Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu addressed the United Nations General Assembly's High-Level Meeting on the Midterm Review of the New Urban Agenda in New York, according to Nyasa Times. Chipungu presented Malawi's sustainable urbanization plans under the Malawi 2063 Vision. He noted that while only 20 percent of the population currently lives in urban areas, nearly 70 percent of those urban residents reside in informal settlements. To manage the rapid expansion, the minister outlined government strategies to develop secondary cities, which are intended to relieve pressure on existing infrastructure and promote balanced regional growth.
Update: In regional diplomacy, Malawi and South Africa signed a bilateral migration agreement on the sidelines of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) security meeting in Salima, Channel Africa reports. South Africa's International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola and Malawi's Minister of Foreign Affairs George Chaponda finalized the deal. The agreement seeks to establish order regarding irregular migration and ease travel between the two nations. This diplomatic engagement follows the ongoing repatriation of thousands of Malawian nationals who were displaced by anti-migrant protests in South Africa.