urban Agenda midterm, and both attribute the comments to Phiri in his capacity as Malawi’s representative. The coverage emphasizes that the political declaration is adopted by Member States at the UN General Assembly and that Malawi views the result positively, linking it to continued international coordination around urban policy and development goals.