International Relations and Journalism students participate in the First UN- Habitat Assembly
A student attends to a guest who visited the USIU-Africa stand during the recently concluded First UN-Habitat Assembly at the UN Office in Nairobi.PHOTO:Courtesy
By Lucy Njeri Irungu and Taigu Muchiri
USIU-Africa participated as a stakeholder in the first United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat) Assembly that took place from May 27-31 May 2019 at the United Nations Office in Nairobi under the theme “Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities”. The assembly brought together member states, organizations of the United Nations, inter-governmental organizations, UN-Habitat agenda partners / stakeholders, local authorities, professionals, researchers, academia, informal sector organizations, trade unions, financial institutions, private sector, children and youth groups, people with disability and older persons to discuss affordable housing, the blue economy, livable Somali cities, safe cities for girls, climate action and frontier technology.
USIU-Africa was one of the institutions of higher education that nominated ten of its students from the International Relations department (Lucy Irungu, Ramadhan Kibibi, Abdikaffi Kanyare, Louis Mugisha and Aijaz Arham) and Journalism department (Nicole Desa, Hudson Amenya, Ekta Dodhia, Gloria Ndikumana and Elizabeth Muthoni) to attend this gathering. The students had an opportunity to attend as delegates and shape the discussion around some of the immediate threats such as global warming and creating safe, livable spaces. They also had an opportunity to market the institution to the delegates attending the meeting. These platforms provide networking opportunities and promote discovery and application of the knowledge acquired. It was also an opportunity for the students to expand intellect and character as they prepare to contribute effectively and ethically as citizens of a changing and increasingly technological world.