Roundtables are organized by Habitat Agenda partners such as ministers, mayors, youth, women, parliamentarians, and others. These action-oriented sessions enable peers to exchange views on key urban issues. Some roundtables will be closed door events, while others will be open to the public The overall focal point for roundtables is Mr. Oyebanji Oyeyinka, Director or the Monitoring and Research Division of UN-HABITAT. The list of roundtables to be held at the Forum is the following: Ministers Roundtable Room: MR 302 The Ministerial roundtable has five main objectives: (i) to make recommendations to the UN-HABITAT Governing Council; (ii) to provide practical and concrete recommendations to regional groups such as Regional Meeting of Ministers and High Authorities of Housing and Urban Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI), the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD) and the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APAMCHUD);(iii) to present specific recommendations to UN-HABITAT to strengthen the normative capacity of the agency; (iv) to provide specific recommendations to bilateral agencies and partners that support technical cooperation at country level to harmonize urbanization, especially with regard to social and environmental challenges; and (v) to advance the national and local implementation of the MDGs and promote harmonious cities. Confirmed speakers: Chair: H. E. Weixin Jian, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, China Vice-Chairs: - H.E. Ms. Elisabet Falemo, State Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Sweden
- H. E. Mr. Mario Fortes, Minister of Cities, Brazil
- H. E. Ms. Kumari Selja, Minister of Housing and urban Poverty Alleviation, India and President, UN-HABITAT Governing Council
- H. E. Mr. Mohammad Saieedikia, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Islamic Republic of Iran, and Chairperson, APMCHUD
- H. E. Mr. Chuka Odom, Minister of State for Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Nigeria
Mayors Roundtable Room: MR 303A
United Cities and Local Governments and the Chinese Mayors Association, in collaboration with UN-HABITAT The Mayors’ roundtable will build on the momentum gathered by the local authorities' movement around the world and discuss the role of cities and city managers in assisting national government in the search for "harmonious urbanization". This roundtable is organized in cooperation with leading networks of local authorities, including United Cities and Local Governments and the Chinese Mayors Association. The event will emphasize the important contribution local authorities are making to ensure harmonious urbanization, based on the fact that- if local authorities were responsible for implementing policies in order to respond to the changing conditions in increasingly multicultural societies – then they must be internationally recognized and nationally empowered to create an environment that is conducive to sustainable development for all. Confirmed participants: - Mayor Zhang Guangning, Co-President UCLG (chair)
- Representative from the China Association of Mayors (co-chair)
- Dr. Wolfgang Schuster, Mayor, Stuttgart, Germany
- H.E. Mir Abdul Ahad Sahibi, Mayor, Kabul, Afghanistan
- Hon. Anders Knape, President of the Swedish Association of Local authorities, Sweden
- Hon. Mel Senen S. Sarmiento, Mayor, Calbayog City, The Philippines
- Hon. Michel Destot, President, Association des maires de grandes villes de France, Deputy and mayor, Grenoble, France
- Mr. Simon Compaore, Mayor, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
- Mr. Kep Chuk Tema, Governor, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Mr. François Amichia, Mayor, Treichville and President, Union des Villes et Communes de Côte d’Ivoire, Côte d’Ivoire
- Ms. Olga Ramasalon, Mayor, Antsirabe, Madagascar
- Mr. Ousmane Masseck Ndiaye, Mayor, Saint Louis and Ministre d’Etat de la Décentralisation et des Collectivités locales, Senegal
- Mr. Mohamed Hadj Taieb, Mayor, Sfax, Tunisia
- Mr. Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, Secretary General, ICLEI
- Ms. Anita Normark, Building and Wood Workers' International, BWI
- Mr. Serguei Lazarev, Chief of UNESCO’s Struggle against Discrimination and Racism Section, Paris
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Women's Roundtable Commonwealth Association of Planners, Women in Planning Network and Nanjing Women Federation, in collaboration with UN-HABITAT Room: MR 303 B
With increasing urbanization, the majority of the world's population is currently living in urban areas. The roundtable will provide a platform for partners working globally on gender equality and women empowerment. Women in cities face challenges of access to affordable housing, land and secure tenure, basic infrastructure, water and sanitation and services. Moreover the urban planning practices that shape the cities do not take into account the realities and needs of women. This roundtable will examine the challenges faced by women in cities and discuss strategies and actions needed for addressing gender and women’s concerns in urban development policies and practices. Confirmed speakers: Chairs: Ms. Wang Yonghong, Vice Mayor, City of Nanjing, People’s Republic of China Ms. Christine Platt, President, Commonwealth Association of Planners - Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira Mayor, City of Kigali
- Ms. Rakael Rolnik, UN Special Rappoteur on Affordable Housing
- Ms. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director- UN-Habitat Representative,Government of Norway,
- Ms. Sheela Patel, Founding Director, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers SPARC
- Ms. Lorna Chavez, Member Huariou Commission
- Ms.Carolyn Whitzman, Member Commonwealth Association of Planner (CAP) and Women in Cities International
- Ms. Jin Yihong, Director, Woman’s Development Center of Nanjing Normal University and Professor, Jinling Woman College of Nanjing Normal University
- Ms.Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary, YWCA
- Ms.Alison Todes, Member Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP)
- Ms.Ana Falu, UNIFEM, Office for Brazil and Southern Cone
Parliamentarians Roundtable Global Parliamentarians on Habitat, in collaboration with UN-HABITAT Room: MR 302
