President of Kenya opens first UN-Habitat Assembly

Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta formally opened the first UN-Habitat Assembly in front of a packed audience at the United Nations Office in Nairobi. With over 3,000 delegates confirmed to attend the five-day event, the guests at the colourful opening ceremony included representatives of Member States, mayors of cities, representatives of civil society and business leaders.

Welcoming international guests to Kenya, President Kenyatta emphasized the importance of sustainable urbanization and the need for innovative solutions to the challenges faced by cities. He assured the Assembly of his country’s continued support to UN-Habitat and urged Member States to do likewise.

In the opening session Ms. Martha Delgado, Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was unanimously elected President of the UN-Habitat Assembly.

“I would like to stress my deepest appreciation to all the Member States that have bestowed this honor on my country, Mexico, by electing me as President,” she said. “I can assure you I will do my best.”

Addressing the room through a video message, António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General said the gathering comes at an important juncture.

“About 60 percent of urban infrastructure needed by 2030 is yet to be built. That creates great opportunities. Well planned and managed cities can steer us towards inclusive growth and sustainable low emission development,” he said.

Over the next five days, the UN-Habitat Assembly will adopt global norms and policies that will guide how cities and communities are planned, managed and governed.

“This Assembly will only happen every four years. The world is now watching. We must make sure we turn our words into action to improve the lives of everyone in today’s urbanizing world,” said UN-Habitat Executive Director Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

Original source: UN-Habitat
Published on 27 May 2019