UN meeting addresses global challenges on urbanization

A meeting of the world's highest-level decision-making body on sustainable human settlements and urbanization, UN-Habitat, opened on Monday in the Kenyan capital. Running through May 31, the assembly is expected to be attended by more than 3,000 delegates from 116 countries, including four heads of state and more than 40 ministers.

With more than 70 percent of the world's population projected to live in cities by 2050, Maimunah Sharif, UN Habitat executive director, said extreme poverty, socioeconomic inequality, slums, social exclusion, gender-based discrimination, humanitarian crises, conflicts, air pollution, climate change, and high unemployment, will be increasingly concentrated in urban areas.

"Understanding the key trends in urbanization and how they will likely unfold is crucial to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development," she said.