Source: Department of Housing
Title: L Sisulu: Public Policy Forum Meeting of Cities Alliance
SPEECH BY LN SISULU, MINISTER OF HOUSING AT THE PUBLIC POLICY FORUM MEETING OF CITIES ALLIANCE, ELANGENI HOTEL, Durban, 1 November 2004
Master of Ceremonies
His Worship Mayor, Obed Mlaba
Delegates and representatives from abroad
Councillors
Invited guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
I want to thank you Chairperson for the invitation you extended to me to participate in your Policy Forum meeting. I have come to understand that your organization was created as a platform for leaders and different stakeholders at local level and in our cities to share approaches and knowledge on how to promote local economic development, or as it conceptualised in local language it is cities doing it for themselves and assisted with networks.
For those of us who have become accustomed to and resentful of the top down approach so common when issues of development are discussed at international fora, this environment where we can share experiences and take from practices that best suit our circumstances comes as a breath of fresh air. I am glad that you have chosen South Africa as a suitable destination for your deliberations. I am convinced you will find a great deal in the way that we do things that you may learn from because for a variety of reasons that you will soon become familiar with, South Africa has a peculiar uniqueness to it.
What makes the Cities Alliance important to us and the Istanbul commitment to be of particular relevance to us in South Africa as well as Africa, as a continent, arises out of the UN-HABITAT Global Report on Human Settlements 2003 which indicated that Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's largest proportion of urban residents living in slums. The report indicated that slums in Africa are home to 72 per cent of the continent,
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