World Habitat
Day focuses on
Water
and Sanitation for Cities
Since its inception by the UN General Assembly in 1985,
World Habitat Day has been celebrated annually on the first Monday in
October.
This year, the global observance will be held in the Brazilian city of Rio
de Janeiro on Monday, October 6. It will focus on the theme of Water and
Sanitation for Cities to highlight the world’s urban water and sanitation
crisis – a situation far worse that official statistics suggest.
According to a new report by UN-HABITAT, in Africa alone there are as many
as 150 million urban residents – up to 50 percent of the continent’s urban
population – who do not have adequate water supplies. Even more people, an
estimated 180 million, lack adequate sanitation.
Slums without clean water, proper sanitation and basic services can be
amongst the most life-threatening environments on earth. The idea behind
World Habitat Day is to remind governments, municipalities and the public
at large about the urgency of striving to improve human settlements.
The Rio de Janeiro celebrations, hosted jointly by UN-HABITAT and Brazil,
will present the Habitat Scroll of Honour and World Habitat Day awards to
those individuals, institutions, countries, municipalities, and others who
have excelled on the frontlines of the challenge for sustainable urban
development and adequate shelter for all.
Other events on World Habitat Day will include an international water
conference, the launch of a Water for Latin American and Caribbean Cities
programme, and other innovative projects aimed at improving slums and
helping the poorest of the poor tackle issues ranging from their rights to
secure tenure.
World Habitat Day is an occasion to remember the homeless and those with
inadequate shelter, including those whose housing conditions are
incompatible with their human status, as they seek ways and means of
improving their shelter and neighbourhoods. This annual event provides an
opportunity for governments, communities and agencies to demonstrate and
review national and international efforts to resolve shelter-related
issues. Above all, it is an occasion to do something to improve human
settlements rather than just to talk about it.