UN-HABITAT delegates from the Municipal Spatial Planning Support Programme in Kosovo, contributed to a meeting of the Regional Capacity Strengthening Programme yesterday 25 February 2009, in Warsaw Poland. Also present was the Kosovo Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning with participation by its departments of Spatial Planning and Housing. This Ministry was signatory of Vienna Declaration on Informal Settlements September 2004 http://www.stabilitypact.org/housing/f%20-%20050415_Vienna%20Declaration.pdf. The purpose of this meeting was to review progress of the Vienna Declaration. The results, constraints and challenges where presented by UN-HABITAT, whilst lessons learned, needs, expectations and demonstration projects where presented by member countries participating in this event.

***

On 24-25 February, UN-HABITAT Warsaw Office organized two consecutive meetings related to the activity of UN-HABITAT in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe.

The first event, which gathered representatives of 15 countries of the Region constituted an important step in preparations for the Second Ordinary Session of the Warsaw Office Advisory Council planned to be held at the ministerial level in September 2009.

Participants discussed a provisional agenda for the Council and draft of potential statements to be adopted at that meeting. They presented their comments about UN- HABITAT Programme of work for 2009-2010 in the countries covered by the Warsaw Office and were briefed not only on the 22 nd Session of Governing Council of UN-HABITAT in Nairobi but also on programmes implemented by UN-HABITAT in the Balkan countries.

In the opening speech delivered at the meeting, Olgierd Dziekoński, Undersecretary of State at the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure, underlined that the Ministry and personally Minister Cezary Grabarczyk paid special attention to activities of the Office and programmes undertaken under its auspices. He pointed out a special role, that UN-HABITAT has to play in promoting integrated urban management. There is a need to create further linkages between political instruments in the sphere of revitalization and activities aimed at strengthening economic potential of the urban areas, stated O. Dziekoński.

He said that adopting the Lisbon Treaty by the EU Member States would better emphasise accentuating urban dimension of the European cohesion policy by ensuring appropriate legal measures for initiatives at the national level. A number of these initiatives may be realized by the UN-HABITAT Warsaw Office and be treated later as a source of “good practices” for all interested partners.

On 25 February, the Regional Capacity Strengthening Programme (RCSP) for Urban Development and Housing Focal Points from six countries and territories of Southern Europe, together with representative of academic circles, discussed priority areas and modalities for the redevelopment of the RCSP, a joint initiative of UN-HABITAT and the former Stability Pact.

Special attention was given to the issues of informal settlements’ legalisation and urbanisation, and more generally urban management challenges, and the need to further educate urban planners and develop training programmes accordingly. Lessons learned of UN-HABITAT activities in the region further helped to redefine the scope for RCSP activities for 2009 and beyond as well as related regional cooperation mechanisms.

Participants from the Partner Governments also reconfirmed their commitment to the Vienna Declaration on Informal Settlements signed in September 2004 and the significance of having a regional platform enabling regular exchanges on normative and operational actions undertaken in respective signatory countries to advance the Declaration’s goals. It was agreed to organize in the course of 2009 the 6th Regional Vienna Declaration Review Meeting.

Source: http://www.unhabitat.org.pl/en/aktualnosci.php?news=235&wid=14