UN-Habitat is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities, with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. It is therefore the main UN agency concerned with issues of housing, urban development and the challenge of slums.
In early November 2008, Homeless International attended the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Nanjing, China. This is a large conference organised by UN-Habitat that takes place every two years and focuses specifically on the growth of cities and towns across the world and the challenges and opportunities that this growth presents. It is the main global networking event for those organisations, donors, academics, government agencies and individuals who work in the areas of slum poverty and urban development and is an important platform for Homeless International to share the work we do and learn from others. This was the fourth World Urban Forum and held particular significance because in 2008, for the first time in history, the world’s urban population has surpassed the rural.
As at the previous World Urban Forums, Homeless International had an exhibition stand where we presented the work that we support in Africa and Asia in addressing slum poverty and were able to share information about our Financial Services. It proved to be a very useful base from where we established some important new contacts and well as engaging in strategic discussions with many of our bilateral donors and local partner organisations.
We participated in various networking sessions, meetings and events, and also hosted our own networking event, focussing on the question 'What’s really stopping government from investing more resources and capacity in improving the lives of slum dwellers and providing adequate alternatives to new slum formation?' The event was well attended with individuals from many countries, representing a range of organisations as well as governments and academic institutions. It turned out to be an extremely thought-provoking question and there was a lot of lively discussion with a great deal of audience participation. We would like to thank our speakers who were able to draw on their varying experiences to add some insightful and sometimes contrasting views:
Somsook Boonyabancha, the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR)
Sonia Cadornigara, the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines (HPFP)
Gautam Chatterjee, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP), India
William Cobbett, Cities Alliance
Jane Weru, Pamoja Trust, Kenya
Many of Homeless International’s local partner organisations were present at WUF showcasing their work and sharing experiences with their peers. The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), with whom Homeless International has worked for many years, hosted a very interesting networking event where representatives from poor communities across Asia shared their experience of reconstruction and rehabilitation following disasters such as floods, typhoons and mudslides. Findings from the event can be read in the ACHR report, ‘Communities as key actors in disaster rehabilitation’ (3.97MB). Visit ACHR’s website for more information.
Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI), with whom Homeless International works closely, also held a networking event showcasing the amazing achievements of initiatives designed and implemented by slum dwellers across Africa and Asia. It was an enlightening and very moving session, during which a number of bilateral donors and government representatives pledged support for future initiatives addressing slum poverty. Visit SDI’s website for a full report of the event.
