UNHSP/11/04 Partners for Urban Health Nairobi 10 June, 2004 : UN-HABITAT, along with the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Union for Health Promotion & Education (IUHPE), the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Melbourne, Australia (VicHealth), are actively exploring the idea of forming a Collaborative Group to strengthen global advocacy on pro-poor urban health. This responds directly to both the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the “Challenge of Slums”. “At UN-HABITAT we relate effective action for equity in health to good governance and security of tenure . We talk about ‘inclusiveness' of cities and empowering the poorest of the poor. To achieve our goals and move the health agenda forward, top-down must meet with bottom-up, macro with micro, and theory with practice! Health is a global public good, so indeed, an international approach is needed,” Mr. David Tipping, a Human Settlements Officer in the Office of the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT told the delegates at the 18th International World conference on Health Promotion and Health Education held 26-30 April 2004, in Melbourne, Australia where over 3,000 delegates gathered to advance international health promotion efforts. The new collaborative group is a direct outcome of the meeting in Australia and it is envisioned that it will bring policy change for good health outcomes, and contribute to the formulation of legal frameworks and guidelines for good governance in 'inclusive' cities so that the health of the poor will be prioritized, and that governments and other concerned organizations will support this innovative and sustainable initiative. Nearly one billion people alive today, one in every six human beings, is an urban slum dweller living without adequate shelter and basic services. This figure is expected to rise to 2 billion over the next 25 years. Alarmingly, we are witnessing the continued and rapid urbanization of poverty and ill health, and the greatest impact is being felt in the developing world. This urban poverty creates an entry point for endemic disease. Countless hundreds of thousands are homeless, and women and children are the first victims of violence, crime, overcrowding, and all the health hazards associated with inhuman, hazardous living conditions in rapidly growing towns and cities. It is among slum dwellers that malaria, tuberculosis, the opportunistic diseases associated with HIV/Aids, and other epidemics take the heaviest toll. Many slum dwelling units are overcrowded, with five and more persons sharing a one-room unit used for cooking, sleeping and living. Lack of water and sanitation, solid waste disposal facilities and the presence of vermin, and poor indoor air quality due to poor ventilation and the use of fuels that emit particulate matter, create these conditions for ill health. Accidents, particularly involving children, are also far more common in households with open fires or accessible boiling water, and the results of these can be horrific when no medical care is available. Early experiences are amongst the most powerful influences on health throughout the whole course of life. A number of studies have connected overcrowded housing conditions in childhood with respiratory problems and infections, not just at the time but later in life. Further, multiple housing deprivation can lead to a 25% greater risk of disability or severe ill health across the life course, with the risk increasing if the exposure to poor housing occurred in childhood. It has also been shown that infant and child mortality rates in urban slums are much higher than in other urban areas, an unacceptable social injustice. Health is a function of the living environment, and h ealth issues are rarely separable from the other urban issues. In such an environment, where poverty is endemic and social dislocation proverbial, the HIV/Aids pandemic has catastrophic effects, especially on orphans and other vulnerable children (OVCs) and caregivers. The causal relationship between socio-economic development and health is clear. In fact the links between ill health and poverty are now well known worldwide. We refer to it as an unrelenting cycle of poverty and ill health, with little chance of escape for those who get caught up in it. The poor and malnourished are more likely to become sick and are at a higher risk of dying from their illnesses. This ill health undermines efforts to reduce poverty. People who become ill are more likely to fall into poverty and to remain there. Debilitating illness prevents adults from earning a living, at the same time keeps children from school, thus decreasing their chances of a healthy and productive adulthood. Indeed, good health is crucial for economic development. Background : UN-HABITAT, The United Nations Human Settlements Programm e, is the UN agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-HABITAT has some 154 technical programmes and projects in 61 countries around the world, most of them in the least developed countries. These include major projects in post-war societies such as Afghanistan , Kosovo , Somalia , Rwanda , and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to name a few. The agency's operational activities help governments create policies and strategies aimed at strengthening a self-reliant management capacity at both national and local levels. They focus on promoting shelter for all, improving urban governance, reducing urban poverty, improving the living environment and managing disaster mitigation and post-conflict rehabilitation. For more information, please contact : Mr. Sharad Shankardass, Spokesperson & Head Media Relations Unit or Ms. Zahra A. Hassan, Media Liaison, Tel: (254 20) 623151, 623153, Fax: (254 20) 624060, E-mail: habitat.press@unhabitat.org, Website: www.unhabitat.org