The parliamentarians' roundtable will focus on the overall theme of "Cities and climate change" and the Role of Global Parliamentarians. The main objective of the Parliamentarians Roundtable is to bring the parliamentarians together for a common understanding and commitment to work in their respective counties to pass relevant legislations and adopt policies and commit some funds for implementing those legislations and policies to tackle the climate change issues. The Forum provides an important platform for the parliamentarians to share the successful stories, good practices and policy approaches for Parliamentarians in the North and the south aiming at promoting the right policies to achieve the Millennium Goals and urban poverty reduction. The chair and vice-chairs have been identified from all major regions of the world with due consideration of the gender balance. The speakers from various regions will speak on the theme from their regions perspectives and what steps have been taken to address the climate change at the parliamentarians and Government level. Floor will be opened for discussion and contributions. Finally, the chair will summarize the discussion and recommendations Confirmed speakers: - Hon. Peter Goetz, MP, President of Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH), will Chair will represent Europe (Chair)
- Senator Eloy Countu Segovia, Former President of GPH, will represent Latin America
- Hon. Kumari Selja, Chairperson of GC21, will represent Asia
- Hon. William F. Shija, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and Hon. Mariam Nalubega, Member of Parliament, Uganda to represent Africa
- Chinese host from China
Youth Roundtable Room: MR 303A
The roundtable will explore best practices in the area of youth led development. Participants at the roundtable will be expected to present over 10-15 minutes example (s) of youth led development practice and provide three recommendations on how practices such as the one they have presented can be supported. Specific topics/questions to be addressed include: (i) What are some of the projects/innovations/good practices being undertaken by young people in relation to youth led development? Areas that should be focused on: employment, good governance, adequate shelter and secure tenure, environment, peace and security; (ii) How can these youth led practices be supported at the country and local level? and (iii) How can the fund facilitate the mobilization of young people to help strengthen youth related policy formulation, build capacities of government all levels and share best practices? Confirmed speakers: - Mr. Joao Scarpelini, Peace Child International
- Ms. Nola Kate Seymoar, International Centre for Sustainable Cities, Canada
- Ms. Cindy Rocha, Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (AIESEC), Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Mr. Erik Berg, Ministry of Development Cooperation, Norway
- Mr. Steven Milambo, Youth Mayor- Kinondoni Municipality, Tanzania
- A representative from Nanjing Youth Federation
Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Roundtable Room: MR 303 B
GLTN contributes to the implementation of pro poor land policies to achieve secure land rights for all. The main objective of the GLTN roundtable is to develop the Networks’ understanding of the overarching concept of land governance and for GLTN partners to report on current activities. The round table will share normative work completed by network members to date (land governance policy paper, indicators on good land governance, gender criteria for large scale land tools, criteria for up scaling grassroots initiatives) and discuss options for operationalising these. This event builds on the GLTN roundtable held in Vancouver at WUF3 in 2006, where the network was launched. Confirmed speakers: - Ms. Agnes Kalibbala, Uganda High Commission and Chair of the GLTN International Advisory Board, Kenya (chair)
- Mr. Morten Wasstøl, Political advisor to the Norwegian Minister of International Development and Environment, Norway (keynote)
- Mr. Alain Durand-Lasserve, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France
- Ms. Ayse Yonder, Pratt Institute, USA
- Mr. Chris Paresi, International Institute of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), Netherlands
- Ms. Edith Mbanga, Slum Dwellers International (SDI), Namibia
- Mr. Geoffrey Payne, GPA Associates, UK
- Mr. Humphrey Otieno, Nairobi Peoples Settlement Network, Kenya
- Ms. Lay Lee Tang, Hakijamii, Australia,
- Mr. Li Guo, World Bank, USA
- Mr. Opiata Odindo, Hakijami, Kenya
- Mr. Paul Munro Faure, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Italy
- Mr. Stig Enemark, International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), Denmark
Urban Researchers Roundtable Room: MR 303A
The objective of the Urban Researchers Roundtable is to explore the fundamental issues and policy challenges in one key dimension of sustainable urbanization that UN-HABITAT’s normative work will need to address during the implementation of its strategic plan 2008-2013, i.e. “Cities and Climate Change”. Four leading researchers in the area of cities and climate change have been be identified and requested to prepare substantive, research-based, papers for presentation and discussion at the roundtable. Confirmed speakers: - Dr. Winnie Mitullah, University of Nairobi and Chairperson, Global Research Network on Human Settlements (chair)
- Dr. Graham Tipple, University of Newcastle and Vice-Chairperson, Global Research Network on Human Settlements (facilitator)
- Prof. Xingpeng Chen, Lanzhou University, China
- Dr. Mark Pelling, Kings College, London University
- Professor David Simon, Royal Holloway College, London University
- Ms. Cynthia Awuor, African Centre for Technology Studies, Kenya
Habitat Partner Universities Roundtable Norwegian University of Technology, in collaboration with UN-HABITAT Room: MR 303B
The Habitat Partner University collaboration allows UN-HABITAT to enlarge its cooperation with institutions of higher education, as well as facilitates exchange and cooperation between universities around the world, in order to build capacities and promote sustainable urban development. The objective of the roundtable is to identify, explore and further develop coordination and cooperation between the present and prospective Habitat Partner Universities. The Round Table is organized by the Norwegian University of Technology, NTNU, and brings together partner universities from across the globe, under the joint Chairmanship of Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and Tongji University, China.
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