King Juan Carlos inaugurates
Forum King Juan Carlos of
Spain travelled to Barcelona's newly refurbished
waterfront to open the 2004 Universal Forum
of Cultures, a five-month urban extravaganza
of festivities, music, and art with a series
of conferences on themes ranging from peace
and sustainable development to cultural diversity.
More than five million people, including figures
such as the Dalai Lama, former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev, and some of the world's most
popular music and film stars, are expected to
visit the Spanish Mediterranean port city for
the festival 9 May to 24 September to entertain
and speak at what has been billed by the organisers
as the world's first "Cultural Olympics".
Barcelona's once crime-ridden northern waterfront
has been transformed at a cost of some US $2.6
billion, with the festivities being funded through
some US $460 million in private and public money.
A climax event at the forum will be the second
international gathering of UN-HABITAT's World
Urban Forum 13-17 September 2004, which is expected
to draw up to 3,000 delegates representing governments,
local authorities, non-governmental organisations
and other experts on urban issues from around
the world. The agency has helped arrange the
world's first international hip-hop concert
to coincide with WUF.
Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, who is President of
the Green Cross, held talks with UN-HABITAT
Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka in Barcelona
on 1 June. They agreed to work jointly to promote
a new international convention on water as a
basic human right.
Visitors to the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures
in the Spanish city of Barcelona can now see
some of the world's latest developments in urban
innovation at the dazzling exhibition of best
practices and ideas from countries around the
world.
The Best Practices City and Water Exhibit
features over 50 ideas representing examples
of proven solutions to common social, economic
and environmental problems of an urbanising
world. The objective of the Best Practices City
is to display the innovations in a way that
is stimulating and easy to understand.
There will also be a unique opportunity to
see and buy some of Africa's most colourful,
interesting and intricate handicrafts. UN-HABITAT
and the organisers in Barcelona are bringing
women from 10 handicraft groups in Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda for the handicrafts exhibition. Proceeds
from sales will directly benefit the women and
their home communities.
In another special development at Barcelona
this year, some 15 hip-hop artists from around
the world are expected to gather for world's
first international hip-hop concert on the night
of 17 September. Many of the artists come from
poor communities in the developing world. They
will launch a "Messengers of Truth Project"
designed to help raise funds and empower 300
million young people living in slums and inner
cities.
Blair's Commission for Africa
The British Prime Minister Tony Blair has established
a new Commission for Africa comprising 16 internationally
known figures who will report to the Group of
Eight summit of industrialized nations in July
next year in a fresh bid for change. "...I
have said on many occasions that I believe Africa
is a scar on the conscience of the world...,"
said Mr. Blair. Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive
Director of UN-HABITAT, was invited to be a
member of the new commission.
African mayors meet in Lagos
The first New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) Cities Forum organized by UN-HABITAT
took place in Lagos, Nigeria in May 2004. A
clarion call was made on African cities, represented
by some 300 delegates, to promote sustainable
economic growth and regional integration.
Japan's aid for Iraq
In March 2004 it was announced that three of
UN-HABITAT's projects will receive earmarked
financial support as part of the US$ 360 million
deposited by the Japanese Government into the
UN Development Group Iraq Trust Fund.
New UN-HABITAT office in Kuwait
An Agreement between UN-HABITAT and the government
of Kuwait was signed on 23 March 2004 in Kuwait
City by Mr. Khaled S. Al-Jarallah, Under-Secretary
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Mr.
Daniel Biau, Ag. Deputy Executive Director,
on behalf of Mrs. Anna K. Tibaijuka, Executive
Director of UN-HABITAT. The government of Kuwait
will finance an office of UN-HABITAT in Kuwait
City for an initial period of 5 years, through
an annual contribution of USD 330,000. The new
office will disseminate UN-HABITAT information
in the Arabic language, particularly the quarterly
Habitat Debate.
Making the Habitat
Agenda work
UN-HABITAT's Executive Director, Mrs. Anna
Tibaijuka, has called on Inter-Governmental
Organizations (IGOs), and others to join in
the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.
She made the call on 22 March 2004 at a meeting
with the Executive Director of the African Centre
for Technology Studies (ACTS), Professor Judi
Wakhungu. |
