INDIA-FUND 2LST

The US envoy to the UN Susan Rice also highlighted the
growing challenges of housing in cities. "About one sixth of
humanity now lives in slums and the figures are set to rise
in the near future and it is going to be a huge challenge
addressing this issue," she said.

The first beneficiaries of the agency's new Opportunities
Fund for Urban Youth-Led Development were drawn from 1,116
applicants from 86 countries.

India along with Pakistan, Kenya and Cameroon got the
highest number of successful applicants under the programme
initiated with funding from Norway of USD 1 million every
year.

The UN- Habitat in its annual Global Reports on Human
Settlements 2009 finds that traditional approaches to urban
planning in developing countries have largely failed to
promote sustainable human settlements and to address problems
that come with rapid urbanisation, shrinking cities and
ageing, and urban sprawl.

In 2004, the Centre for Development Communication in
India received an Honour Award from the agency, which is the
highest tribute of the UN for achievements by individuals,
cities or institutions in the cause of human settlements.

The CDC, the first organisation in the country to provide
city-wide garbage collection, won the prestigious award for
improving the living conditions of slum dwellers in Jaipur by
promoting hygienic living conditions.

UN-Habitat currently partners with Indian government for
solid waste management in some cities of Maharashtra. PTI