ENB:11:18
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PLENARY
The Plenary deferred consideration of an additional list of NGOs recommended for accreditation (A/CONF.165/PC.3/2/ Add.3) until Friday when a similar document (Add.4) will be considered. India and the US expressed reservations about two NGOs accredited Monday (A/CONF.165/PC.3/2) and served notice that they would question their status, given the opportunity. Nicholas You, Coordinator of the Global Best Practices Institute, introduced the demonstration of the Best Practices Database to which 100 countries have already contributed 587 examples. He said the database, developed by the UNCHS with the Together Foundation, will serve as a user-friendly tool for people in education, training, public awareness, policy development and technical cooperation. Spain announced a $0.5 million fund for developing countries interested in participating in the best practices project.
Egypt described as undemocratic a decision by the Secretariat not to reschedule meeting times to accommodate Muslim delegates taking part in the Ramadan fast. He said there had been a breach of agreement. In a formal statement, Prof. Jonathan Ng'eno, M.P. (Kenya) said the GPA would require enhanced international cooperation, strong institutional arrangements and the updating of the UNCHS mandate.
Nat Nuno-Amarteifio, Mayor of Accra, Ghana, said that a colloquium held for mayors in Accra from 2-4 November 1995, considered how regional municipalities could become creditworthy, since cities now must compete with each other for international funding. Prem Lal Singh, Mayor of Kathmandu, Nepal, said that the regional meeting of the South Asian Mayors, being held in Kathmandu from 8-10 April 1996, will deliberate on the urban challenges and issues of the region in order to enhance the region's competence to sustain urbanization. Yousef Hiasat, Director General of Housing of the Municipality of Amman, said that one of the main thrusts of the Regional Conference on the Future of Arab Cities, to be held in Amman from 11-14 March 1996, will be horizons of partnership between central government, municipal government, NGOs and the private sector. Santiago Apunte, Counsellor for the Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations, said that the Municipal Action Seminar held in Quito from 6-8 November 1995 showed that municipalities can carry out successfully a large number of tasks for economic and social development.