Sustainable Cities & Communities

Experts Call For Paying Heed To Internally Displaced Persons

By Geneva Centre Staff

GENEVA (IDN) – The forced displacement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Middle East cannot be left unaddressed by decision-makers in the context of the refugee and migrant crisis, stressed a group of human rights experts during a panel debate at the United Nations Office at Geneva.

The debate entitled “Protecting people on the move: Internally displaced persons in the context of the refugee and migrant crisis” was held on March 21 at Palais des Nations in Geneva on the margins of the 37th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council. The debate was arranged by the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue (Geneva Centre) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to UN Geneva.

: UN Bureau; UN INSIDER; 25 March 2018

Photo: ITB Berlin 2018 - Opening Gala. Credit: Messe Berlin.

World's Major Tourism Fair Underlines the Significance of Sustainable Development

By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN (IDN) – The number of tourists around the world grew in 2017 to an all-time record of 7 percent to reach 1.3 billion. Tourism accounts for 10 percent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP), 10 percent of the world’s jobs, and 7 percent of the world’s total exports.

The need to turn these figures into benefits for all people and all communities, "leaving no one behind" – as required by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations in September 2015 – was also the subject of ITB 2018, the Berlin travel trade fair in March.

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Decent Work & Economic Growth; 18 March 2018

Infrastructural Boom Spreads Across Southern Africa

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE (IDN) – Waving a red cloth tied to a stick while signalling vehicles to stop, 35-year old Denford Muzvidziwa who dons blue overalls and a white helmet, joyfully busies himself on the Harare-Mutare high way which is still being upgraded.

For over a decade after he completed a degree in Social Work at the University of Zimbabwe, Muzvidziwa has never found a formal job that suits his qualification, but he is happy with his new found job in the construction sector, saying the job nevertheless earns him some bit of money to caution him in the face of this country’s fledgling economy.

: Jeffrey Moyo; THE WORLD; Africa; 12 March 2018

Photo: Slum upgrading. Credit: UN-Habitat.

UN-Habitat and ACP Partner to Ameliorate Urban Poverty

By Dr Patrick I. Gomes, ACP Secretary-General

The following is a slightly modified abridged version of the text of the video message by ACP Secretary General to the 9th World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 8-9 February 2018 at the launch of Phase III of the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP). Launched in 2008, the PSUP is a joint effort of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, the European Commission (EC) and UN-Habitat. – The Editor

BRUSSELS (IDN) – The Secretariat of the ACP Group highly values the PSUP and the work that has already been accomplished in respective countries. This is as a result of the commitment at national, city and community levels to see the end of urban poverty and improve living conditions of the urban poor.