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The United Nations
Asia-Pacific Leadership Forum: Sustainable Development for
Cities was held in Hong Kong on 25 and 26 February
2004. The Forum, which was jointly convened by the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the Government of
the People's Republic of China, provided a platform for cities
to exchange views on how to take forward commitments agreed at
the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg.
It also gave participants an opportunity to discuss practical
ways of achieving sustainable development goals, with particular
emphasis on the development of sustainable infrastructure, economic
opportunities and improving basic services in the cities of the
Asia-Pacific region. In line with the conclusions of the WSSD,
the Forum also looked at how appropriate public-private partnerships
could help to promote sustainability.
Nearly 400 participants from 21 countries,
including city leaders and internationally renowned experts from
various fields, joined us in sharing their insights and experience
in implementing sustainable development for our cities.
The Forum was a two-day event followed by
a third day of side visits. It also featured an exhibition on
the Hong Kong 2030 Planning and Vision Strategy and local nature
conservation. For more details, you may download
the forum programme here.
The Forum looked at key challenges to sustainable
development for cities and renewed interest in regional and inter-city
cooperation and partnerships. At the close of the Forum, participants
agreed on a "Hong Kong Declaration" that provides a basis for
future partnerships between cities. At the 12th Session of the
UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) held in New York
in April, the Chinese Ambassador to the United Nations briefed
the delegates on the outcome of the Forum and presented the Declaration,
which has been circulated as an official document of the CSD.
Detailed proceedings of the Forum have been
recorded in a Forum Report, which
can be downloaded here.
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