Volunteers are also needed as moderators, subject matter experts and facilitators to guide the discussions and help make the JAM rich with dialogue that will be used to develop real solutions.
As part of the preparations for the third session of the World Urban Forum, the Government of Canada, in partnership with UN-HABITAT and IBM, is sponsoring this 72-hour internet event. From December 1-3, 2005, the Habitat JAM will transform thousands of innovative and dynamic ideas into actions for the World Urban Forum agenda and will have a direct influence on the Forum's content.
Our world is becoming increasingly urbanized as more than one million people move into cities every week which is causing increasing traffic gridlock, declining air and water quality, and loss of green space. Millions of people now live in city slums while billions lack access to basic sanitation and safe sources of drinking water. Rapid urbanization impacts the environment, society, and economy and affects us all.
Habitat JAM
Man visiting the Habitat JAM web site
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Habitat JAM is an online forum created to present research, share ideas, discuss specific solutions, offer examples of programs that work well, collaborate on new ideas and challenge the status quo.
The JAM will focus on urban sustainability issues for both developed and developing countries. You can participate in any of six JAM forums on topics spanning housing, water access, environmental sustainability, safety and security, financial and governmental issues, and urban planning.
Young and old, rich and poor, students, workers, and people whose ideas are not usually heard in global discussions will participate. The Habitat JAM will be made up of a diverse group, up to 100 000 people, including representatives from national and local governments and international organizations, elected leaders and legislators, urban planners and architects, grassroots organizations and global non-government organizations (NGOs), experts and academics, financiers and builders, and development specialists. Most importantly, the event will include people like you, living in all parts of the world, from all walks of life.
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Fast Facts:
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From December 1-3, 2005, the Habitat JAM will transform thousands of innovative and dynamic ideas into actions for the World Urban Forum agenda.
This online meeting space will connect people across the world to discuss and debate some of the most urgent and controversial issues facing a rapidly urbanizing planet.
Canada will host the World Urban Forum from June 19-23, 2006 in Vancouver.
UN-HABITAT is the United Nations agency that promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
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Related Sites
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Habitat JAM
World Urban Forum 3
UN-Habitat
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Related EnviroZine Article
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A Changing World
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Organizers are working with groups such as the World Bank Institute's Global Development Learning Network, World Urban Forum and Youth Organizing Committee, the Huairou Commission and GROOTS to ensure that people – including women, slum dwellers and youth – who have often been excluded from the debate of urban issues will be key participants in this global internet event.
Habitat JAM will be live for a 72 hour period beginning December 1st, 2005 at 17:00 GMT (12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time) and ending on December 3rd. During Habitat JAM, and for an additional three days after the event, participants will have access to a temporary personal webmail account. Using this service, participants will be able to communicate privately with others who share common interests.
The Habitat JAM also needs moderators, subject matter experts and facilitators to guide the discussions and make the JAM rich with dialogue that leads to real solutions. These volunteers can bring their viewpoint and inspiration directly to the world stage, talking straight to real people in an open dialogue.
Environment Canada and other Government of Canada employees have considerable expertise to offer and several of these experts are contributing by lending their time, knowledge, and skills to the forum.
UN-HABITAT and the World Urban Forum
UN-HABITAT is the United Nations agency that promotes socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is also responsible for monitoring the progress in reaching Millennium Development Goal 7, Target 1 – "Improvement in the lives of a least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020".
The World Urban Forum, held once every two years, was created by UN-HABITAT and brings together opinion leaders and experts from around the world for a vibrant exchange of information and best practices that will lead to meaningful progress on one of the main challenges of the new millennium: the transition of our planet to an urban – and sustainable – world.
Canada Place and Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver, British Columbia. Photo: © COREL Corporation - 1994. Click to enlarge.
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On the historic 30th anniversary of the first-ever UN-HABITAT conference on human settlements – held in Vancouver, Canada in 1976 – Canada will welcome the international community back to Vancouver when it hosts the World Urban Forum from June 19-23, 2006.
Habitat JAM will help ensure that the ideas, thoughts and beliefs of people from around the world become an integral part of the 2006 World Urban Forum.
Be heard by joining the Habitat JAM.
We be Jammin!
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