From 3-6 February 2010, the Winston House in Wilton Park, Sussex, UK, hosted a conference on Sub-Saharan Africa, focused on the challenges faced by Africa half way between the Africa Commission Report tabled at the Gleneagles Summit in 2005 and the target date for completion of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015.

Delegates gathered to discuss the progress made and how countries’ priorities have changed as a result of the emerging key global challenges such as the economic crisis and climate change. UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka, as one of the Commissioners for Africa, delivered a presentation on “Balanced Development for Africa: The Cities of the Future – Beyond Chaotic Urbanization,” emphasizing that climate change only makes it more important to confront the challenge of African urbanization.
She noted that urbanization is the second most significant challenge for African countries, after HIV/AIDS, and that rapid urbanization will lead to slum formation, increasing inequality within African cities, and vulnerabilities. She highlighted that UN-HABITAT has been supporting the urban challenge agenda through the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD), a forum of national governments to deal with sustainable urbanization. Finally, she called on the international community to invest resources in housing and urban infrastructure.
Links to further information
UN-HABITAT press release
Wilton Park