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Sustainable Land Management Week

From 24 to 27 February, UNECE will host the Sustainable Land Management Week at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The series of events held during the week will highlight the needs and priorities of land administration in the UNECE region in support of the post-2015 development agenda and the proposed sustainable development goals. 


The week will be composed of three main building blocks:


1. Vital Public Spaces Workshop: Promoting Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements through Designing and Managing Public Spaces workshop (Tuesday, 24 February). It is recognized that high-quality public spaces can have a positive impact and play a major role in the economic vitality of urban areas. World renowned experts, including Italian artist and art theorist Michelangelo Pistoletto; outstanding architects and planners such as  Jan Gehl of Denmark, Susan Silberberg of the United States of America; artist Olafur Eliasson, will discuss how sound urban public areas promote democracy, inclusiveness and openness and enhance social cohesion.

2. The challenges of Informal Settlements – WPLA workshop (Wednesday, 25 February) will address the challenges posed by illegal and unplanned urban growth in the region and the tools available to governments to better the lives of their inhabitants. The main findings of the study “Formalizing the Informal: Challenges and Opportunities from South-East Europe” will be presented. Discussions will also build up on the recommendations of the UNECE publication Self-Made Cities, which highlights major achievements in addressing the multiple dimensions of informal settlements in cities across the region.  


3. Ninth Session of the Working Party on Land Administration (WPLA): Land and Sustainable Development Goals (Thursday, 26 – Friday, 27 February).   High level representatives of governments and stakeholders from the UNECE region will discuss how the UNECE can pursue its work in order to improve land management and land administration practices. Participants will also discuss how to promote equitable urban development in human settlements and cities.  In addition, regional priorities will be examined, leading up to and contributing to discussions at HABITAT III. 

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