JAMAICA WILL be the centre of activities for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements' (UNCHS) commemoration of World Habitat Day on Monday, October 2.
The island will host a one-day conference. The recently-appointed UNCHS Executive Director Kajumulo Tibaijuka is expected to head the list of regional and international delegates attending the parley at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston. The conference's theme will be 'Women in Urban Governance'.
Details of the activities for World Habitat Day were presented to the media on Tuesday by Jacqueline DaCosta, Director-General in the Ministry of Land and the Environment. She said the conference's theme was "dedicated to the world's women who, while representing a large portion of the urban population and especially the urban poor, are often excluded from the process of urban governance". She noted that the theme drew attention to the role of women as decision-makers and the need for governments across the world to address urban issues that were of particular concern to women.
The conference will include panel discussions on topics such as politics, education, the family, and crime. An international awards dinner is to be held on World Habitat Day with nine international Habitat Scrolls of Honour awards and three Habitat awards presented to recipients, including a distinguished Jamaican woman.
