Under the Patronage of H.E. Dr. Abdullah Ensour, the Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, The Fourth Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) was inaugurated today in Amman, Jordan with the participation of ministers and heads of delegation from Member Countries. 

In the opening session, Sunu M. Soemarno, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to UN-Habitat emphasized Indonesia’s strong commitment to APMCHUD, and to address the issues of sustainable housing and urban development in the Asia Pacific region. He also stressed the need to address the various issues related to natural disasters and climate change.

Mr Soemamo then handed over the chairmanship of the APMCHUD Bureau to Yahya Kisbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing in Jordan. Mr. Kisbi noted in his statement that the theme of this conference, “Youth and IT in sustainable urban development”, reflects the Royal Vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II, and his interest in supporting the youth who comprise more than 50 % of total population in Jordan. 

The minister also referred to Jordan’s achievements in developing a national housing strategy in 1989, while encouraging the private sector to play its role for the provision of housing for all income groups, particularly at the lowest income levels. The minister said that the conference as an opportunity for all countries to exchange their experiences.

In his address, the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, Dr. Joan Clos, said that we are living in a rapidly changing world, and one of the principles driving the pace of change is the continuing information and telecommunication revolution, which in turn contributes to the change in the face, shape, size and functions of our cities. This is exacerbated by the growth of a young population, changing economical models and the financial crisis, with increasing demands for better livelihoods, representing a challenge that we need to consider as an opportunity at the same time. 

In his statement, the Jordanian Prime Minister pointed to the accelerated global changes and developments that require joint efforts to manipulate globalization to interact with our interests and to meet the negative impacts enforced by civilization on our countries and people. He also highlighted the importance of the development framework succeeding the current Millennium Development Goals and encouraged participating countries to promote a new era of cooperation among nations and governments to better utilize human resources.