AGENDA
Chengdu International Conference on Learning from Best Practices
Chengdu, China, 16-18 October 2000

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Agenda
Organizers: UN-Habitat, the Ministry of Construction of China and Chengdu Municipality
Theme: "Urban Construction and the Environment for the 21st Century".
Istanbul+5: The conference is part of the preparatory process for Istanbul+5, the special session of the UN General Assembly to be held in June 2001on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

Learning from Experience: The objective of the Conference was to promote the sharing and exchange of lessons learned from experience. Twelve best practices from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America will be presented.

Focus: The selected practices formed the basis for discussion on the following topics:

• Comprehensive city development strategies
• Improving Urban Governance
• Access to shelter, land tenure and housing finance

Methods: The Conference included presentations, group discussions, expert panels and study tours. The study tours included visits to the Chengdu Fu & Nan River Rehabilitation Project which won the 2000 Local Initiatives Awards, a housing resettlement scheme involving 100,000 inhabitants, and the 2000 year old Dujiangyan Irrigation System.
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Agenda
Day 1: Monday, 16 October 2000

09h00-10h00: Opening Ceremony

• Mr. Nirmal Andrews, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), on behalf of Mr. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, UNEP
• Mr. Ye Rutang, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Construction, China
• Mr. Zhang Zhongwei, Governor of Sichuan Province, China
• Mr. Wang Rongxuan, Mayor of Chengdu Municipality, China

10h00-10h30: Tea break
10h30-12h00: Session 1A: Comprehensive City Development Strategies
Chair: Mr. Max N’gandwe, Secretary-General, International Union of Local Authorities

• The Greater Mafikeng Revitalisation Initiative, South Africa
• The Urban Project of San Luis-Alameda de Hércules, Sevilla, Spain

Discussion
12h00-13h30: Lunch
13h30-15h30: Session 1B: Comprehensive City Development Strategies (continued)

• Vision 2020 and Air Quality, Hamilton-Wentworth, Canada
• Fu and Nan Rivers Revitalisation, Chengdu, China
• Discussion (30 min.)

15h30-18h00: Study tour to the Fu and Nan River Project and Housing Resettlement Scheme
18h30-20h00: Welcoming Banquet hosted by Mr. Wang Rongxuan, Mayor of Chengdu Municipality

Day 2: Tuesday, 17 October 2000

08h30-10h00: Session 2: Improving Urban Governance
Chair: Mr. Cody Williams, Councillor, City of Phoenix, Arizona, USA

• Safer Dar-es-Salaam Project, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
• Participatory Urban Governance, Naga City, The Philippines
• Discussion

10h00-10h30: Break
10h30-12h00: Session 2: Improving Urban Governance (continued)

• The "Tilburg Model", Tilburg, The Netherlands
• Democracy and Public Participation in the Public Sphere, Porto Alegre, Brazil
• Discussion

12h00-13h30: Lunch
13h30-15h00: Session 3: Access to Shelter, Tenure and Housing Finance
Chair: Mr. Dato Lakbhir Singh Chahl, Secretary General, CityNet

• Participatory Urban Action of Villa El Salvador, Villa El Salvador, Peru
• Housing, Infrastructure and Poverty Eradication in Teresina, Brazil
• Discussion

15h00-18h30: Study tour to Dujiangyan Irrigation System and Nongke Village in Pi County
18h30-19h30: Local Snacks

20h00-22h00: Best Practices Marketplace: Free and informal exchange of ideas and experience, The Real Estate Exchange Center and Exhibition

Day 3: Wednesday, 18 October 2000

08h30-10h00: Session 3: Access to Shelter, Tenure and Housing Finance (continued)

• Humankind and Nature, Zhongshan, China
• Cooperation Between Volkshilfe Wien and the Municipality of Vienna, Austria
• Stepping Stones Place, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
• Discussion

10h00-10h30: Tea Break
10h30-12h00 Session 4: Implementing the Habitat Agenda
Chair: Mr. V. Suresh, Chairman, Housing and Urban Development Corp., India

• The Dubai International Awards for Best Practices, Dubai Municipality
• Transferring effective practices, CityNet
• Best Practices, UN-Habitat
• Discussion

12h00-13h30: Lunch
13h30-15h00: Session 5: Group Discussion and Conclusions

• Presentations by rapporteurs of each session
• Presentation and Adoption of the Chengdu Declaration

15h30-17h30: Site visit to Panda Nursing Base

18h00-19h00: Closing Ceremony

• Adoption of the Chengdu Declaration
• Closing speech by Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN-Habitat

19h00-20h30: Closing Banquet hosted by the Ministry of Construction