| Africa |
| Country | Event |
| Benin | The Union for the Dignity and the Development of the Underprivileged Family Communities of Porto-Novo (UDUCP) and the Benin Association for the Well-being of Orphans and Abandoned Children (A.BE.E.A) will celebrate World Habitat Day with a conference on poor health from water and degradation of the urban environment. |
| Benin will has scheduled a week of conferences, public meetings television and radio programmes to mark the World Habitat Day 2005 theme on the Millennium Development Goals and the city. The formal ceremony on 3 october will be personally launched by the Minister of the Environment, Habitat and Urbanism. The daily events will range from concerts in the slums to seminars on subjects ranging from urban finance to urban transport, and slum upgrading.
For details in full, see HPM’S REPORT |
| Botswana | The Housing department of the government of Botswana will commemorate World Habitat Day. |
| Burundi | In the build-up to World Habitat Day there will be a nationwide television and radio debate on applying the Millennium Development Goals to cities in Burundi. Participants will discuss how ECOSAT, a social building a housing company created with donor support in 1987, can join UNDP and UN-HABITAT in further enhancing the cause of human settlements in Burundi. ECOSAT won the UN-HABITAT Scroll of Honour Award in 1991. The Head of State will preside at special WHD ceremony in Gatumba, 15 km from Bujumbura. |
| Cameroon | Cameroon will mark World Habitat Day 2005 with a series of events. These will include a World Habitat Day ceremony at which the messages of the UN Secertart-General, the Exeuctive Director of UN-HABITAT and the Government will be read out. At the national and local level there will be special visits to slum upgrading projects in Yaoundé, as well as a series of seminars involving civil society, NGOs, the Government, municipal officials and others working to improve the urban living environment. |
| Chad | Chad is planning a series of events on World Habitat Day. These will include a cultural programme centred on a poety competition for young people on the them of the capital city, Ndjamena in 2005. There will be a football match for men, a women’s basketball match and a marathon race. There will be a special seminar, a nationally broadcast radio and television debate with senior government officials and development partners on the Millennium Development Goals and how they can be locally applied at city-level. |
| Congo | In October, the city of Brazzaville will be marking its 125th anniversary and the city authorities are gearing up for a double birthday and World Habitat Day celebrations. |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) | The Union Genérale des Sociétées Coopératives Mutualistes et Associatives (UGSCOMA) will hold two World Habitat Day events. On Saturday 1 October, a visit to various slums, followed by a news conference on the theme, The Millennium Development Goals and the City, a youth football match and an evening reception. On Monday 3 October itself, the occasion will be marked by a special parade of school children, a film and a reception with speeches by the local representatives of UGSCOMA and UN-HABITAT.
The Minister of Urban Affairs and the Habitat, Hon. John Tibasima Ateenyi, delivered the keynote World Habitat Day speech.
For more details see the programme |
| Egypt | The Ministry of Education and the Governor of Alexandria will mark World Habitat Day by raising awareness of school children about the Millennium Development Goals, slums and clean water. A symposium on slums is planned for the 2 October. |
| Eritrea | In Eritrea, the Ministry of Public Works has prepared a nationwide television and radio show to mark World Habitat Day. It has also arranged a seminar with the participation of UN and local government representatives that will discuss shelter provision for internally displaced persons, slum upgrading and other human settlements problems. Banners will be posted up in the main streets of the capital Asmara announcing the occasion. |
| Ethiopia | In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Action-Professionals’ Association for the People
APAP broadcast a World Habitat Day programme carrying the statements of UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director and an interview with APAP’s Executive Director Ato Debebe H/Gebriel. This was followed by a Panel discussion involving Ato Kebede Abebe, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity, Dr. Solomon Mulugeta, academician from Addis Ababa University and Mr. Gebriel of APAP. The discussion focused on the Millennium Development Goals and housing, international and national human rights instruments on the right to housing, state obligations on the right to housing, urbanization and its effect on the expansion of slums etc. APAP is a local human rights NGO established in 1993 to disseminate legal and human rights knowledge among the Ethiopian public, as well as lower level judiciary and law enforcement agencies. It also used the occasion to hand out leaflets in Addis Ababa on the right to housing. |
| Kenya | The Ministry of Lands and Housing will host this year’s 2005 national celebration of World Habitat Day in Kenya at a glittering celebration at the Makadara Stadium in the Municipality of Mavoko. The event scheduled to last all morning starting at 9.00 a.m., will include speeches by the Minister for Lands and Housing, the Minister for Local Government, the Minister for Water and Irrigation, the Minister for Planning and National Development, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry for Lands and Housing, the Representative of the Government of Kenya to UN-HABITAT, the Representative of UN-HABITAT, and His Worship, the Mayor of Mavoko. There will be choirs, traditional dances, drama and comedians to mark the occasion.
