NAIROBI, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A week-long UN-Habitat assembly on sustainable urbanization and human settlements kicked off in Nairobi on Monday with delegates calling for collective global action to promote the development of sustainable cities.
The crucial meeting which brought together more than 3,000 participants from 116 countries was challenged to formulate strategies that will transform cities and human settlements into engines of economic growth and development in a sustainable manner.
In his opening remarks, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta urged all stakeholders to support the work of the UN-Habitat, noting that the implementation of the New Urban Agenda has been slow partly because of financial and institutional constraints at the global body as well as member states' insufficient capacity to interpret, implement and report on the progress of the urban agenda.
Kenyatta said societies are ill-prepared to plan effectively for the rapid urbanization that is taking place.
"Addressing these challenges calls for collective international action informed by scientific research, technological and innovations," Kenyatta said when he officially opened the inaugural session of the UN-Habitat Assembly whose theme is Innovation for a Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities.
Kenyatta urged UN member states to seize the opportunity of the UN habitat assembly to exchange ideas and best practices with a view to identify practical solutions to improve the living conditions in cities.
Kenyatta said that rapid urbanization has led to the proliferation of slums and informal settlements, urbanization of poverty and increased environmental degradation.
He said that Kenya has also embarked on major infrastructural developments both on major highways and within major urban areas that have facilitated mobility, improved sanitation and access to services by citizens in urban areas.
He noted that in the area of research and technological advancement, the east African nation has laid emphasis on innovation as an accelerator of the quality of life for its citizens through promotion and development of entrepreneurship education in all sectors of the economy.
Martha Delgado Peralta, president of the UN-Habitat Assembly, said that 60 percent of the world's population is expected to live in cities by 2050.
"This calls for collective efforts so that cities provide conditions that will support a better quality of life," Delgado said.
