UN-Habitat (formerly the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements) 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.
UN-Habitat's second World Urban Forum (WUF) took place in Barcelona from 13th-17th September 2004 (the first took place in 2001 – click here to read about Homeless International's involvement). Anna Tibaijuka, the UN-Habitat Executive Director, outlined the importance of WUF when she explained the scale of the challenges to delegates at the first World Urban Forum in 2002:
"In 1950, two-thirds of all people lived in the countryside. By 2050, two-thirds of all people will be at home in the city. At this moment, 3 billion people, half the population of the planet, live in cities. In 1950, Metropolitan New York was the only place on earth with a population of more than 10 million. There are now 20 cities of that size with more on the way, almost all of which will be in developing countries."
WUF brings practitioners together from all over the world to discuss these issues and how to take the Habitat Agenda forward. Homeless International attended with members of Shack/Slum Dwellers International and other delegates from the world of finance and local government. Homeless International also organised two networking events with our partners:
CLIFF - The Great Debate
The event included an overview of the Community Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF) and an introduction to what it has achieved, followed by a debate on the motion that "this house believes that the private finance market will never fund major slum upgrading". The debate featured speakers from community networks, major finance institutions and NGOs from all over the world. A vote at the outset of the debate showed 17 people for the motion and 10 against. By the end, the voting had changed to 6 people for the motion and 14 against, including one of the speakers who changed sides during the debate!
ComHabitat - Sharing learnings from the Commonwealth
The event discussed how Commonwealth countries were faring in implementing the Habitat Agenda and working towards the Millennium Development Goals. Teams from Mumbai and Nairobi presented lessons learnt in moving from confrontation to negotiation between local partners, in order to facilitate community-led relocation from dangerous locations alongside railway tracks. The event also included a discussion of ComHabitat's immediate plans and future direction.
CLIFF and ComHabitat also shared a stand in the Exhibition Hall.
For more information about WUF2, check out the UN-Habitat website.
