Invitation from the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT

This session is of special significance because it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Vancouver in 1976, which led to the founding of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Much has been done since to place sustainable human settlements and the plight of the urban poor on the international agenda. The ideals that emerged in Vancouver were reconfirmed by world leaders in the Habitat Agenda � the global plan of action for adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world � at the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul, in 1996.

Over the course of the next 30 years, people living in cities around the world will largely outnumber those living in rural areas. If current trends continue, extreme urban poverty is also set to double in that period to two billion people. The world thus urgently needs actions leading to innovative urban economic development, better urban governance, safer and cleaner cities � and cities without slums in which all have access to shelter, water, sanitation and other basic needs. This also entails alternative energy sources, better nature conservation for a cleaner urban environment and above all, action to make cities of the future more sustainable and less reliant on the world�s dwindling natural resources. Here, the Millennium Development Goals provide us with a roadmap into a better future.

Canada and the city of Vancouver have a consistent record as a wellspring of novel ideas for sustainable urbanization. They are therefore a most appropriate choice for the Third Session of the World Urban Forum to generate new ideas and actions in support of our common quest for more just, inclusive and environmentally sound cities.

Anna Tibaijuka
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-HABITAT - Biography