UN-Habitat, Ooredoo celebrate World Cities Day

KUWAIT, Nov 20 (KUNA) -- Regional representative of the UN Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) for the Gulf States Dr. Tareq Azmy on Thursday commended "the pioneering role" of Kuwait in backing up the initiatives aiming to improve the quality of life in urban communities.
"Kuwait City is the first city to celebrate the World Cities Day which demonstrates the pioneering and innovative spirit of the Kuwaitis to unlock the potential of urbanization," he said.
Dr. Azmy made the remarks at a celebration, co-organized by UN-Habitat regional office and the telecommunication provider Ooredoo at Al-Yarmouk neighborhood this evening under the slogan of "towards more beautiful city." The accelerated growth of urban communities requires continuous efforts by local governments and residents to get urbanized right by reducing greenhouse emissions, strengthening resilience, ensuring basic services such as water and sanitation, and ensuring sustainable development, he pointed out.
"Large numbers of people in Asia and Africa continue migrating from rural to urban areas which means that our future is urbanized and requires building million-fold cities," he added, noting that half of the world population lives in urban areas.
Meanwhile, Governor of the Capital City Ret. Lt.-Gen Thabet Al-Mehanna said Al-Yarmouk Park, the first model parks in Kuwait, is meant to contribute to the combat against pollution.
"Kuwait spares no effort in protecting environment and encouraging the citizens and corporation to realize their collective social responsibility in this regard," he pointed out.
On his part, Director General and CEO of Ooredoo Mohammad bin Abdulla Al Thani expressed joy, on behalf of his company, for contributing to the environment-friendly initiatives.
"Ooredoo has recently sponsored the youth initiative for building a walk road in Mishref neighborhood and Al-Yarmouk model park," he said, adding that the company will unveil more plans in this regard soon. (end) zak.hb.gb