UN chief to make opening remarks at Expo Forum

SHANGHAI - The 2010 Shanghai World Expo Summit Forum will be held on Oct 31, with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivering the opening remarks, according to the organizers.

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The Summit Forum, co-hosted by the Shanghai World Expo organizing committee, the United Nations, and the International Expositions Bureau (BIE), will focus on "Urban Innovation and Sustainable Development", said Hong Hao, director general of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, during a press conference Tuesday.

Nearly 2,000 people will attend the one-day forum, including national leaders of China, foreign leaders, mayors of major cities of the world, local and foreign business elites, and academic experts. They will discuss the relations between cities and the information industry, innovation, science and technology, and community governance. At its conclusion, the forum will release the "Shanghai Declaration" .

Hong Hao said the topic of the Summit Forum is in accordance with the theme of the Shanghai World Expo, which has been focused on the harmonious relation between man and nature, as well as sustainable development.

The forum advocates looking for new ways of sustainable development of cities through innovation, which provides an opportunity for the participants to value the legacy of the World Expo and reflect on problems emerging during urbanization, Hong said.