MEDIA RELEASE

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA: The National Minister of Housing, Lindiwe Sisulu will lead a South African Delegation to the fourth World Urban Forum hosted by the People’s Republic of China in partnership with UN-HABITAT in Nanjing, China, 03-07 November 2008.

The forum provides South Africa as a country, an opportunity to share our successes, challenges and profile the Breaking New Ground housing policy on a world stage and learn from other countries how they are dealing with common challenges. The country will also exhibit the work that has been done in housing delivery from when government’s housing programme was first implemented when the democratic government came into power in 1994.

The theme for this year’s World Urban Forum is “Harmonious Urbanisation: The challenge of balanced territorial development”.

 This theme will be supported by sub themes that will look at amongst other things, the role of urban planning in achieving sustainable development of cities, promoting social equity and inclusiveness by looking into wealth and poverty which often coexist within cities and at close proximity. 

The dialogue on harmonizing the built and natural environment will focus on reducing urban poverty and addressing the challenge of slums by improving the environmental living conditions, protecting resources and achieving better access to basic urban infrastructure such as water and sanitation.

The forum, a platform for stakeholders from governments, NGO’s, CBO’s, Academics and urban professionals to discuss urban issues in formal and informal ways to come up with action oriented proposals to create sustainable cities, was established by the United Nations to examine rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, economies and policy.

For more information contact Ndivhuwo Mabaya on 083 645 7838 ndivhuwo@housing.gov.za

Issued by the Department of Housing: 30 October 2008

ENDS