UN Habitat Director Anna Tibaijuka outlined a new sustainable urban campaign as well as a city and climate change initiative in a keynote address in Jamaica on July 16,2009

"In an increasingly urbanising world, our sectoral efforts to improve health, education, gender equality, and social integration can no longer be dissociated from the physical conditions and well-being of the urban population.... Cities are the engines of economic growth and the nodes of international trade and commerce....It is in our cities that human ingenuity is being harnessed to develop new tools and to generate new knowledge to sustain economic growth and prosperity.... In urban areas we need to balance the 3 Es, namely, ecology, economy and equity....

"UN-Habitat has underscored for the past decade...that sustainable development depends ultimately on sustainable urban development. This message has finally been validated by the findings of the International Panel of Experts on Climate Change. With just half of the world’s population living in urban areas, cities already consume over 65 percent of the world’s energy, contribute to over 75 percent of all forms of waste, and are directly accountable for over 65 percent of green house gas emissions. The full significance of these findings is yet to be appreciated....the “brown agenda” can no longer be dissociated from the global environmental agenda, popularly known as the “green agenda”. Cities are, de facto, the frontline actors in meeting the challenges of climate change. Cities have to be part of the solution.

"At the same time, cities hold the single biggest group of people who are vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change. How many of our major cities are coastal or riparian cities? How many of our cities depend on glaciers, forests and watersheds for water? How many people live in slums, informal settlements and sub-standard housing whose lives and livelihoods are at risk because of rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns?

"For this reason, UN-Habitat is launching two new initiatives. The first one is the World Urban Campaign devoted to elevating the importance accorded to sustainable urbanisation in global, national and local policy and decision making. This Campaign is conceived as a partnership endeavour that will harness global knowledge and expertise in support of national and local action. A key component of the Campaign is to revive national Habitat Platforms to stimulate national and local policy dialogue and development for more sustainable and inclusive urban development.

"The second initiative is our new City and Climate Change Initiative. This initiative is founded on the principle that efforts in climate change mitigation and adaptation require a holistic and integrated approach to more rational land use, more robust urban infrastructure and resilient urban services and greener building technologies for all.

"We invite you to take part in and play your rightful leadership role in both of these initiatives."