AS WORLD"S POPULATION REACHES 6 BILLION 3 BILLION WILL LIVE IN TOWNS AND CITIES

Press Release
HAB/159

AS WORLD’S POPULATION REACHES 6 BILLION 3 BILLION WILL LIVE IN TOWNS AND CITIES

NAIROBI, 12 October (Habitat) -- "As the world celebrates the birth of the 6 billionth baby in Sarajevo, it is important to remember that this baby shares his birthday with thousands of other children, many of whom were born at the same time in a slum or squatter settlement to families without adequate shelter or basic services", said Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in his opening speech today at the Third Meeting of the International Forum on Urban Poverty in Nairobi.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, when only one in 10 people lived in towns, the world's population was primarily rural. Today, on the threshold of the new millennium, almost 3 billion people, half of humanity, live in towns and cities. The result of this rapid increase in the urban population is that, of the estimated 1.5 billion poor, most are now concentrated in slums and squatter settlements.

The urbanization of poverty and its eradication is one of the central themes of the International Forum conference on "Social Integration and Security for the Urban Poor: Towards Cities for All". The aim of the conference is to call together representatives of governments, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, international aid agencies and experts from all over the world to discuss recent developments on how best to reduce urban poverty.

As part of its efforts to combat poverty and to make a tangible change in the quality of urban life, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) is building on its years of experience to launch two global campaigns which have been approved in May by Habitat. The Global Campaign for Security of Tenure will address one of the most fundamental requirements for sustainable urban and shelter development, while the Global Campaign on Urban Governance will promote the normative goals of local democracy, equity, efficiency, security and decentralization.

The conference participants will address four main topics: Informal Cities and Security of Tenure; Urban Safety for the Poor and Crime Prevention; the Utilization of Transport Systems by All Segments of Society; and Urban Children and Youth in Poverty.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Toepfer challenged the participants to find new ways of eradicating urban poverty in order to build more equitable communities. He concluded by saying, "The future of 3 billion people rests on how we manage our cities and on the social integration of the poor".

For further information, please contact: Press and Media Unit, UNCHS (Habitat); Tel: 254-2-623153Fax; 254-2-624060; e-mail: habitat.press@unchs.org; website: * *** *