 | Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka and Mr. Dumitru Neagu |
The new Permanent Representative of Romania to UN-HABITAT, Mr. Dumitru Neagu, today presented his credentials to the Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka. Mrs. Tibaijuka briefed the envoy on the activities of UN-HABITAT, including the Slum Upgrading Facility, the Water and Sanitation Initiative, and the Disaster Management Programme. She also briefed the envoy on World Habitat Day and the World Urban Forum (WUF), and invited the envoy to participate actively in these events, particularly WUF5 to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 22-26 March 2009. Mrs. Tibaijuka told the envoy that UN-HABITAT is supported by member states through voluntary contributions. The Executive Director also informed the envoy that UN-HABITAT has working relationship with three organizations in Romania. She pointed out that the organizations have been accredited to UN-HANITAT since the 1996 Habitat II conference on human settlements held in Istanbul, Turkey. These organizations are: “National Association of University Women from Romania,” which promotes women’s rights; “Partners Foundation for Local Development,” which promotes democratization through training; and “Romanian National Medical Women Association,” that promotes the socoio-economic and health status of women and children. Mrs. Tibaijuka presented the envoy with some flagship publications of UN-HABITAT and congratulated him on his appointment. Responding, Mr. Neagu stated that Romania would like to play its part as a member of the international community and promote the objectives of UN-HABITAT. He stated that Romania is very interested in housing in both urban and rural areas. The envoy informed the Executive Director that the country’s capital city, Bucharest, with a population of 2.5 million inhabitants, was experiencing the challenges of inadequate water and sanitation and also that of transportation. He said that his country would like to share the experiences of UN-HABITAT in these areas. Mr. Neagu expressed appreciation to the Executive Director for the publications presented to him and stated that he would study them to know more about the activities of the organization. |
