Ghana participates in UN Habitat conference

Ghana is participating in the United Nations (UN) Housing and Sustainable Development (Habitat III) Conference in Quito, Ecuador.
The objective of the Habitat Conference, the third conference in line with the bi-decennial cycle (1976, 1996 and 2016), is to invigorate and secure renewed global political commitment to sustainable urbanization.

It is also to focus on the implementation of a “New Urban Agenda”, building on the Habitat Agenda of Istanbul in 1996.

The conference is also to assess the accomplishments of other forums, address poverty, identify and address new and emerging urban challenges for the establishment of the ‘New Urban Agenda’.

On the theme: the “New Urban Agenda”, the Habitat III is first major global conference since the 2030 Agenda entered into force in January 2016 and it would offer an opportunity to discuss urbanization and the achievement of the SDGs.

The Habitat III Conference has as its mission the adoption of a New Urban Agenda an action-oriented initiative which will set global standards in sustainable urban development.

The initiative would seek to develop new ways of building, managing and cooperating with committed partners and relevant stakeholders at all levels of the society.

Ghana’s Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has mounted an exhibition centre at the forum to showcase a number of projects and programmes initiated by the Ministry to promote urban development in the country.

Mr. Charles K. Dondieu, Chief Director of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, who led the Ghanaian delegation, said the forum would offer Ghana an opportunity to share with the international community our urban development agenda.

It would also offer Ghana a platform to learn from other jurisdictions their success stories, compare notes and develop a common agenda, Mr Dondieu told the GNA.