Chinese President Hu Jintao Friday met with the United Nations Human Settlement Program (UN-HABITAT) Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) acting Executive Director, Shafqat Kakakhel in Nairobi during his state visit to Kenya.

Hu said UN-HABITAT had made positive efforts to promote the building of homes  and global sustainable development.

The UNEP had played an important role in pushing for solutions to global environmental issues, he said, promoting international cooperation in this area and helping developing countries improve their environmental protection capabilities.

He said China had always supported international cooperation in these areas. Efforts would be made to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the two UN programs and support for their work would continue. 

Tibaijuka said China had much experience of human habitat development which UN-HABITAT was popularizing in other areas of the world.

The UN-HABITAT valued China's assistance to the African people in this regard, she said.

Kakakhel said that UNEP appreciated China's efforts on environmental protection issues. 

He said China has always firmly supported the work of UNEP's and the cooperation between the two sides has progressed steadily at bilateral, regional and global levels.

The UNEP expected to deepen cooperation with the Chinese to jointly meet the challenges, Kakakhel added.

Hu arrived Thursday on a three-day state visit to Kenya as Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's guest.

Kenya is the last leg of Hu's five-nation tour which has already taken him to the United States, Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Nigeria.

(Xinhua News Agency April 29, 2006)