Let's help each other, Asian mayors pledge

United Nations Information Services (Bangkok) - Asian mayors are vowing to invest in each other by working together to overcome poverty, the devastating effects caused by war, and lack of access to clean water.

Mayors from 50 Asian cities are taking part in the Fourth Asian Mayors Forum and Regional Workshop on Good Governance for Poverty Reduction and Social Development - Exchange of Tools, Techniques and Good Practices, co-sponsored by UN ESCAP. The meeting runs until 11 July at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok.

In the war-ravaged city of Kabul, Afghanistan, deprivation, homelessness, and poor sanitation are three of the most pressing issues, according to the city's mayor.

"Our people need everything. Sixty to seventy percent of Kabul is destroyed," said Mr. Fazil Karim, Mayor of Kabul. "We have difficulty getting clean water, and disposing of solid waste. Each day the city of Kabul accumulates 1,600 cubic meters of solid waste that is not being disposed of properly," the mayor said.

The situation in Kabul is aggravated by the daily influx of homeless migrants. "Every day 300 - 400 families are coming to Kabul," said Mr. Karim. Since the fall of the Taliban administration, the population of Kabul has nearly doubled from 1.2 million inhabitants to 2.3 million. Rents for the few habitable buildings in the shattered city have skyrocketed by "up to US$5,000 - 10,000 per month," said the mayor.

Seventy percent of Kabul's population is living in illegal structures.

"Urban reconstruction following any war is an expensive proposition. Anybody who can convert a building does so," said Mr. Yap Kioe Sheng, UN ESCAP's Chief of Human Settlements Section.

Other Asian cities are affected as well.

In Nepal, an ongoing rebel insurgency has dealt a heavy blow to the tourist industry. "In Kathmandu, the tourist section has been affected and business is down," said Mr. Keshav Sthapit, Mayor of Kathmandu. "We usually see 300,000 tourists each year but a few days ago I couldn't find any," he said.

Although their stories can be harrowing, the fact these Mayors have come together to search for some common solutions is a step forward, the participants said.

"This meeting co-sponsored by UN ESCAP lets Mayors develop solidarity with their counterparts from other cities," said Ms. Erna Witoelar, a former Minister of Human Settlements and Regional Development from Indonesia.

The Mayors Forum and Workshop will conclude on Thursday, 11 July.

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