Gov't Passes Proposal to Set Up UN-HABITAT Regional Centre in Slovakia

Bratislava, November 20 (TASR) - A UN-HABITAT regional centre for the Sustainable Resilience of Cities for the Next Generation (SURGe) project could be established in Slovakia, with the cabinet approving a proposal to this end on Wednesday. The Environment Ministry, the submitter of the proposal, said that the joint vision of the UN-HABITAT and two ministries - the Environment Ministry and the Tourism and Sport Ministry - within the framework of the SURGe project will be to coordinate common global goals in the field of climate change. "The establishment of the UN-HABITAT regional centre on Slovak territory with a scope of action covering the whole of Europe is a unique opportunity for Slovakia to coordinate an important activity at the UN level," stressed the ministry. "It represents an opportunity for Slovak experts and the academic community, as well as scientific institutions, while at the same time it means support and an opportunity for cooperation with Slovak universities along with significant opportunities for the business environment," added the ministry. The Environment Ministry stated that the main specific task of the UN-HABITAT regional centre in Slovakia would be to provide regional coordination in Europe, with the UN headquarters in Vienna and with other UN entities, and to provide cooperation with the European Union, its member states and institutions and with other European states and partners. ko/df