Naidu seeks to promote inclusive urban devlopment

Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu urged global funding agencies to support programmes that promote inclusive urban development so that their benefits could reach all sections of the society. He asked the funding agencies to accord priority to areas such as affordable housing, basic urban infrastructure, solid waste management, environment-friendly public transport and skill development.

The housing and urban poverty alleviation minister said that this would enable equitable sharing of public spaces and opportunities in urban areas. The minister was delivering the 'Presidential Address' at the Plenary Session of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday. On May 8, India was unanimously elected as the president of the UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations promoting sustainable human settlements across the globe.

On behalf of India, Naidu will preside over the deliberations of the 58-member Governing Council (GC) of the UN-Habitat for the next two years. Naidu also laid stress on the need for collective actions by the global community to take forward the New Urban Agenda which sets a global standard for sustainable urban development.