The United Nations has designated the first Monday in October every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

UN-HABITAT is delighted to announce that Indonesia has offered to host the global celebrations of World Habitat Day this year. The event is always celebrated on the first Monday in October each year to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. It is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.

The theme World Habitat Day on Monday 3 October 2005, is the Millennium Development Goals and the City. This theme, chosen by the United Nations, is to remind all of us that in the year 2000, world leaders meeting at the dawn of the new Millennium, committed themselves to launch a concerted attack on poverty, illiteracy, hunger, unsafe water, disease and urban and environmental degradation by adopting a set of eight goals. In September, the UN General Assembly will hold a five-year review meeting to weigh progress on the eight goals.

UN-HABITAT is working with a number of international and civil society organizations, cities and governments to realize Target 11 of Millennium Development Goal 7 - improving the living conditions of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020. We are also working together on Target 10 of MDG 7 ? reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. Our Global Campaign on Urban Governance and our Global Campaign for Secure Tenure enhance this work through a series of UN-HABITAT programmes, mainly in developing countries, that shoulder the heaviest poverty burdens.

In Indonesia the agency is working with the Government, other international and local organisations, and the communities themselves on four projects throughout the country. These are the Community-based initiatives for housing and local develoment (CoBILD) in 12 cities, the Breakthrough urban initiatives for Local Development (BUILD) project in nine cities, a new Partnership for Local Economic Development across 51 districts covering a range of economic activities ranging from fishing and agriculture to handicrafts. The other programme is on Institutionalising poverty-focused city development Stategies (CDS) in 12 cities.