Global preparations in top gear for World Habitat Day fete Preparations are underway in nearly all countries globally to mark this year’s World Habitat Day. Chosen by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the various aspects of human settlements all over the world, this event marked on the first Monday of October each year has become a landmark event where countries, organizations and the United Nations join hands to deliberate on human settlement issues. In a message ahead of the event, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, the UN-HABITAT Executive Director says that World Habitat Day is the most important date on the agency’s international calendar. It is the occasion to remind the world, our leaders and our citizens to be ever alert and vigilant to the great urban changes sweeping our planet. This year the theme is A safe city is a just city, “This subject is something that touches us all. Crime and fear of crime is growing unacceptably fast at a time half of humanity is now living in towns and cities. There is no doubt too, that today most crime and violence occurs in cities. And this is the reason, as I said in my special statement for World Habitat Day 2007, we decided to choose the theme, A safe city is a just city, to mark the occasion,” she said. This year the Global Observance will be held in The Hague, the Netherlands on 1 October 2007. At the same time, the city of Monterrey in Mexico will host an international conference on the state of safety in world cities from 1-5 October. The conference aims to develop an international framework to support cities in their efforts to address urban crime and violence. UN-HABITAT’s Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 : Enhancing Urban Safety and Security will also be launched on 4 October 2007. From Benin to Zimbabwe, from India to Israel, many cities in countries across the world will be celebrating World Habitat Day. A list of countries and partner activities is available on the World Habitat Day website. |
