India has been unanimously elected as the the President of UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations Organisation. The UN Habitat promotes socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements across the world.
Since the UN-Habitat came into being in 1978, it is only the third time that India has been elected to lead this important organization after 2007 and 1988.
Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu will chair the four-day meeting of the 58-member Governing Council of UN-Habitat at Nairobi in Kenya from today. He will preside over the deliberations of the Council of UN-Habitat for the next two years.
The theme of the 26th meeting of the council is opportunities for effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda with focus on inclusive, sustainable and adequate housing for a better future and planning and financing sustainable urbanization and integrated human settlements.
Addressing the Governing Council Mr. Naidu stressed on the need to reorient urban planning and execution strategies to ensure dignity of living and sufficient means of living for people in the context of rapid urbanization, particularly, in developing countries.
He elaborated on the integrated, inclusive and sustainable urban development model of India through various new missions like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), Smart City, Swachh Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
He said these missions are addressing deficits in different kinds of infrastructure including affordable housing in a convergence mode.
Mr. Venakiah Naidu will also chair the Bureau Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Ministers’ Conference on Housing and Urban Development beginning in Nairobi.