Hosting of the XVIII Regional Meeting of Ministers and High Level Authorities on Housing and Urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI)

Jamaica, through the Ministry of Water and Housing will host the XVIII General Assembly of Ministers and High Level Authorities on Housing and Urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI) from July 15-17, 2009, in Montego Bay.

Background
The Regional Meeting of Ministers and High Level Authorities of Housing and Urbanization in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI) was initiated in early 1992. Ministers of Housing and Urbanization in the region considered that many benefits could be derived through the sharing of information and experiences between countries of the region, particularly in the development of human settlement policies.

Since 1992, regional meetings are held annually and hosted by a member country of MINURVI. Jamaica through, the Ministry of Environment and Housing, successfully hosted the VI meeting in 1996, in Kingston and became the Interim Secretariat of MINURVI for the period 1996-97. Since then Jamaica has been elected to the MINURVI Executive Committee as focal point for the Caribbean subregion on several occasions and continues to play an integral role in the process through our consistent support and contribution.

MINURVI through its Technical Secretariat has been a coordinating body for the overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the goals and objectives of Habitat Agenda in the Latin American and Caribbean Region since the Habitat II Conference which was held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1996. As part of its mandate, MINURVI also reviews the progress of the implementation of the UN Millennium Development Goals in the region.

The XVII MINURVI conference was held in El Salvador in September 2008.  It was hosted by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development of El Salvador.  At this conference Jamaica was elected to host the XVIII MINURVI Meeting in 2009 and as such the presidency was officially transferred to Jamaica for the 2008-2009 period.

Preparatory Meetings
In preparation for this conference the Ministry is expected to participate in two (2) preparatory meetings, the first of which was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on December 5, 2008.  This Meeting was hosted by the government of Argentina in its capacity as Technical Secretariat of MINURVI and chaired by Dr. the Honourable Horace Chang, Minister, in his capacity as President of MINURVI for the 2008-2009 period.

The Executive Committee agreed upon the following themes for the conference in Jamaica:
(a) "Financing Social Housing in view of the World Economic Crisis" and (b)) "Housing in Risky Situations". 
- Jamaica, El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Chile are to develop a document on theme (b) for discussion at the Ministerial phase of the July meeting.

Jamaica will host the 2nd Executive Committee meeting at the Jamaica Conference Centre in Kingston on May 8, 2009. This Meeting will be conducted in 2 Languages (English and Spanish).

Members of the Executive Committee include, the 2008 host country (former President), the 2009 host country (current President/Chair) , representatives from the MINURVI Technical Secretariat, two focal point representatives from the three sub regions of MINURVI ( South America, Central America and Mexico and the Caribbean) as well as representatives from United Nations – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) based in Santiago, Chile and the United Nations –Habitat Regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-Habitat ROLAC) based in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

XVIII MINURVI Conference Jamaica
The XVIII MINURVI General Assembly will be held over a three (3) day period from July 15-17, 2009 in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The Conference will be conducted in 4 languages (English, Spanish, French and Portuguese). 1 ½ day will be designated for the Technical Phase and 1 ½ day for the Ministerial Phase and signing of the Declaration of Montego Bay.

It should also be noted that the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) as well as, the United Nations – Habitat Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-Habitat ROLAC) have been integrally involved with MINURVI from its inception. Over the years they have provided technical support to the MINURVI Technical Secretariat and undertaken studies on Housing and Urbanization issues for presentation and discussions at the annual conferences. 

Jamaica stands to benefit significantly from this forum, particularly as it relates to policy trends and development, the sharing of best practices in human settlements development and the exchange of experiences and information among member countries in the region.  There is also an opportunity for the strengthening of regional housing networks which augers well for collaboration in the region.