"Sustainable, resilient, and continuous discussions are being held between the United Nations and the African Union," said UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach during the meeting of African countries’ ministers held within the framework of WUF13, APA reports.
“During the time we have participated together in these forums, it has become clear to all of us that urbanization is no longer an issue of the future. It is already at our doorstep. Currently, 50 percent of Africans live in urban areas. According to estimates, by 2050, hundreds of millions of people will move to cities. We are talking about between 600 million and 900 million people, and this process has already begun.
At the same time, we must also pay attention to rapidly growing secondary cities. The outcomes of the Nairobi Declaration show that both the vision and leadership capacity exist for this,” Rossbach noted.
She emphasized the importance of placing housing policy at the center of the urbanization process.
“Otherwise, urbanization may become chaotic and unequal,” Rossbach said.
She also highlighted the importance of mapping, improving, and integrating informal settlements into cities.