For details, see the programme |
| In Vancouver, host city of the third session of UN-HABITAT's World Urban Forum in June 2006, and in Nairobi, Kenya, young people are arranging special World Urban Cafés to mark World Habitat Day. The idea is to give youth a forum to discuss ways of bringing ideas into action. Using the internet, they will engage international, national and the regional youth in urban sustainability dialogue and strategy development concurrent with the World Urban Forum 2006. It will focus on indigenous, global, and urban youth and youth focused cultural enterprises. Its three core aims are to generate and advance global communities of understanding and action on urban and rural youth issues; ensure youth input into international and national outcomes from the Wordl Urban Forum that shape cities, community and youth development; and to support and promote community based youth focused projects targeting a sustainable future. The Nairobi Working Group will meet on World Habitat Day at the One Stop Youth Centre. The Vancouver Working Group will work through Youth Outreach Team of the City Council of Vancouver. They will explore the ways in which youth are directly involved and affected by each Millennium Development Goal, show how young people are contributing to the MDGs, and to provide ‘Ideas to Action’ that governments, the United Nations system, donors and other actors can harness, support, and scale-up in order to support young people in making significant contributions to achieving the MDGs.
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| In Siaya district of Kenya, the Siaya Youth Groups Organization will organize plays and sports matches to raise awareness of problems faced by youth in cities such as HIV/AIDS and drug abuse. |
| The Kariobangi South Welfare and Slum Housing Association held a World Habitat Day local clean-up, tree planting and entertainment programme.
For details see:
Report one | Report two
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| The Kamukunji Riverside Tailoring and Ironing Society, a welfare group based in Gikomba area in Nairobi, will mark World Habitat Day with activities at the grass root level to raise awareness and stimulate debate on this year’s theme of The Millennium Development Goals and the City. The celebrations will be held in the informal settlements of Majengo and Pumwani in Nairobi at the historic Kamukunji grounds and the Child Survival Primary School respectively. |
| In Nairobi, the Kangemi Women Empowerment Centre is organizing activities to mark the day. |
| The Alfaer Jekeko International Institute and Consultancy Centre (The AJIIC Centre), together with the Chief and women groups and the local church of Kipreres Location are planning poem recitals, song compositions and pictures by secondary school students on this year's theme on Millennium Development Goals and the City. Women groups will make also make presentations and it is hoped that the District Officer will attend as guest of honour. |
| The People Ready in Developing Education (PRIDE-Mathare), a nonprofit making self help group is organizing a procession and a free medical camp within the Mathare slum, the second largest slum in Nairobi, to help create awareness of water and sanitation problems. |
| The Soweto Youth Group Kibera, a community based organisation based in Nairobi's Kibera slum is planning a World Habitat Day clean-up campaign that will also feature a series of brief plays to explain through drama the importance of living in a clean environment. |
| Liberia | World Habitat Day will be celebrated in Liberia at a glittering ceremony with high-level dignatories at the Monrovia City Corporation Hall. It will entail formal readings of the WHD messages of the UN Secetary-General, the UN-HABITAT Executive Director and the Government, as well as the launch in Liberia of the UN-HABITAT RUSPS rapid urban profile programme, and a seminar on localizing the Millennium Development Goals in Liberian urban centres. |
| Lesotho | The Ministry of Local Government in collaboration with Maseru City Council and other stakeholders celebrate World Habitat Day in a series of seminars, speeches by senior leades and city clean-up campaigns. The newly paved road system serving Maseru East will be officially inaugurated by the Minister of Local Government. The Water and Sewerage Authority will sensitize the public on the importance of access to adequate, safe and clean drinking water particularly those residing in the Maqalika Dam catchment area. |
| Madagascar | World Habitat Day in Madagascar this year will focus on the bustling east coast city of Vatomandry, where the population has suffered repeatedly the devastating effects of cyclones. The idea will be to promote new housing programmes in the area. The National Guild of Architects will hold a formal ceremony to offer its services in promoting the Millennium Development Goals at local level, and a nationwide publicity campaign will be held.
For details in full, see HPM’S REPORT |
| Namibia | The National Habitat Committee (NHC) through the Ministry of Regional, Local Government, Housing and Rural Development (MRLGHRD) will commemorate the World Habitat Day in each of the 13 political regions of Namibia with a series of events ranging from tree planting and site clearance for urban services, to television and radio talk shows. The ministry is providing N$10,000 to fund the events, along with t-shirts and relevant awareness raising materials.
