Un Urges Collective Effort To Reduce Poverty

United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon on Monday urged governments, the private  sector and civil society to work much more closely to build and sustain better cities  worldwide.

Ban made the call in a message to mark the World Habitat Day, with the theme: “Better  City, Better Life”.

He called for smart policies and actions for the well being of the estimated one billion  people worldwide, who lived in slums or other forms of sub-standard housing.

“The urban poor are too often condemned to a life without basic rights, hope of an  education or decent work,” he said, adding that “they typically live in developing  countries and are both disenfranchised and under the age of 25.”

The UN chief said that they “lack adequate provision of freshwater, electricity,  sanitation or health care and they suffer privations that all too often provide the  tinder for the fires of social unrest.

“They are also vulnerable to exploitation and corruption, they need and deserve better  cities and a better life.”

Ban stressed that the challenges of urban poverty, stretching from pollution to criminal  gang culture, could be overcome.

“Many cities are finding successful solutions, and smart cities recognise the importance  of good governance, basic urban services for all, and streets and public spaces where  women and children feel safe.

“They also recognise that better cities can help to mitigate global challenges, such as  climate change, by promoting energy conservation and environmental sustainability,” he  stated.

Also, in a message, Ms. Inga Bjork-Klevby, the Officer-in-Charge of the UN Human  Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), stressed the need to keep improving the world’s  cities.

She noted that trends indicated that two thirds of humanity would be living in towns and  cities within the next two generations.

Bjork-Klevby called for planners, officials and developers to create “smarter” cities,  with better quality of life, greater investment in human capital, enhanced political and  cultural inclusion and sustainable economic opportunities.

The Pan African News Agency (PANA) learnt that various events are taking place around the  world to mark the World Habitat Day, which the UN fixed for the first Monday of October  every year.

The events are taking place in cities, including Barcelona, Spain, Kolkata in India and  Nakuru, Kenya.