Islandwide Celebation of World Habitat Day- Sri Lanka

United Nations has declared first Monday of the month of October of each year as “World Habitat Day”.  This year the World Habitat Day was celebrated on 05^th October under the theme “Planning our Urban Future”  by countries all over the world including Sri Lanka.  The World Habitat Day Development Programme was launched in Sri Lanka in parallel to this programme. 

The World Habitat Day-2009 Programme was launched under the directions of the Ministry of Housing and Common Amenities and with the assistant of the Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development and this has been implimented by the of the state institutions including National Housing Development Authority. This programme was implemented all over the island centralizing Negombo Town and Katana-Seeduwa area.  The Minister of Housing and Common Amenities,  Mrs.Ferial Ashraff and Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development,  Mr.Dinesh Gunawardene participated as chief guests of this conference held on 05^th October,  in Negombo Town Hall. The World Habitat Day National Conference and Exhibition was held at Negombo Town Hall marking the summing up the entire World Habitat Day Programme-2009. 

Minister Ferial Ashraff further addressing the World Habitat Day National Conference said today we are celebrating the World Habitat Day with the rest of the countries in the world.  The World Habitat Day has been celebrated during the past 24 years, focusing the attention on shelter, essential for human life.  This year more attention has been given to planning of urban areas.  The Ministry of Housing and Common Amenities and Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development have launched Habitat Day Programme centralizing Negombo Town and Katana-Seeduwa area, in view of launching Greater Negombo Zonal Development Programme.

The main objective of the government headed by His Excellency the President is to unite all communities for the betterment of the future of the country.  There should be unity and coordination among institutions, organizations and beneficiaries involved in development process in paralleled to the unity of the people.  This has been practically proved by the World Habitat Day Programme of this year.  The Ministry of Housing and Common Amenities and the Ministry of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development as two separate Ministries have engaged in a integrated development process during the past few months.  In this regard political leadership at national level as well as Ministers, Mayors and Provincial Members at Provincial level have supported in this programme. The Greater Negombo Development Programme covering Negombo Municipal Council, Katara-Seeduwa Urban Council and Katana Provincial area have launched by these local bodies together.  This kind of unity is one of the achievements of this year’s Habitat Day Programme.  The World Habitat Day Programme has proved a programme of this nature should be implemented to achieve success of any development programme.

Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development, Mr.Dinesh Gunawardene expressing his views said the attention of the whole world has been focused to the problem of urbanizing.  Sri Lanka has launched several programmes to address the problem related to urbanization during the past decades. In this connection more attention has been drawn to the problems of poverty stricken people of the city.  President Mahinda Rajapakse realizing the impact  of development of the city on rural areas has given priority to development of the village.  Mahinda Chintana National Programme has drawn attention to transferring conveniences of the city to the village and to develop the village paralleled to the city as a solution to the problem of urbanization.

The present population of the world is 9 billion and it will be 12 billion by the year 2012 and half of the population will live in urban areas and World Habitat Day will pay more attention on urban planning in view of searching solutions to the problems faced by them.  We have launched Greater Negombo Development Programme on this Habitat Day to implement urban programmes more fruitfully.

 We have recently drawn the attention of the international organizations at the United Nations Commission for Human Settlement on problem of housing faced by urban poor and have pointed out only US $ 80 Billion have to spent by the international organizations to solve this problem.  At a glance it appears to be a huge sum but in some instances wealthy countries have spent US $ 900 Billion for one night in solving international state disputes.  US $ 3000 Billion have spent on arms deals to destroy people in wars between countries.  We once again request organizations involved in housing and from powerful countries who expect the success of solving urban settlement and housing problem. 

The Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation,  Mr.Sarath Kumara Gunaratne,  Mayor of Negombo, Mr.Herman Bernard Cooraira, Senior Human Settlement Officer of Asian Region of United Nations Habitat Office, Mr.Yarn Muvison and General Manager,  National Housing Development Authority, Mr.L.S.Palansuriya, too addressed the Conference. The Greater Negombo Development Plan to be implemented was declared on this occasion.

The Awards, Tokens and Certificates for the winners of the all island school art,  essay, speech and drama competitions of the World Habitat Day-2009 were given away by the Ministers.