Story by Stanley James, Business Editor
ZIMBABWE is intensifying efforts to advance sustainable housing development and climate-resilient urban infrastructure as Vice President General (Retired) Dr Constantino Chiwenga prepares to lead the country’s delegation to the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The global forum, running from May 17 to 22, is expected to bring together Heads of State, policymakers, development agencies, civil society organisations and urban development experts to discuss housing challenges and strategies for sustainable urbanisation.
Vice President Dr Chiwenga is representing President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa at the high-level gathering and is expected to participate in the World Leaders Summit scheduled for May 18 alongside more than 20 world leaders.
Zimbabwe’s participation comes as the country accelerates implementation of housing delivery systems and infrastructure development under the National Development Strategy Two (NDS2), while seeking global partnerships and investment opportunities to support sustainable urban transformation.
Zimbabwe’s Permanent Representative to the UN-Habitat and UNEP, Mrs Winpeg Moyo, said the forum presents an important platform for Zimbabwe to learn from global best practices in housing and urban planning.
“We are here to attend the 13th session of the World Urban Forum, which is called WUF13, and we are expecting Honourable Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga to come and attend. He is going to attend the World Leaders Summit, which is scheduled for May 18 together with other leaders.
“I understand there are 20 Heads of State who are coming, so he will be part of that. It is very important that he attends because this is an organisation that looks at human settlements, and you know that in Africa there is a problem of urbanisation and we want to look at how we are going to address this, how we are going to build climate-resilient cities and also how we deal with our towns.
“These are issues that are really important and also forging partnerships with other associations, exchanging best practices, learning to cooperate, whether to get some financial help and for us to move on,” she said.
Mrs Moyo said Zimbabwe will also use the platform to showcase ongoing urban development initiatives being implemented by local authorities and municipalities.
“We have about seven municipalities showcasing what we are doing in Zimbabwe and in doing so, when we discuss, we might get some partners to partner with us in some of our projects in Zimbabwe, so it is really important that the Vice President is here at a higher level. We are showing the importance of the Forum.
“This event is very important to Zimbabwe as we will learn from other people’s experiences, the best practices, like I said, and try also to get some assistance financially. As it is, the UN-Habitat has some programmes in Zimbabwe. They even helped us when we had Cyclone Idai. Also, in our policy formulation, they gave us some technical advice on that,” she said.
Held under the theme “Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities,” the forum is expected to focus on sustainable housing systems, climate resilience, urban infrastructure and inclusive city planning.
Zimbabwe is among more than 100 countries participating in WUF13, which is expected to attract over 20 000 delegates from across the world.
The forum, organised under the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), is held every two years to deliberate on challenges associated with rapid urbanisation and sustainable human settlements.
Zimbabwe is expected to use the platform to outline its roadmap on affordable housing delivery, informal settlements upgrading systems and climate-resilient infrastructure development as the country pushes towards Vision 2030.
