UNITED NATIONS: On World Habitat Day, Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General shared his message on the rapid and unplanned urbanization worsening many of the challenges faced by people. He said that the number of people living in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing is rising every day.
World Habitat Day theme for this year is ‘Mind the Gap. Leave No One and No Place Behind’, which highlights the fact of the widening inequalities across the world.
Recalling the core pledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on ‘leaving no one behind’, Guterres states that the meaning behind this is to make cities work for women and children and to close existing gaps between the haves and the have-nots; between urban and rural areas and between developed and developing regions.
He emphasised on innovative solutions to address inequalities, to ensure adequate shelter for all, tackle climate challenges, and recover from the pandemic.
Guterres ends his message by urging people to pledge to live up to our shared responsibility to one another.