The first international conference on the development of slum areas in Makkah will be held in 1437H and will be chaired by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, governor of Makkah and adviser to Custodian of the Two Holyy Mosques King Salman. The announcement was made by Bakri Assas, president of Umm Al-Qura University, on Sunday.

Assas said that the conference will be organized by Umm Al-Qura University with the aim of developing the slum areas of Makkah and provide and apply scientific strategies to deal with all the social, economic, urban and security dimensions for the development of these areas locally and globally.

He said it will also devote an important aspect of the project that was sponsored and started by the late King Abdullah for the reconstruction of Makkah and the development of slum areas. He said it will also highlight the efforts of Prince Khaled in the development of districts and neighborhoods of Makkah with traditional solutions to bring the holy city on a par with the top cities of the world.

Assas said the conference will coincide with the preparations of the third conference on "human stability” under the supervision of United Nations that is expected to take place in 2016, with sustainable development goals for humanity and development of slums.

Amjad Abdulrahman, general supervisor of the conference, said the conference aims to link the most important issues related to slum areas and focus on the humanitarian living. The conference will offer effective and creative experiences to develop slum areas, identify the most important challenges, emerging issues in the light of modern and variables solutions to develop slum areas and role that could be played by international academic institutions in the development of policies and strategies in the Arab region.

Abdulrahman said the conference will have many events and scientific sessions along with lectures and panel discussions by international experts in the field of development of slums. He said experts will be invited from around the world who have experience in this regard and workshops held to discuss realistic projects that can be implemented in Makkah.