scene of the signing ceremony

Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under Secretary-General

Hong Hao, director of the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination

scene of the ground-breaking ceremony

The United Nations and its 21 agencies will present a joint exhibition themed "One Earth, One UN" at World Expo 2010 Shanghai following a ground-breaking ceremony to launch construction of the 3,000-square-meter UN pavilion this morning.

The pavilion would showcase the organization and its agencies' best practices in promoting world peace and development as well as meeting the challenges and opportunities of urbanization, as "the benefits of economic globalization are not enjoyed by all," said Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under Secretary-General.

Visitors will also learn how the UN is tackling climate change and promoting the concept of sustainable development throughout the world at the pavilion.

Tibaijuka said poverty is a severe, pervasive while unacknowledged issue in urban life, therefore, the 2010 event will offer a unique opportunity for both developed and developing countries to share experience in improving urban life.

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote sustainable development and provide adequate shelter for all, is responsible for coordinating the UN agencies' participation at Shanghai Expo.

Participants to Shanghai World Expo under the UN include the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization.