UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka met with China Development Bank President Mr. Chen Yuan in Beijing in August and agreed to establish a strategic partnership between the two organizations to promote finance initiatives for global human settlements.

The two executives said both organizations shared a commitment to promoting low and middle income housing and urban development and agreed to set up a task force to work jointly on priority issues in housing and infrastructure. UN- more...

UN-HABITAT has joined the international partners of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015 at the invitation of the Decade’s Presidency, currently held by Serbia. The Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 is a political commitment by governments in Central and South-eastern Europe to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Roma population within a regional framework.

A large percentage of the Roma population lives in slums and substandard housing throughout Europe. Imp more...

WINDHOEK, Sep 17 (IPS) - Water ministers of countries that share the Zambezi River will finally launch a long-standing initiative to promote sustainable utilisation of water resources at a meeting in Tanzania in November 2008. The Zambezi River flows through eight southern African countries (Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and sustains more than 40 million people in its 2,700 km journey to the Indian Ocean.

Experts say the great river faces a plet more...

LISBON, Sep 16 (IPS) - Pressure from the president of the European Commission has not succeeded in advancing the cause of transgenic crops. In spite of the power wielded by the executive organ of the European Union, the bloc’s member countries are gradually discontinuing the use of genetically modified seeds. This is due in large measure to the difficulty of convincing European farmers to adopt the transgenic crop production model, which is being promoted by biotech giants, but also to increas more...

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 17 (IPS) - Despite the world not being on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), there has been real progress -- even in some of the world's poorest countries. Poverty has been reduced, school enrolment has broadened, and there has been some success in the fight against child mortality and malaria.

'Enrolment in primary education has increased since 1991,' Cynthia Guttman, communications officer for the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation more...

PORT-LOUIS , Sep 16 (IPS) - Mauritius -- along with Botswana, Malawi and Madagascar -- did not sign the Gender Protocol at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in August. While the island nation has made some recent progress in political representation of women at the level of Parliament, much remains to be done to allow women to enjoy their full rights in the political arena.

Mauritius is expected to sign the Gender Protocol soon; the country will have its work cut out fo more...

Interview with Susan McDade, UN Resident Coordinator in Cuba. HAVANA , Sep 16 (IPS) - More than 2.5 million Cubans were evacuated by the civil defence system when hurricane Ike lashed the island this month. And although only seven people were killed, more than one million no longer have an intact home to return to.
The preliminary figures indicate that 514,875 dwellings were damaged, including 91,254 that were totally demolished. Aerial images of the disaster zone shows devastated towns and na more...

KARACHI, Sep 17 (IPS) - Political opposition against President Asif Ali Zardari --fuelled by the recent U.S. military incursions into Pakistani territory and rising food prices -- appears to be tempered by the realisation that the only alternative to the current democratically elected dispensation is military rule. For the first time in Pakistan’s chequered 61-year history as a nation-state, the army which has carried out numerous coups in the past has taken a neutral political position.

An more...

The Congress supports and takes an active part in the Cities for Children Network which has just launched the 1st European Award of Excellence ''City for Children'', to honour European cities for outstanding child-friendly projects. The objective is to illustrate successful, innovative and cost-efficient projects and encourage their use in other municipalities. Categories for 2009 are outdoor activities, mobility and traffic safety for children and young people.

The invitation is open to Euro more...

'A joint team of officials from the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the United Nations, and the World Bank Group begins a Joint Needs Assessment mission in Georgia today.

This assessment, led by the World Bank and carried out from September 8-21, responds to a request from the Georgian government to identify priority areas and financial requirements needed for post-conflict recovery and recons more...