Woes of the poor, homeless continue

Call to resolve

habitation problem

In Bangladesh, speakers at a seminar on Saturday demanded hygienic habitation for the rural and urban poor to achieve millennium development goals.

Bangladesh Federation of Rural and Urban Poor organised a seminar ahead of "World Habitat Day" at the National Press Club auditorium.

The speakers emphasised on 11-point demand calling for the rural and urban poor to unite to secure their the fundamental rights including solving the problem of habitation.

They added that government should take necessary steps to improve socio-economic status and draw up a national policy to build an environment-friendly city.

In the capital 50 lakh (100,000) people are engaged in self employment or in non-formal institutions and 50 percent of the people are living in abject poverty.

The demands include, eradicating child labour with rehabilitation programme, to ensure VGF cards among the poorest people in the society, to stop banning rickshaw from city roads without any rehabilitation plan.

Raising awareness

In connection with World Habitat Day observance, the MAHUD would be organising a painting competition in water colour medium for students of class six to seven (both boys and girls) today.

The theme of the competition would be The Millennium Development Goals and the City.

The Millennium Development Goals are a set of eight ambitious targets for reducing the impact of poverty, illiteracy, hunger, unsafe water, disease and urban and environmental degradation, agreed upon at the UN’s Millennium Summit in 2000.

The emphasis will be on "improvement of the living conditions in urban areas."

Environ awareness: A National Environment Awareness campaign (NEAC) 2004-2005 under the theme "Solid waste management" was organised by the Social and Educational Development Association (SEDA) on Friday last.

Thailand to host World

Habitat Day festival

The social development and human security minister has indicated that the World Habitat Day festival will promote Thailand’s measures to solve the habitat problems throughout the world.

Social development and human security minister Wattana Muangsook stated that the United Nations has given Thailand the honour to host the World Habitat Day festival for this year. The festival will be held in Sanam Luang from today until October 8.

Wattana said one of the reasons why the UN chose Thailand to host this important event is because the kingdom has successfully provided residences to the poor. Various housing projects have been carried out in Thailand such as Baan Eua Arthorn, Baan Mankong and Baan Knockdoun. These projects are complying with the UN’s objective of providing residences to everyone in the world. Besides, not many countries in the world have accomplished what Thailand has already achieved on this matter.

During the World Habitat Day festival, various habitat-related shows, activities and plans will be displayed to the general audience. Some of them include the housing projects in the province of Khon Kaen and the three southern border provinces of Thailand.

Ghana to join celebration

The ministry of local government and rural development (MLGRD) on Friday directed all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to organise activities in their respective areas to commemorate this year's World Habitat Day. An official statement signed by Mr Abraham Dwuma Odoom, a deputy minister, said these activities might include lectures, debates, football matches, floats, durbars and messages to be read at churches and other public gatherings.

It said a durbar would be held at Kojokrom in the Shama Ahanta East Metropolitan Assembly, Sekondi-Takoradi, to mark the day. Activities planned for the celebration in Ghana on the theme: "Achieving improvement in the lives of slum dwellers in Ghana and reducing the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water," include round tables and floats.

This year's occasion would be jointly celebrated by the ministry of local government and rural development, ministry of works and housing, ministry of environment and science, ministry of women and children's affairs and ministry of tourism and modernisation of the capital city, UN-Habitat, UNDP, as well as other collaborating non-governmental organisations.