21 January 2004 - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
today pledged to increase his country's support for UN-HABITAT threefold
to 500,000 euros for core funding to the agency over and above German
support for specific project programmes.
Mr. Schroeder, on his first official visit to Africa, made the pledge
during a meeting with UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna
Tibaijuka and other senior officials at the United Nations office in Nairobi.
Mrs. Tibaijuka, who thanked him for Germany’s continued support,
highlighted the challenges of urban poverty in a rapidly urbanising world,
especially in Africa’s growing slums. She also explained the agency’s
coordinating role in helping governments achieve the Millennium Development
Goals of significantly improving the lives of 100 million slum dwellers
by 2020, and of halving the number of people who lack access to safe water
and sanitation by 2015. As an example of the operational projects that
UN-HABITAT is involved with in Africa, Mrs. Tibaijuka described upgrading
programme currently underway in the Nairobi slum of Kibera, which is the
largest in Africa. She said it would improve the lives of Kibera residents
and appealed for Germany's support.
Chancellor Schroeder, who was visiting Nairobi from Ethiopia on the second
leg of a four-nation tour focusing on aid, trade and security that will
also include South Africa and Ghana, also said that there would be further
commitments to projects to help overcome the challenge of rapid urbanisation,
particularly in Africa.
He told a news conference that Berlin was more than committed to helping
resolve Africa’s problems, including its rapid urbanisation, both
through UN-HABITAT and bilaterally.
German officials accompanying him said the four countries had been selected
because they constituted “anchors of stability” in Africa,
and because their recent political history exemplified peaceful democratic
transition.
For further information, please contact: Mr. Sharad Shankardass,
Spokesperson, or Ms. Zahra A. Hassan, Media Liaison, Press & Media
relations Unit, Tel: (254 20) 623153/623151, Fax: (254 20) 624060, E-mail:
habitat.press@unhabitat.org,
Website: www.unhabitat.org
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