WUFII/1/04 Urban Disasters and Reconstruction Barcelona, 13 September 2004: A series of discussions began today in Barcelona, hosted by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, on the subject of both man-made and natural disasters. The sessions were opened by the former President of Finland, Mr. Marti Ahtisaari, who stated: “The range of threats facing the smallest of villages to the largest of our mega-cities starts with direct vulnerabilities to natural phenomena and so far ends with the victimization of children for political ideology… With the ever shrinking global village; contingent risk from crises in human settlements affects neighboring towns, regions, states, and in some cases the rest of the planet. For these reasons, it remains our responsibility to explore the boundaries of vulnerability of the world’s human settlements with a view to seeking means to reduce the threats facing their residents.” Attended by delegates from around the world, there will be a series of meetings that will review recent disasters in the Caribbean and Latin America, Asia, and Africa, with a view to influencing the way in which the world’s cities cope with and try to prevent future crises. For further information, please contact: Sharad Shankardass, Spokesperson & Head, Press & Media Relations Unit or Ms. Zahra A. Hassan, Tel: (254 20) 623153, 623151, Fax: (254 20) 624060, E-mail: habitat.press@unhabitat.org, Website: www.unhabitat.org Or Mr. Daniel Lewis, Chief Post Conflict and Safety Section, Tel: (254 20) 623826