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SPEECH BY LN SISULU MINISTER OF
HOUSING AT THE CLOSING CEREMONY OF
HIGH LEVEL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN
MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON HOUSING
AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
4 February 2005
ICC, DURBAN
Honorable Ministers,
The AU Commissioner for Social
Affairs Adv. Bience Gavanas
The UN-Habitat Executive Director
Dr. Anna Tibaijuka
Distinguished guests
Country representatives and friends
I have been humbled by the gesture
of confidence shown in us as a
country to host this first meeting
of African Ministers in housing and
urban development. As government,
and as the Department of Housing, we
have taken note of the overwhelming
expression of gratitude for hosting.
We are however, on our part, unable
to begin to express the sense of
humility we have in having been
given the opportunity to host and
create the birth of AMCHUD.
Allow me therefore Honorable
Ministers to thank both Dr. Anna
Tibaijuka and Adv. Bience Gawanas
who through the two organizations
they lead gave us this opportunity.
For indeed, what is not reflected
here is the support, energy and the
drive they both put in.
We set ourselves what seemed were
impossible targets to achieve the
results we now have in terms of the
outcomes of the conference. And I am
glad that we were able to make it.
For this reason I would like the
house to know that in respect to any
rumours to the contrary, the drive
and the vision were provided by the
co-hosts. Being the new arrival on
the scene they took care to guide
me. In the shortest period of time
they showed me the routes, the
shortcuts and taught me a few tricks
of the trade. Hence, now that we are
here I want to share with you that
there is indeed no force as
formidable as the solidarity of
women. And I thank them for this.
The Deputy President indicated
yesterday that we meet here at a
particularly historic time for us in
South Africa as we celebrate the 50th
Anniversary of the Freedom Charter,
a document that guides us on the
policies we undertake to improve the
plight of our people. What is
important to note in this regard is
that as we look back over the last
50 years we recognize that we have
been nurtured and assisted by
yourselves to get here. We think of
ourselves as a reflection of
everything that we have learnt from
you. We think of ourselves as your
collective aspirations of what is
possible. In all the time we have
been in the struggle to end
apartheid we took in best
practices from each one of you.
Therefore, we think of ourselves as
an embodiment of yourselves, given
the opportunity to start all over
again, because we had the
opportunity to start all over again
to choose what has worked and to
throw out what has not worked -
basing ourselves on your
experiences. This is why we are so
grateful today for what Africa has
given us.
In our culture when a child born
into family has some good attributes
the men take pride and attribute
that to themselves. It however
becomes different when they do not
like the attributes and in this
instance they would attribute what
is wrong or that which they do not
like to the mother of the child. I
would like you to take that which
you like in us as yours and that
which you do not like you may
attribute to somewhere else.
In this small way therefore we hope
that as you are assembled here you
all will appreciate our extent of
gratitude to you. Thank you for the
confidence you have shown in us.
This historic and first meeting of
African Ministers in housing and
urban development that provided us
with the opportunity to collectively
deliberate and find a common
position on Africa’s future in
relation to slums and informal
settlements, has now come to an end.
All of us listened attentively to
the deliberations that were made
including the resolutions. What now
we have agreed to as the
Durban Declaration was adopted.
But since we do not know all the
answers to the challenges we face,
for purposes of enriching even more
the robust discussions we had I am
hopeful that we took some good notes
on also all those other things that
were said here but which did not
find their way into our resolutions.
This has been an eye-opener, a
refreshing and a new experience for
each one of us. It has provided the
all-important cause for optimism.
Now when African Heads of State meet
there is no way they can ignore us.
When the review of the Millennium
Development Goals happens in
September there is no way we can get
ignored. We are here now: a solid
voice to ensure for ourselves -
being a clear and present phenomenon
- a permanent place on the agenda.
As we
agreed during the deliberations the
challenge of slums and informal
settlements in our towns and cities
is the single and the most urgent
developmental issues we face.
Accordingly, it needs the requisite
amounts of resources that will
enable Africa to leap out of poverty
and underdevelopment by 2015. In
reading our resolutions they will
know that our enhanced
framework for implementation is an
urgent call to action for everyone.
The commitments made in this meeting
by everyone, and by in particular
UN-HABITAT and the African Union in
relation to co-operation as well as
the provision of technical capacity
must give us the added confidence
that indeed ours was a meeting with
concrete results.
I therefore would like to thank each
participant Minister, Deputy
Minister, country representative and
members of international
organizations that are here for this
outcome. Through the deliberations
we have indicated that indeed the
conference was long-overdue.
I also thank the Expert Meeting that
preceded the High Level and provided
the recommendations that we now have
confirmed as decisions. For now we
can as a continent speak amongst
ourselves as well as on the global
stage with unity, coherence and
vision on urban development
challenges and difficulties we face.
We have given confidence for each
and every country in Africa to set
its sights high in relation to the
matters we discussed. In our history
this is an important step forward
into the 21st Century.
It’s a beckon of hope for our people
and a demonstration of our
accountability as governments.
As the discussions here indicated a
rapid improvement of the living
conditions of our people will not
come without an equitable and a
sustainable development path that
links the rural economies to our
urban economies. Our people will not
enjoy a quality of life that affirms
and enhances their dignity if we do
not increase our public investments.
It will not come if the issue of
debt is not resolved. It will not
come if an equitable and a fair
global economic environment is
achieved. If the plight of children,
of women, the aged and the disabled
is not prioritized we will not make
build a better, as safer, a peaceful
and a stable Africa. In underlining
and agreeing to all these, the
meeting set the sights high for
everyone.
As Chair, we will be required to
ensure that the plan of action that
we have upon in relation top these
matters is effectively and urgently
implemented. We will do this knowing
that we have all of your support and
commitment to ensuring that
resolutions of this conference are
successfully implemented. Everything
that was said here, everything that
was agreed to would be our guide.
Finally, I would like to thank my
Director General, Deputy Director
General, and all the staff of the
Department for having ensured that
the conference was the success it
turned out to be. I also thank in
particular the AU Secretariat for
the outstanding and exceptional work
it has done. I thank the Chair of
who prepared the excellent base
document that provided us with the
outcomes. I also thank the
UN-HABITAT team which too provided
immense support to this process.
I wish you all a safe journey back
home, and look forward to meeting
you at the upcoming 13th
Session of the Commission for
Sustainable Development and the 20th
Session of the Governing Council.
I thank you. |