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| Nigeria | The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD), in collaboration with UN-HABITAT Programme Support Office in Nigeria, has arranged a major national World Habitat Day celebration that will include nationally broadcast speeches by senior officials and a panel discussion on theme, the Millennium Development Goals and the City. Key messages will be delivered by Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the FMHUD Director of Urban and Regional Development, the UNDP Resident Representative, and keynote lecture by Ms. Aisha Ibrahim, Senior Adviser to the President on MDGs. There will be play on the state of Nigerian cities, and an exhibition at which various groups dealing with human settlements in Nigeria will showcase their activities, achievements and best practices in line with the theme of the celebration. The Government has designed a special World Habitat Day poster carrying a message about the theme in the three major languages of the country, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. In a follow-up, to the day’s events, the National Network Television Service, will devote its “Tuesday Life” show to a panel discussion on the Millennium Development Goals and the City aimed at making the public more aware of urban management, good governance and urban poverty reduction. The panelists include the Minister, the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Ibrahim, the Habitat Programme Manager, an NGO representative, and a human settlements specialist. World Habitat Day will also be celebrated at the State level in Nigeria. |
| The Development Initiatives Network (DIN), a registered non-governmental organization based in Lagos with a focus on policy research and advocacy on problems such as urbanization, will mark World Habitat Day with the release of its new series, "Urban Sustainability in Nigeria". It will present current thinking and ideas on how urban challenges in Nigeria can be addressed through improvements in policy making, project implementation and resource use. Currently available issues deal with improving urban policy design and implementation in a Federation, legal and institutional challenges of informal land developments, and sustainable urban land planning and administration. The DIN was an NGO delegate at the 20th Governing Council of UN-HABITAT in April 2005. |
| ACT RIGHT INTERNATIONAL, an non-governmental organization based in Abuja is planning to mark this year’s World Habitat Day by organising a rally and seminar within the Abuja city territory to raise local awareness. |
| The Nigeria Grassroot Youth forum, is also planning an event to mark the Day. |
| The Youth Welfare Forum for Sustainance of the Nation will hold a lecture with participation from over 30 local governments in Oyo State. The theme of the lecture will be in line with this year's World Habitat Day theme. |
| The National Union of Tenants (NUT) of Nigeria are organizing a series of events to commemorate World Habitat Day. These will start on 29 September with an assembly of Union members, government officials, representatives from civil society and the private sector, and the wider public. Other activities include a visit to social housing units, donations to help homeless communities, a church service for the victims of the tsunami and for the homeless, and on World Habitat Day itself, the highlight of the celebrations will be the launch of an Urban Slum Upgrading Programme. |
| The African Initiative for Environmental Sustainable Network will hold a World Habitat Day seminar in the southern Delta State town, Ughelli, that will look at urban decentralisation in the region. The agenda will include discussions on unplanned urban settlements, and access to water and sanitation. The Community Urban Settlement Initiative will make a special presentation on cleaning up the urban environment with a view to creating a better understanding among local people. |
| Rwanda | Rwanda will take its national World Habitat Day celebration this year to the eastern border town of Gisenyi, and publicise the occasion in national and radio television debate with the Minister of Infrastructure.
For details in full, see HPM’S REPORT |
| Senegal | Enda (Environmental Development in Action) will organize commemorative events with public institutions and civil society focusing on the theme of World Habitat Day.
For details in full, see programme |
| Sierra Leone | World Habitat Day in Sierra Leone is spearheaded this year by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Technical Maintenance. A series of meetings are planned as well as a poster and publicity campaign. A message from the Minister of Works, Housing and Technical Maintenance will be nationally broadcast on radio and television, including a special programme on the selected slum areas of Kroo Bay, Susan’s Bay and Moa Wharf.
For details in full, see HPM’S REPORT, |
| Sudan | The Minister of Environment and Physical Development will mark the occasion in a nationwide television address during which he will discuss the Millennium Development Goals and their application at the local level. Regional Phyusical Planning Department Directors will hold a seminar to discuss partnerships and empowering city managers. |
| Tanzania | The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands and Human Settlements Development will address a nationwide television and radio broadcast marking World Habitat Day, and special messages by the Minister and housing directors will be carried in the national press. A series of visits is being arranged for senior officials to see at first hand new low cost urban housing developments. |
| Togo | The National Consumer and Environment Association of Togo held a nationally broadcast public awareness seminar with some 150 participants on World Habitat Day to sensitize the public, key partners and organizations dealing with urban issues about this year's theme, The Millennium Development Goals and the City. A keynote speech was delivered by the Prime Ministerial Special Advisor on Administratative Affairs, Dr. Agokla Kossi Mawuli. He said major reforms were required in the shelter sector because of « runaway urbanisation » and burgeoning, unregulated growth of slums.
see full report |
| The National Consumer and Environment Association of Togo will organise public awareness raising gatherings and broadcast radio and TV messages to sensitize the public, key partners and organizations dealing with urban issues about this year's theme, The Millennium Development Goals and the City. |
| Uganda | The Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications has arranged a panel of experts to address the World Habitat Day theme on the Millennium development Goals and the City in a nationwide television programme on the eve of the event. It will also join Kampala City Council in a clean-up campaign of the city's Kisenyi slum. Kampala will also host a workshop on the theme, Cities without Slums, and the Ministry will publish a special WHD issue of its Shelter Newsletter. Kampala city council will run a workshop to review the performance of partners and stakeholders in the Cities Without Slums strategy, and widespread coverage is planned in the local printed media. |
| Zambia | Zambia will celebrate World Habitat Day with a march past to a settlement where water infrastructure was recently installed for some 20,000 people who only recently were without access to clean water. Guests invited include the Minister of Local Governmentt and Housing, the Mayor of Lusaka and the area councillor. They are expected to address the gathering on what central and local governments are doing towards the realization of MDGs. Also lined up is a performance by a local drama group. |
Benin WHD2005 HPM's Report