Malta participates in UN Habitat Forum

Malta participates in UN Habitat Forum meeting held in Naples this week, bringing together around 6,000 experts under one roof.

Dr Raymond Bondin
Dr Raymond Bondin

The Sixth Session of the United Nations Urban Forum kicked off in the Italian city of Naples this week, with Malta's Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to Unesco Dr Raymond Bondin delivering speeches on cultural heritage and development in two different parallel sessions.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the UN's agency for human settlements.It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. The main documents outlining the mandate of the organisation are the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, Habitat Agenda, Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium.

The forum brought together around 6,000 experts that met in many parallel forums and sessions. Malta was represented by Dr Bondin who participated in the parallel sessions held and organsed by the University of Naples. While there, he also met UN Habitat director Dr Joan Clos.

This was the second time that Malta's representative had been asked to participate during a UN Habitat meeting. The first time he was asked to participate was 10 years ago when he delivered a keynote speech on cultural heritage and cities. This time round he was officially representing Malta.

As part of Malta's first participation at the Forum the motto used 'We Love Our Differences' was also transmitted in Maltese among the only 20 languages that were used at the entrance to the Forum area.