MEDIA RELAESE

HOUSING MINISTER DR LINDIWE SISULU WILL LEAD A SOUTH AFRICAN DELAGATION TO THE WORLD URBAN FORUM 3, 19-23 JUNE 2006, VANCOUVER CANADA

The national minister of housing Dr. Lindiwe Sisulu will lead a South African delegation to the third session of the World Urban Forum (WWF3) which will be hosted by the government of Canada in partnership with UN-HABITAT in Vancouver from the 19-23 June 2006 under the theme Our Future: sustainable cities-Turning Ideals into Action.

This session coincides with the 30^th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Vancouver in 1976, which led to the founding of the United Nations Human Settlements programme. The conference will be attended by thousands of participants from more than 150 nations who will discuss and share experiences about how to make our cities a better place to live.

The theme of the WUF3, Our Future: Sustainable Cities-Turning Ideals into Action will be supported by three sub-themes: Urban Growth and the Environment; Partnership and Finance and Social Inclusion Cohesion

The World Urban Forum, held every two years, was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues in the world today: rapid urbanization in a world where half of humanity lives in the cities and where in the next 50 years that proportion is expected to reach two thirds of the global population.

The conference will deal with amongst other things, the issue of urban growth which is taking place in developing countries where the major challenge is to combat poverty and provide better access to basic shelter and services like clean water and sanitation.

For more information contact:

Monwabisi Maclean

083 634 5199

E-mail Monwabisi@housing.gov.za

Issued by the National Department of Housing

14 June 2006