IV World Urban Forum in Nanjing China

President Stig Enemark attends the 4th World Urban Forum in China - Land issues have a key role in Harmonizing Urbanization

Nanjing, China P. R., 3-6 November 2008


Dialogue 2 - Promoting Social Equity and Inclusiveness - Li Guo, Senior Agricultural Economist, World Bank; Stig Enemark, President, International Federation of Surveyors (FIG); Ms. Rita Payne, former Senior Producer BBC’s Asia Today (moderator); Ms. Kyung-wha Kang, Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mr. Anders Knape, President, Swedish Association of Local Authorities (SALAR), Sweden.

The Fourth World Urban Forum organised by UN-HABITAT took place in Nanjing, China P. R. 3-6 November 2008. The theme of this WUF was  “Harmonious Urbanization: the Challenge of Balanced Territorial Development.

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Stig Enemark.

The main topics of WUF included how to tackle rapid urbanisation and its impact on the poor. More than 10,000 participants from non-governmental organisations, community-based groups, urban professionals and academics to governments, local authorities, and national and international associations were at the forum. Through a series of round-table discussions, seminars and dialogues, participants exchanged ideas and discussed formal and informal ways to come up with action-oriented proposals to create sustainable cities.

"When the world converges on Nanjing, the global urban population will have passed the halfway mark and more people will be living in cities than in rural areas,” said Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, at the opening ceremony of the forum. "In this era of rapid urbanization, compounded by the complexities of climate change, we look forward to a stimulating exchange of ideas on how best to make the process of urbanization more harmonious and less divisive."

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Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-HABITAT.

The city of Nanjing, located on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, dates back more than 2,000 years and is known as the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties of China. Today, home to 6 million people, it is a rapidly-growing, modern city and is one of the most dynamic in eastern China. It offered excellent venue for the WUF. The Chinese hosts made there utmost to make sure the WUF would be one to remember. Armies of eager, young, English-speaking volunteers were on hand to direct and advise the thousands of delegates and attend to their every need. WUF is a biennial gathering established by the United Nations in 2002 to address the issue of rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies, and policies. Its previous three sessions were held in Nairobi, Barcelona, and Vancouver. The next forum will be in Rio de Janeiro in 2010.

FIG was represented at the WUF by President Stig Enemark, who was one of the keynote speakers in Dialogue 2 - Promoting Social Equity and Inclusiveness, which was one of the six dialogues that were the core sessions of the WUF. His presentation included the launch of the report from the FIG/UN-HABITAT seminar in Stockholm in June - Improving Slum Conditions through Innovative Financing (FIG publication no. 44) and information about FIG contribution to the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN). In the GLTN Roundtable he had a larger presentation on the report and on the FIG role in promoting pro poor land tools.

President Enemark attended also the meeting of the International Advisory Board of GLTN that made the work plan for GLTN for the next years. FIG will play a key role in this programme.

At the Habitat Professionals Forum meeting John Zetter from IFHP was elected as the new chair of the HPF. He will replace Stig Enemark in this position. This will end also the period of FIG hosting the Professionals Forum. There are plans to increase the activities in the HPF by trying to get new professional groups in the Forum's work.

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Roundtable on Global Land Tool Network
 

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Stig Enemark making his presentation at the GLTN Roundtable.

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Nanjing International Expo Center - new conference and exhibition centre was the venue for WUF.

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Fuji Temple in Nanjing.

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Ming Xiaoling Tomb.

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Jinghai Temple in the Lion Mountain Park.
 

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Like in many places in China there is lot of construction work going on in Nanjing.