Start Date : 15 Feb 11   End Date : 17 Feb 11 Location: Nairobi

Human Library Conference - Taking stock of UN-HABITAT's Technical Cooperation will be held at the UN Complex Gigiri, Conference Room 3, Nairobi, Kenya on the 15-17 February 2011

The main objectives of the upcoming Human Library Conference is to reflect on, and draw lessons from the last 25 years of UN-Habitat’s technical and regional cooperation, as well as to explore new perspectives to guide the future work of the Agency at the global, regional and country levels.

This crucial Experts Group Meeting (EGM) will be designed to provide a major contribution to building UN-Habitat’s institutional memory, and to ensure a substantive support to the implementation of the Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan (MTSIP) initiated by Governing council’s resolution 21/2 of 20 April 2007.

The proposed internal review of progress, challenges and opportunities of the “City Agency” in delivering at country level is timely, as it also coincides with a generational change within UN-Habitat amidst a wave of institutional reforms, including the appointment of a new Executive Director at the helm of the organisation, which will no doubt have an impact on the management and operating structures and procedures of UN-Habitat.

Amadou Hampate Ba, a notorious African Ethnologist once said: “in Africa, when an old man dies, it’s a library that is burning”. These words of wisdom provide evidence of the relevance of lessons learnt for further use and future reference in the development of organised societies and institutions.

Against this background, it is expected that the EGM will analyze successes and shortcomings, take stock of 25 years of collective work and provide strategic recommendations, supported by a video-film, to guide the future work of UN-HABITAT at country and regional levels.

For further information contact:

Alain Kanyinda
Email: Alain.Kanyinda@unhabitat.org
Tel: +254 20 7624122