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| Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Hounerable Erha Solberg, Norway |
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Barcelona
It is a great honour for me to take part in the opening ceremony of the second World Urban Forum. We have gathered here frnm all over the.world, from all walks of life, to discuss urban challenges and search for solutions to the issues of inclusiveness and integration. We are here to exchange experiences, to form partnerships and alliances, and to gain courage and inspiration to meet one of the most critical challenges of our time; combating urban poverty.
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| Remarks by Mr. Martti Ahtisaari Former President of Finland |
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Barcelona
As we discuss the issue of preventing man made disasters and natural
disasters, it is natural for me to focus on the first part -the man made
disasters -because that is where my own personal experience is from. In the
course of the years I have been engaged in trouble shooting in Africa and Asia.
Europeans, too, are perfectly able of generating manmade disasters
even in our own time and some of my experience comes from Europe.
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| SPEECH BY MR. KLAUS TOEPFER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME |
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Barcelona
One of the major issues of the 21s,t
cultural and biological diversity.
century is the worldwide decline in
The globalization of communications and trade appears to be having a
dramatic effect on many cultures. It is estimated that as many as half the
world's 6,000 languages are threatened with extinction in the next
century .
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| A NEW GLASNOST FOR OUR FUTURE, The Right to Water and Dignified Life, Mikhail Gorbachev, Chairman, Green Cross international |
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Barcelona
Exactly four years ago, in September 2000, the leaders of all the world's! countries declared that: "We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billio of them are currrently subjected" UN Millennium Declaration.
Nothing is more dehumanising than living without water and sanitation so why are more efforts not being made to address the world water crisis? In the last four years, over, 20 million children have died from preventable water-borne diseases, and hundreds of millions of people continue to live with the daily drudgery and squalor associated with the lack of water and sanitation. Yet, today, there is little to indicate that we will not face the same situation four years from now.
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| Dennis Shea, the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development |
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Barcelona
On behalf of the United States Government, I am honored to be here today to address this impressive gathering ofcommitledindividuals and institutions at the Second Sessionofthe World Urban Forum here in the beautiful city of Barcelona. I extend the best wishes of Secretary Alphonso Jackson of the u.s. I Department of Housing and Urban Deyelopment for a successful and enriching exchange of ideas and experiences.
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| Director General, Soren Haggroth |
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Barcelona
I am very honoured to have been invited to this Second World Urban Forum and say a few words at this opening session. Together with my South-African colleague at that time Mrs. Sankie I chaired the First World Urban Forum in Nairobi in May 2002. The idea was to find a more informal way to focus on the Urban challanges. The key word was dialogue. Some 1200 people met in Nairobi, now 6000 people have registered for the Second Urban Forum. It is an impressive number and it shows that the problems and possibilities of urbanisation is gaining an ever increasing attention on the global agenda. I am fully convinced that also this Second World Forum will be as open, as informal, as democratic and as inclusive, as it was in Nairobi. I am glad to hear that a Third World Urban Forum is already being planned to take place in Vancouver'in 2006. In a way the Nairobi Forum was a historical in creating a new way of international co-operation, outside the UN protocal, but inside the main stream of the world challanges.
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| The Executive Governor Lagos State, Nigeria |
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Barcelona
IT IS AN HONOUR TO BE INVITED TO ADDRESS THIS DISTINGUISHED SESSION ON URBAN SUSTANABILITY AT THE SECOND WORLD URBAN FORUM, BARCELONA 2004. I EXTEND MY GRATITUDE TQTHE UN_HABJTAT FOR THE INVITATION AND COMMEND IT FOR IT'S DOGGED COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABILITY OF CITIES IN A RAPIDLY URBANIZING WORLD. I SEE YOUR INVITAION AS AN AFFIRMATION OF OUR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CITY OF LAGOS IN THE RESOLUTION OF URBAN CHALLENGES ON THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA. AS YOU ALL KNOW, LAGOS IS CURRENTLY THE MOST POPULOUS CITY IN THE CONTINENT WITH A POPULATION OF 15MILLION AND WILL BE ACCOMODATING OVER 20MILLION PEOPLE OVER 2010.
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| Local capacities for global agendas; Impact of Cities on the global Environment , Mr. Bakary Kante, Director of the Division of Policy Development and Law, UNEP |
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Barcelona
Urbanisation is one of the most significant processes in our society over the past century. The
move from a mainly rural society to an urbanized world has impacted on all levels of our lives. In 1950
less than one third of the world's citizens were living in cities, but by 2025, this Will be two-thirds, and
90 percent of them will be liVing in developing country cities. Of the three persons born each second in
the world, two are born in cities. This shift from rural to urban has severe social, cultural, economic, and
environmental impacts. However, where urbanization in the developed countries went hand in hand with
economic growth and rapid increases in welfare, this is not the case with developing countries.
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