The development of this country programme document has involved extensive consultations with the government, local authorities, the United Nations system in Senegal and civil society partners.

The process benefited from UN-HABITAT participation in the various national fora related to UNDAF development, PRSP revision, Consultative Group meetings, the CNDD, the monitoring of the MDGs as well as bilateral meetings and thematic development partner meetings.

Urbanisation in Uganda is relatively young compared to Kenya and Tanzania. The roots of urbanisation in Uganda are traced back to the 1890s when a European presence was established in the country – a period that defined Uganda’s spatial and urban development pattern.

With the building of the Kenya - Uganda Railway, economic and administrative centres was established. Nothing much has changed since this pattern was established after independence.

This UN-HABITAT Country Programme Document is prepared in the context that Vietnam is one of the first eight pilot countries for implementation of the One UN Initiative following the recommendations of the UN High Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence.

The Habitat Country Programme Document for Mozambique outlines the main objectives and priorities of UN-HABITAT. In collaboration with the government and other UN Agencies, the overall aim of this UN-HABITAT Country Programme Document is to promote the Habitat Agenda. UN-HABITAT plays an active role in urban development and urban policy.

Through partnerships with various ministries, UN-HABITAT has assisted in identifying key urban issues and areas of support that can improve the urban situation in Mozambique. An analysis of eight key sectors include: institutional set up, vulnerability reduction, governance, urban planning, housing and basic services.

The current Benin HCPD 2008/2009 is a strategic document which will help UN-HABITAT to have a coherent framework of intervention for a fruitful cooperation with Benin Government.

It succeeds to be in perfect match with the Growth for Poverty Reduction Strategic Paper (GPRSP) and its Main Action Plan (MAP), and to have taken in account the programme impact of UNDAF 2009/2013 which is being adopted.

In Tanzania, the profiling was undertaken under the principal leadership of Professor B.B.K. Majani, of the University College of Lands and Architectural Studies (UCLAS), and national and local authorities. This initiative has been carried out locally in Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, and Morogoro as well as nationally.

The National Urban Profile focuses on the findings of a desk-study, interviews with key actors and a town consultation with key urban actors and institutions. Consultation participants agreed to address the salient urban issues including poverty, insecurity, corruption, pollution and crime all problems that negatively affect investments and economic development.

A consensus was reached on priority interventions in the form of programme and project proposals to be implemented.

The publication documents the steps undertaken by the Bossaso Municipality in collaboration with UN-HABITAT towards a sustainable urban management. A strategic development plan for the city is indicated, and projects implemented are illustrated.

The publication is a documentation of the process, achievements and lessons learnt in the development of city development strategies for cities in Phase I of the Lake Victoria City Development Strategies initiative.

The Asia-Pacific region has more than half of its population composed of young people. The region is experiencing quite a number of positive developments but equally in the same measure registers quite a number of challenges amongst which are unemployment, poverty and increased population in slums. Recognizing this, the Asia Pacific Conference on Housing and Urban Development adopted the theme ‘Youth and IT in Sustainable Urban Development’.

Youth want recognition, meaningful employment and engagements in decision-making processes. It is becoming a very strong tool for connection, and the burning question is how ICT companies under the public-private partnerships can come up with modalities and take more social cooperate responsibilities in addressing short-comings. Youth should be seen as positive human power and not as a problem.