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UN Secretary Generalâ€™s message on World Habitat Day

03 October 2008 08:38 (UTC +04:00)

Baku- APA. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sent a message on October 10 â€“ World Habitat Day. The theme of this yearâ€™s World Habitat Day is â€œharmonious citiesâ€, said in the message, UN Baku Office told APA. â€œOur rapidly urbanizing world cannot claim to be harmonious if slum-dwellers do not enjoy opportunities to find jobs and improve their living conditions. Nor will it be harmonious if the growth and expansion of urban areas comes at the expense of the natural environment. The Millennium Development Goals call for a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020â€.
â€œCities have tremendous potential to be places where balanced development prevails, where diverse people live in harmony, and where healthy living conditions coexist with low levels of energy consumption, resource-use and waste. As we observe World Habitat Day, I call on all partners and stakeholders to do our utmost to realize this potential, and to build decent living conditions for all women, men and children in a way that also preserves our natural heritage and promotes greener and smarter growthâ€, said UN Secretary General.