Start Date : 30 Nov 09   End Date : 30 Nov 09 Location: United Nations Office in Nairobi

UN-HABITAT will host a Summit on Urban Arts and Youth, to be held on 30 November 2009, at the United Nations Office in Nairobi in Conference Room 1. The Summit brings together national and international artists, representatives of arts foundations, the private sector, arts industry, and young people active in the arts for a networking and Summit event. The goal of the event is to consult on the contribution the arts make to sustainable urban development, specifically in terms of youth empowerment, employment, social cohesion, security, and the strengthening of local urban culture.

As a special focus of each Summit, participants will provide input into UN-HABITAT’s “Messengers of Truth Programme” (MoT) - originally a special designation given to Hip-Hop artists actively engaged in urban issues. UN-HABITAT is considering a broader scope for the Programme, which is now planned for a re-launch at the World Urban Forum 5 (WUF5) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The envisioned broadened scope involves informing youth living in slums and inner cities of the Millennium Development Goals through the songs and performances of socially committed Hip-Hop artists, singing and rapping in different languages worldwide; to empower youth organizations worldwide by providing platforms where their voices can be heard and to help legitimize their participation in decisions that affect their livelihoods; and to support projects worldwide demonstrating how youth organizations have been able to solve critical social, economic and environmental problems of direct relevance to the Millennium Development Goals in their respective communities.

Send completed registration form to mot@unhabitat.org by 25th November 2009.

For more information, please email mot@unhabitat.org