Urbanisation panel speakers

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Urbanisation session of the PFD Oct 1, 2014

Andre Kimbuta, Governor of Kinshasa, laid out the challenges of urbanisation in a large city like Kinshasa. Hans Janssen of the Committee of Regions, speaking for PLATFORMA and also a mayor himself, talked about cities as centers of innovation and the increasingly acknowledged and critical role of local governments. Susana Erostegui of UNITAS reminded the audience about the most marginalized and impoverished world citizens who remain on the sidelines. Only by addressing the structural causes of poverty will we be able to address persistent inequality. Emilie Maehara of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that well-managed cities can promote access to services and economic development. Paolo Ciccarelli of DEVCO's Water, Energy, Infrastructure unit talked about the need for a holistic approach to support sustainable and inclusive cities and human settlements.