At this morning's "Outcomes of the Sub-regional Focus Groups and Discussions on Regional Support Mechanisms and Actions" session, the issues included:
Raising awareness, finding effective solutions, including all stakeholders including the private sector, paradigm shifts based on data available, land issues and slum dwellers, new approaches to development, the role of local and central governments, challenges through rapid urbanisation, and capacity building for sustainable development...
Personally, I consider the open part of the plenary session is the more interesting part. There is one participant reminding the members of the plenum that Asia has a very rich religious and spiritual basis, adding that these values are key in supporting and building political values. Furthermore, it is good to hear two speakers mentioning the PEOPLE in Asia, as they point to the social dimension of the urban issues discussed.
One speaker condemns the fact that a lot of money is being spent on means of mobility that are only available to a small percentage of the population. On the way to the conference centre this morning, I took this photo showing two means of transport:
Jochen
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Jochen Gutsch |
Goethe-Institut Australia |
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