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Statement by Anna K Tibaijuka, Under-Secretary-General
and Executive Director, UN-Habitat
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the lead UN agency for cities. Its
primary focus is on affordable housing and sustainable urban development. The single biggest group of
people that are suffering the effects of climate change are the urban poor. Lack of access to decent housing
and basic urban services means that they are the most at risk of losing life, property and livelihoods from
rising sea levels and other extreme weather patterns. At the same time, cities consume over 65 per cent of
the world’s energy and constitute the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
UN-Habitat helps cities and communities to devise integrated approaches to implementing climate
change mitigation and adaptation strategies. For the majority of the world’s rapidly growing cities, mitigation
and adaptation require very similar solutions. These are: more rational land-use planning; more robust
infrastructure; and smarter and greener urban services that are equally accessible by all.
Scientific knowledge is critical to understanding the causes and effects of climate change, especially at
the local level. This understanding, in turn, allows us to develop practical tools that can help cities and
their communities address climate change. For this reason, UN-Habitat has launched the World Urban
Campaign including a Cities and Climate Change Initiative to spearhead the coordinated approach by all
stakeholder groups – and by the UN family – in the documentation and dissemination of best practice,
tested tools and methodologies, and model legislation in areas of sustainable urban development.
We count on the World Climate Conference-3 outcome to further advance knowledge of climate change
and to strengthen mechanisms to deliver climate information. This will help all stakeholders to apply that
knowledge to their respective adaptation and mitigation strategies at the local level.
Anna K Tibaijuka
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN-Habitat