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Statements and Speeches
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Statements and Speeches
 
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Closing Address by Honourable Joe Fontana Minister of Labour and Housing and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation  
Barcelona
It is a great pleasure to be here with you today, and to have this opportunity to congratulate UN-HABITAT Executive Director Tibaijuka, the City of Barcelona, the government of Spain, and all the delegates to the 2004 World Urban Forum for your incredible work over the past week. On behalf of our Prime Minister, our Canadian and international partners, UN-HABITAT and all Canadians, I would like to invite each and every one of you to continue building on everything that has been accomplished here, at the 2006 World Urban Forum in Vancouver!
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Hounerable Erha Solberg, Norway  
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.
Remarks by Mr. Martti Ahtisaari Former President of Finland  
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.
SPEECH BY MR. KLAUS TOEPFER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME  
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 .
A NEW GLASNOST FOR OUR FUTURE, The Right to Water and Dignified Life, Mikhail Gorbachev, Chairman, Green Cross international  
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.
Speech of the President of the Council of Ministers Mr. Rafic Hariri, at the ceremony held to grant him the 2004 Special Citation of the Habitat Scroll of Honor Award of UN-HABITAT "Lebanon Rebuilt"  
Barcelona
I feel very proud and honored today to stand before this respectable audience that represents the United Nations, this organization that symbolizes the world's aspirations for peace, security and cooperation.
Dennis Shea, the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development  
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.
Director General, Soren Haggroth  
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.
The Executive Governor Lagos State, Nigeria  
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.
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  
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.
Remarks for Mayor Donald L.Plusquellic, Mayor of Akron  

Remarks for Mayor Donald L.Plusquellic, Mayor of Akron
Statement by H.E Olivio Dutra, Minister of Cities of Brazil, on the occasion of the Opening Ceremony  
Barcelona
I feel highly honored by the invitation to co-chair this II World Urban Forum here in Barcelona. I shall do my best to perform this task with devotion and dedication. ladies and gentlemen, The central issue today in the globalized urban space is the urbanization of poverty. In other words, the poorest are now increasingly concentrating in cities, under conditions of social exclusion.
European Commission Opening Address  
Barcelona
It is a great pleasure to address you today on behalf of the European Commission on the Second Session of the World Urban Forum.
Message from UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan to the Second World Urban Forum  
Barcelona
It is with great pleasure that I address this second World Urban Forum, a capstone event for the highly successful Universal Forum of Cultures being held this summer in Barcelona, the heart of Spanish Catalonia. For member states of the United Nations, there is no subject of greater consequence than the plurality of cultures. We are, above all, striving for peace and unity among nations. And, because it is culture that both defines and differentiates nations, every effort made to apprehend and understand our cultural differences is to be commended.
Closing Address of the Executive Director at The World Urban Forum, Second Session  
Barcelona
It is an honour and a privilege to present you with my statement concluding the Second World Urban Forum.On behalf of all the participants from all over the world, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Mayor Joan Clos and the City of Barcelona, the people of Catalonia and the Government of Spain for hosting our event in this wonderful and inspiring city.
Opening Speech at the Second World Urban Forum, 13 September 2004  
Barcelona, Spain
We are honoured that the World Urban Forum has been invited to be an integral part of the highly successful Universal Forum of Cultures. I wish to extend a special thank you to Mayor Joan Clos and the city of Barcelona, the people of Catalonia and the Government of Spain for their invitation to host this global gathering.
 
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