In the last plenary session, the summary of the reports by Mr. Jean Fabre from the UNDP European Office in Geneva and the subsequent discussion were followed by the closure addresses and a final statement by the coordinator of the World Alliance of Cities Against Poverty.
Urban poverty is a specific form of poverty.
People in rural areas may be poor, but are not excluded, because of strong family and community ties. But poverty in cities adds loneliness and exclusion to the problems of unemployment, homelessness and inadequate health care. As the world becomes increasingly urbanised, you are therefore tackling a crucial problem of the coming century. Cooperation between peoples is almost always presented as North-South. This is a misconception.