NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Dr Juan Clos, UN-Habitat Executive Director have called for concerted efforts to address the challenges facing cities, towns and urban areas.

Speaking when he launched the 26th session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council in Nairobi, Uhuru said planned urban centres are key to better human life.

"This session is a milestone for UN-Habitat. It is the first meeting of the Governing Council after the adoption of the momentous 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and the New Urban Agenda. As you know, the 2030 Agenda is a comprehensive, integrated and inclusive outcome document," Uhuru said.

The New Urban Agenda aims to achieve peace, prosperity, dignity and opportunity for all, on a healthy planet. It sets our global strategy around urbanization for the next two decades.

"I congratulate each and every one of you for your invaluable contribution to the success of Habitat III. That enterprise shows the power and promise of multilateralism," Uhuru said.

The President said the document presents a renewed political commitment for sustainable development, and provides the basis for reviewing the mandate of the UN-Habitat and its positioning within the UN System.
"Our immediate responsibility is its implementation. We must quickly seize the opportunities, address the challenges and implement the Agenda. The first step – one we can take here and now – is to send a strong political message in support of the new Agenda," Uhuru said.

Dr Clos said urbanisation worldwide, but most specifically in Africa, will be one of the most significant economic and social transformations in the next decades.

"The African continent is experiencing a shift towards more productive sectors of the economy, from the agrarian and extractive industries, towards industrial and service oriented economies," Clos said.

He further noted that one of the most critical vehicles for this transmission is well-designed urbanisation that provides a productive scenario necessary to sustain this very strategic transformation for Africa.

He noted that as a host of the UN-Habitat, Kenya remains fully committed to the agency and is ready to contribute constructively, and to work in partnership with the agency to secure the objectives of the important Session of the Governing Council.

"Let us consider the task that lies before us. Projections suggest that an additional 2.5 billion people will enter urban areas by 2050. Almost 90 percent of this increase is expected to occur in Asia and Africa. I need not add that this should be a matter of concern to all of us," Uhuru said.

He noted that the challenge is equally clear here in Kenya.

"According to our National Bureau of Statistics, by 2050 about half our people will live in cities. Indeed, in 2030, the city of Nairobi will have about 6 million people," he said.

He added, "For our part we have found that the creation of 47 counties under our new constitution has significantly influenced Kenya's urbanization: our new county governments will handle much of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. That's because counties are the homes of the secondary cities, which are growing faster than the primary cities."

The President said counties have great potential for economic growth and employment creation.

"To this end, our Vision 2030 is geared towards promoting integrated regional and urban planning and management in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We strongly believe, also, that new and sustainable technologies will play an important role in human settlements, especially through industrial building systems," Uhuru said.

In recognition of this, Uhuru said Government has taken up Industrial Building Systems in the construction of housing.

"I am pleased to report that our National Housing Corporation has set up a factory for such sustainable building systems. And we are promoting the development of environmentally friendly buildings and green energy," he said.

He further pointed out that Government is focusing on three main things: changes in governance to meet the challenge of the new urbanization; an awareness of the opportunities presented by the new urbanization; and a turn to technology to meet the new needs.

"Those, one might say, are the main ingredients of Kenya's policy mix, to meet the new challenge. We believe that we can learn from others, and we hope that others will be willing to learn from us. That is why we welcome collaboration and partnerships in these areas," Uhuru said.


He said the New Urban Agenda gives humanity a collective approach to the challenges our towns, cities and urban areas face today and tomorrow.

"It presents a paradigm shift based on a clear vision of the interconnections between economic growth, standards of living and environmental sustainability. It is time now for all of us to act jointly to achieve our shared vision," Uhuru said.

He added, "That vision, I believe, may be stated in a sentence: we want smart towns and cities – economically viable, socially livable, environmentally resilient and politically stable settlements. The task may seem formidable; it is not insurmountable. What we do here, at this meeting, will determine whether we will fail or succeed."

Uhuru called for the reformation of UN-Habitat.

"We will achieve our goals only if it can serve as a focal agency for sustainable urbanization and human settlements. It will not do so if its capacity is not strengthened. That is why we must empower UN-Habitat with the resources it needs – and these resources must be adequate and predictable," he said.

Uhuru revelaed that at the last Governing Council meeting, Kenya made a substantive voluntary contribution to UN-Habitat.

"I urge member states to consider enhancing their contributions to the UN-Habitat. Equally, the agency itself needs reform, and to be more innovative in its resource mobilization strategies," he said.

He welcomed the recent appointment by the UN Secretary-General, of a High-level panel of experts to conduct an evidence-based and independent assessment of UN-Habitat.


"A new world is within our reach – a world of green, livable, and prosperous towns and cities. If we join hands in common effort, that world will be ours.
There are few more important tasks for our generation. I ask you all to keep this uppermost in your minds in all your deliberations," Uhuru said.