On International Women's Day, UN-Habitat highlights the important role played by women and girls in urban energy issues and renews our commitment to strengthen and expand our efforts to bring access of modern energy to women. Sustainable energy powers opportunity. Yet 1.2 billion people -one in five globally- lack electricity to light their homes or conduct business.
Successful applicants to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme(UN-Habitat_ youth mentorship programme, launched in the beginning of the year, have been paired with their respective mentors and begun their discussions. The aim of the youth mentorship programme is to increase the capacity of the youth-led agencies supported by UN-Habitat’s Urban Youth Fund.
Twenty-four organizations were selected this year to receive both a grant and training. These youth-led groups span various sectors, from technology and agriculture to governance, education and poverty reduction.
Over 60 particpants from 12 African countries converged in Livingstone, Zambia for a high level youth consultative conference.
The conference is a first of series of discussions that will be held in all the regions of Africa with the intention of designing a process and developing Strategies that promote regional collaboration for youth empowerment particularly in promoting the One Stop Youth Center Model across Africa through the engagement of the Regional Economic Forums.
UN-Habitat has launched a photo and video competition asking young people to show what “home” really means to them.
The competition which was launched on International Youth Day and ends on 30 September 2013, asks the contestants to take a picture of either their homes or their hang out joints and post them on Instagram of Facebook.
The competition which targets those aged between 18 and 32 calls for photos and videos related to:
Raphael grew up in Korogocho, a sprawling urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya where he has co-founded vibrant community youth led initiatives.
Raphael, 32 is the external adviser and a member of the UN Habitat’s Youth Advisory Board, which advises the agency on how to engage, integrate and respond effectively on issues affecting the youth. This puts Raphael at the global sphere of influential young leaders who can help shape the world by addressing post 2015 thematic issues that touch on the youth.
UN-Habitat has partnered with an East African organisation to promote academic capacity building and knowledge transfer for energy access, efficiency and low-carbon technologies in the field of sustainable housing. The partnership to be executed through the Promoting Energy Efficiency in Buildings in East Africa (EEBEA) project will see UN-Habitat working with the Joint development of courses for Energy efficient and sustainable housing in Africa (JENGA).
Raphael Obonyo’s story is one of a dogged determination that has seen him fight all odds to be an influential youth leader.
Raphael grew up in Korogocho, a sprawling urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya where he has co-founded vibrant community youth led initiatives.
Nairobi, 21 Aug 13 - UN-Habitat Mr. Oyeyinka Oyebanji with Kogi State Deputy Governor Mr. Yomi Awoniyi during the signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Nairobi, Kenya 2013 © Julius Mwelu/UN-Habitat
UN-Habitat and Kogi State of Nigeria on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
Nairobi, Kenya, 29 Aug 13 - Muungano, Nguvu yetu! Workshop participants during a field trip to Kambi Moto Nairobi's Huruma area where a participatory slum upgrading project is on-going. Photo : UN-Habitat/ Ivy Mutisya
UN-Habitat has held the first consultative workshop on new opportunities for slum upgrading with better governance through a Participatory and Inclusive Land Readjustment (PILaR) tool.
The city of Kigali in Rwanda two months ago hosted a regional workshop on energy efficiency in building codes.
The three days meeting passed a declaration on mainstreaming energy efficiency in codes, policies and building regulations.
During the three days, around 60 participants discussed building codes and existing regulations in the five East African countries Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.