United Nations Radio

UN-HABITAT, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is urging governments to ensure that the urban poor have adequate shelter, health, water and energy services in the midst of the financial crisis.

The appeals was made by UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka as she closed the 4th World Urban Forum in the southern Chinese city of Nanjing on Thursday.

UN Radio's Maoqi Li filed this report from Nanjing.

Calling governments to take double care of the fragile situations for the urban poor and the world's poorest in the hard times of financial crisis, UN-HABITAT's Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka appeals to governments to carry out their responsibility and critical role to play in promoting pro-poor housing finance systems and balance market forces that tend to fail if unchecked. Ms. Tibaijuka finds the exchanges in Nanjing truly rich.

"Our talks covered many subjects. These included territorial balance and promoting social equity in urban development, making cities more productive and harmonizing the built environment, preserving the cultural heritage of cities, and addressing the needs of all generations."

Some 8,000 people from China and other 80 countries participated in more than 200 dialogues, roundtables, and workshops in the past four days, learning and sharing experiences in their endeavours to make cities and towns a better place to live.

Rio de Janeiro will follow Nairobi, Barcelona, Vancouver and Nanjing to hold the 5th World Urban Forum in 2010.

Maoqi Li, reporting for UN Radio in Nanjing, China

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