With half of humanity now living in an urban environment, the world is at the dawn of a new urban era. Expo 2010 in Shanghai, under the theme “Better City, Better Life”, is the first global exposition dedicated to the potential and the problems of urban living in the 21st century. The United Nations pavilion at Expo 2010, with the theme “One Earth, One UN”, will showcase the wide-ranging efforts of the UN system to help the world to achieve sustainable urban development. The exhibitions will display not only our knowledge and best practices, but also our unity of purpose advancing this crucially important agenda.
I encourage all UN system agencies, programmes and funds to seize this opportunity to communicate with a large global audience. Let us, together, show the world the many ways in which the United Nations promotes social justice and harmony, environmental protection and the overall well-being of the world’s urban-dwellers. Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary General |