The Hague, The Netherlands
It is a great honour and privilege for me to address the first session of CFC’s 20th Anniversary Seminar on the Role of Commodities in Development. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my good friend His Excellency Ambassador Mchumo, Managing Director of CFC, for inviting me to this important event.
It is a great pleasure to welcome all of you who have given generously of your time to participate in this Messengers of Truth Urban Arts and Youth Summit. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a special welcome to our UN-HABITAT Messengers of Truth, representatives of local and national governments, private sector, community based arts groups and other guests who have traveled from afar as well as our colleagues based in Kenya.
It is with a deep sense of honour, gratitude and humility that I accept this prize, not only for myself but also for my colleagues at UN-HABITAT who have been by my side in our campaign for sustainable urbanization. We continue to seek an end to homelessness, urban poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and suffering throughout the world. If we cannot secure the human habitat, we shall not be able to secure the environment. Sustainable urbanization is a prerequisite for sustainable development.
First of all, I would like to say what a personal and professional privilege it is for me to join you this morning to discuss this most important topic. My special thanks go to UNDESA, the Global Alliance for ICT and Development, the Regional Plan Association (RPA), and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) New York Chapter for fostering this initiative of which we are proud to be associated with.
It is a great honour and privilege for me to accept the Honorary Degree conferred upon me today by the prestigious Warsaw School of Economics. I must start by expressing my deep and humble appreciation to this School as well as the many others involved in initiating and supporting this highly significant gesture of recognition.
Nairobi,Kenya
I am honoured and privileged to address this welcoming session of this International Seminar on Sustainable Public Transport for Africa. Before starting, I would like to request a one-minute silence in honour of our dear colleague, Brian Williams who passed away almost one month ago. Brian was a highly respected professional and an acknowledged expert in his field of energy and transport. He was also a very loving and caring father.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
It is a great honor to be asked to address this distinguished Alumni and the Graduation Ceremony of this esteemed University. This was an invitation that was gladly received and had to be given top priority, coming as it did from my own boss and mentor, Prof. Geoffrey Mmari. I am glad God has enabled me to make it from New York where I was attending the UN General Assembly. I am delighted to be here on this asuspicious occassion.
It is an honour to report to you today with an update of the activities of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. As my term of office comes to a close, this occasion marks the last time that I appear before this Committee in my capacity as UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director to highlight the achievements and the challenges that confront us in a rapidly urbanising world.
SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION IN THE INFORMATION AGE Role of Infrastructure in Metropolitan Development Address by Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-HABITAT 13 May 2009, United Nations Headquarters, New York ECOSOC