UN's Ban: Urban challenges from pollution to criminal gang culture can be overcome

UN's Ban: Urban challenges from pollution to criminal gang culture can be overcome

2010-10-05 04:26:00 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- United Nations (UN) officials on Monday marked World Habitat Day by saying that governments, the private sector and civil society have to work much more closely together if the world is to build and sustain better cities, which are now home to more than half the global population.

The theme of this year's World Habitat Day - which the UN designates as the first Monday in October each year - is “Better City, Better Life.†And Secretary-General Ban Ki-moons signaled the effect that smart policies and actions can have on the well-being of the estimated 1 billion people worldwide who live 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,†Ban said, noting that they typically live in developing countries and are both disenfranchised and under the age of 25.

“Lacking adequate provision of freshwater, electricity, sanitation or health care, they suffer privations that all too often provide the tinder for the fires of social unrest. Vulnerable to exploitation and corruption, they need and deserve better cities and a better life,†Ban added.

The Secretary-General emphasized that the challenges of urban poverty, which stretch from pollution to criminal gang culture - can be overcome, as many cities are finding successful solutions with basic urban services for all, and streets and public spaces where women and children feel safe.

“Smart cities recognize the importance of good governance,†Ban said. “They also recognize that better cities can help to mitigate global challenges, such as climate change, by promoting energy conservation and environmental sustainability.â€

Inga Björk-Klevby, the Officer-in-Charge of the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) stressed the need to keep improving the world’s cities as she noted that trends indicate two thirds of humanity will be living in towns and cities within the next two generations.

Björk-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.

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