The Executive Director of UN Habitat, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, had last week talks with representatives of the Norwegian Government on an official visit to Norway. Norway is one of the lead donors to UN Habitat, and the Executive Director met both the Minister for Development Assistance, hon. Erik Solheim, and the Minister for Local Government and Regional Development, hon. Åslaug Haga. During her visit, Mrs. Tibaijuja opened a seminar on land issues jointly organised by Habitat, Norad and Sida, she was invited to give a lecture at the Oslo University College, and she also met with representatives of the Norwegian “Habitat network” at a meeting organised by the Norwegian State Housing Bank.

During the talks in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, which serves as the focal point in Norway for Habitat matters, Minister Åslaug Haga strongly emphasised the new Norwegian Government's commitment to the UN in general, and the Minister and Mrs. Tibaijuka had an interesting conversation on the ongoing efforts to reform the UN System. As Minister responsible for local governments in Norway, Minister Haga was particularly interested in Habitat's work on decentralisation and the strengthening of local authorities. She was informed about the work of the Advisory Group of Experts on Decentralisation (AGRED) in which Norway has a representative. Draft guidelines on local self government and good urban governance would be on the agenda at the next Governing Council (GC 21) in 2007. Minister Haga expressed her firm intention of participating at the GC 21, and she was looking forward to a continued and constructive cooperation between UN Habitat and Norway.

Mrs. Tibaijuka, a Tanzanian of origin, is the highest ranked African woman in the UN System. She has been in the post as ED in UN Habitat for five years. Having been trained as an economist at the Uppsala University, she still speaks fluently Swedish and has kept a close relationship to Scandinavia. Mrs. Tibaijuka, before joining UN, was a professor at the University of Dar es Salaam. She was also the founding Chairperson of the independent Tanzanian National Women's Council ( BAWATA). As a representative from this NGO, she participated at the Habitat II Conference in 1996. Five years later, she was called to serve as ED in UN Habitat.

Under Mrs. Tibaijuka's able leadership, UN Habitat has made remarkable progress. The core funding of the organisation has more than doubled and the former Centre has been transformed to a full fledge Programme. Mrs. Tibaijuka has substantially strengthened UN Habitat and undoubtedly positioned the organisation to play a greater role in international development. Through her tireless efforts, the international community has become aware of the severe challenges of urbanisation. Poverty is rapidly urbanising. Especially in Sub Saharan Africa, where 80 per cent of the urban population lives in slums, the cities expand far beyond their borders and slums are growing uncontrolled. Globally, the slums are growing by “a Bergen a day”, and if current trends continue, the number of slum dwellers will double from one to two billion people within the next couple of decades.

Most developing countries have not at present the ability to cope with the urban challenges, and in the years to come, the main tasks of UN Habitat will be to fight urban poverty and assist in forming a sustainable urban development worldwide. Habitat's focus will be to continue its normative work through the global campaigns on Secure Tenure and Good Urban Governance and by selected projects of technical assistance. Under her visit in Norway and in the talks with Norwegian authorities, Mrs. Tibaijuka also underlined the importance to urgently assist developing countries in mobilising private capital and establishing financial schemes for slum upgrading and small scale urban infrastructure for water and sanitation that effectively could serve the poor.

A new two year agreement between UN Habitat and Norway on financial support to the organisation is scheduled to be signed in May this year.

Åslaug Haga og Anna Tibaijuka.