UNHSP/WHD1/03 World Habitat Day 2003: Water and Sanitation for Cities Nairobi, 7 July 2003: This year, World Habitat Day will be celebrated on Monday, 6 October by governments, community organizations and ordinary citizens around the world, while the global observance will be held in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. The idea behind World Habitat Day is to alert the public at large to the urgency of improving human settlements, especially for the urban poor who live without clean water, proper sanitation and basic services. Since its inception by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1985, World Habitat Day has been celebrated annually on the first Monday of October every year. This year, a wide spectrum of events at national and community level will focus on the theme of Water and Sanitation for Cities. The aim is to highlight the world's urban water and sanitation crisis - a situation far worse than official statistics suggest. According to a new report by UN-HABITAT, Water and Sanitation in the World's Cities, in Africa alone, for example, there are as many as 150 million urban residents - up to 50 percent of the continent's urban population - do not have adequate water supplies. Even more people on the continent, an estimated 180 million, lack adequate sanitation. Among the highlights of the global observances of World Habitat Day in Rio de Janeiro will be the Habitat Scroll of Honor award, the highest UN award for outstanding contributions by individuals, organizations or projects which help improve the urban environment. This year, in addition to the usual nominations, UN-HABITAT is calling for nominations for a Scroll of Honor Award of any journalists or media practitioners who have helped highlight urban issues. At the event in Rio de Janeiro, the Building and Social Housing Foundation, a British-based non-governmental organization, will also present World Habitat Awards in recognition of innovative, sustainable and replicable human settlements projects throughout the world. To coincide with the celebrations there will be a launch of the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure in Brazil organized by the Campaign Action Committee in conjunction with community based organisations. Along with the series of regional and country celebrations, other events marking World Habitat Day will include the launch of UN-HABITAT's Water for Latin American and Caribbean Cities programme, and other innovative projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the poorest of the poor. For further information, please contact, Mr. Sharad Shankardass, Spokesperson, Head, Media & Press Relations Unit or Ms. Zahra A. Hassan, Media Liaison, Tel: (254 20) 623153, 623151, Fax: (254 20) 624060, E-mail: habitat.press@unhabitat.org, Website: www.unhabitat.org Mr. Amrik Kalsi, Coordinator World Habitat Day, Head: Design, Production and Special Event, UN-HABITAT, PO Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya, Tel: (254 20) 623124, Fax: (254 20) 624060/624266/7, E-mail: amrik.kalsi@unhabitat.org