UN agency chief urges African ministers to address housing concerns

Efforts to ameliorate slum conditions in Africa can mitigate other problems plaguing the continent, a senior United Nations official told ministers responsible for housing and urban development from more than 30 African countries at a conference that opened today in Nairobi.

“By improving the lives of slum dwellers, we are also combating malnutrition and diseases, many of which are directly linked to overcrowding and to the lack of clean water and improved sanitation,” said Anna Tibaijuka, the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT. “By the same token, slum improvement helps improve environmental sustainability and addresses gender inequality in the most efficient manner.”

She pointed to a number of programmes the agency is carrying out in Africa, such as the Water and Sanitation Trust Fund currently supporting the efforts of 14 countries on the continent, and stressed that their aim is to foster sustainable, thriving and inclusive cities.

“How we drive the process is up to us,” said Mrs Tibaijuka, urging participants attending the two-day meeting to “discuss, development and agree on a basic framework of action that reflects our values, principles but that also requires our integrity in implementation.”

With 72 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s urban population living in slums, speaker after speaker at the Special African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development pledged to make every effort to reduce urban poverty and ensure that cities in Africa are well managed, HABITAT said.

Many speakers referred to the Outcome Document adopted by leaders attending the 2005 World Summit, which called for significant improvements in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020.