SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON.

UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H., PRESIDENT

AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE
DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF
KENYA DURING THE OFFICIAL OPENING
OF
THE
25TH
SESSION
OF
THE
GOVERNING COUNCIL OF UN-HABITAT
AT
THE
UNITED
NATIONS
HEADQUARTERS, GIGIRI, ON 17TH APRIL,
2015
President of the Governing Council,
Executive Director of UN-Habitat,
Honourable Ministers,
Ambassadors and High Commissioners,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.

It

is

my

honour

and

pleasure

to

welcome you to Nairobi on behalf of the

people and the Government of Kenya.
2.

I am informed many of you have been

here for several days, attending the second

Preparatory meeting of the United Nations
Conference on Housing and Sustainable
Urban Development, to be held in Ecuador
next year.

I trust you have enjoyed your

stay so far in Nairobi.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

3.

This

Governing

Council

session

is

uniquely positioned to contribute to the

success of Habitat III, since it is already
clear that sustainable urbanisation will be a
fundamental

part

of

the

Post-2015

Development Agenda.
4.
on

It follows then, that we should all focus

addressing

housing

and

sustainable

urban development as critical aspects of the

worlds socio-economic development.
Distinguished Delegates,

5.

When

the

United

Nations

was

established at the end of the Second World

War, 70 years ago, only about 30% of the
world was urbanised.

In the intervening

decades, urbanisation, particularly in the

developing world, has been the most rapid
in human history, topping 50% in the last
decade.
6.
In the regional groups represented here,
most are overwhelmingly urbanised, with
the exception of Africa and Asia where a
majority still live in the rural areas and
represent the bulk of the worlds rural
population.

Yet these two continents are

4

the fastest-urbanising with projections that

they will be responsible for 90% of the 2.5
billion new residents of urban areas by
2050.
7.

We all know the costs of planned

urbanisation are far lower than those of

coping with unplanned urbanisation.
8.

The cost of the latter, as we have seen

globally,

and

particularly

in

the

global

South, has been rapid population growth

into unplanned, disadvantaged urban and
human settlements where the potential of

our people is stunted by poor health,

criminality and violent conflict.
9.

We also know that there are no hard

boundaries between the urban and rural

spaces.
10.

They shade into one another, with

resources and products from the country

sustaining our cities, while basic services
are often delivered to villages using the
financial resources states gain from citydriven economic growth.

11.

The well-planned and vibrant city does

not stand in opposition to a village in which

basic services are available to all.

They

complement one another.

12.

We now understand that the poverty-

reducing

impact

of

urbanisation

is

not

merely a result of the relocation of the rural

poor to towns and cities, but is driven more
by urban-rural economic linkages.

The

urban demand for rural products is the

largest driver of rural prosperity growth,
which is added to by the remittances from
urban dwellers to their rural relatives.
7

13.

An

important

reason

for

Kenyas

transformation of its governance structure at

the constitutional and political level is our
recognition of this dynamic continuum of
human habitats.
14.

Devolution

allows

Kenyans

to

participate in shaping their development

priorities at the local level, whether it is in
large cities like Nairobi or in the villages
dotting the countryside where the majority
of our people live.

15.

The

result

has

been

increased

prosperity in both urban and rural areas,

increased equity through participation, and
improved

health

and

dignity

from

the

broadened delivery of basic services.

16.

While there is much more to do, we

foresee a future in which the trend of

migration into urban areas is driven more by
the

pull

of

experiences,

diverse
than

opportunities
by

hopelessness in rural areas.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

the

push

and
of

17.

We need imagine the inevitable future

of almost total urbanisation, and dare to be

bold enough to set its foundations today.
That

is

why

applaud

the

theme

contributions of the United Nations

Human Settlement Programme to the
Post-2015 Development Agenda.
18.

It is timely and relevant in seeking to

join the work of this programme with the

realities of a highly urbanised future, and
the aspirations of those billions, particularly
in the global South, who are still living in
rural areas but whose links to the global
10

economy are increasingly defined by urban

dynamics.
19.

Access

to

housing,

clean

water,

sanitation, affordable mobility and other

basic

services

are,

not

merely

the

consequence of development.
20.

Providing them throughout the world is

the engine that will drive inclusive global

growth

and

prosperity,

social

inclusion,

peace and security for the next generation.

21.

The realization of this vision demands

that we harness and deploy our collective

11

knowledge and experiences. This, in effect,

is what we have done for the past four
decades by investing in UN-Habitat so that
its

intellectual

property,

expertise

and

likages with states, local authorities, civil

society and academia can be available to us.
22.

We will need it even more in the

coming

years

continues

to

as

rapid

present

us

urbanisation
with

immense

challenges and opportunities.

Honourable

Ministers

Delegates,

12

and

Distinguished

23.

It is our collective responsibility to

ensure that UN-Habitat is Fit for Purpose

to seize this moment.
24.

To

effectively

support

sustainable

urbanisation in this first half of the 21st

Century,

UN-Habitat

will

need

to

be

strengthened in its governance processes

and financial resources.
25.

This will allow the body to be a more

effective partner to Governments, at both

national and local levels, and to productively
engage with the spectrum of stakeholders
pursuing

sustainable

13

urbanisation.

UN-

Habitat must also be empowered and

encouraged to comprehensively engage the
private

sector

whose

expectations

and

investments are doing more to shape the

urban space than any other sector.
26.

We all agree that governance must be

strengthened if UN-Habitat is to effectively

pursue the mandate we are shaping for it.
27.

It is, therefore imperative that the spirit

of cooperation drives your negotiations so

that we make progress immediately while
remaining conscious that we are in a process

14

that will allow further enrichment as we go

forward.
28.

From the richest cities in the most

urbanised countries, to the villages and

small towns in the least urbanised countries,
the need for a UN-Habitat that can develop
relevant knowledge, effectively deliver it
and build capacity in its utilisation, is key.
29.

Such expectations have a cost and can

only be fulfilled by a financially stable UNHabitat. Kenya therefore wishes to lend its
further support to the work of the UNHabitat secretariat and to the effort to

15

secure a successful Habitat III Conference.

To this end, Kenya pledges one (1) million
US dollars, a portion that will be directed to
the Habitat III Trust Fund, and another to
Non-earmarked Funds to support the work
programme of UN-Habitat.
Honourable Ministers,
30.

Let me finish by again recognising the

pivotal moment that we occupy.

work

to

strengthen

As we

UN-Habitat,

an

organisation that the Kenyan people are

enormously proud and privileged to host, I
urge you once again to align your work this

16

week with the transformative possibilities

that we have allowed ourselves in seeking a
Post-2015 Development Agenda.
31.
runs

The road to sustainable development

through

the

neighbourhood

of

urbanisation.
32.

No country or region will escape the

consequences, positive and negative, of

worldwide

urbanisation.

We

must,

therefore, possess the tools and resources to

make it a success. I strongly believe that a
more effective, visible and resourced UN-

17

Habitat will be an important part of that

success.
33.

With these remarks, I now declare the

25th Session of the Governing Council

officially opened.
I thank you.

18