NAIROBI June 7th (Xinhua) – – The United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) called on Monday, June 5, 2023, for a human-centered climate resilience strategy to develop sustainable cities.
Considering the negative impacts of climate change in urban centers, there is a need for the involvement of all stakeholders to oversee service delivery that aims to save lives and property, said Ishaku Maitumbi, a senior head of UN-Habitat.
“Let’s empower urban dwellers to drive climate resilience programs in their localities,” Mr. Maitumbi said, during a side event on building climate resilience for the urban poor, during the second session of the UN-Habitat Assembly, currently taking place in Nairobi, capital of Kenya. This five-day meeting began on Monday.
Mr. Maitumbi observed that the urban poor would only be able to adapt and cope with climate shocks once they are involved in the design and implementation of resilience programs.
Urban areas deserve attention because their growth is generating escalating global warming through the rapid consumption of fossil fuels, said Zachariah Njeru, Secretary in the Office of Kenya’s Ministry of Lands, Works, Housing and Urban Development. Poor urban populations have low levels of resilience to climate stresses that have threatened and fractured their livelihoods while limiting access to essential services like clean water or sanitation, he said.
Kenya is implementing the “Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor” project against the backdrop of the growing number of vulnerable urban poor in the country, Njeru revealed.