Networking and advocacy at the World Urban Forum (WUF3)

The World Urban Forum, a biennial meeting organised by UN-Habitat, was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization in a world where half of humanity lives in cities and where in the next 50 years that proportion is expected to reach two-thirds of the global population.  Most of this urban growth is taking place in developing countries where the major challenge is to combat poverty and provide better access to basic shelter and services, like clean water and sanitation.  Cities in wealthier nations also face problems of urbanization — like crumbling infrastructure, smog and social exclusion. 

The third World Urban Forum (WUF III) took place in Vancouver, Canada, from 19th to 23rd June 2006.  Two ComHabitat events at the Forum examined the issue of urban poverty and human settlements development in national poverty reduction strategies, building on the outcomes of ComHabitat's research on PRSPs.  Members of the CCGHS met on Sunday 18th June.  A summary of their discussion was delivered to the Ministerial Roundtable on the following day by the CCGHS Chair, the Hon. Reginald Farley, Minister of Housing and Lands, Barbados.  The summary can be downloaded opposite.

Commonwealth Ministers recognized the critical importance of including concerns related to the provision of adequate shelter for all, with secure tenure and access to essential services, and sustainable urbanization, in policies and strategies aimed at reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth. 

Ministers therefore called upon:

• Governments, donors and other Habitat Agenda partners to further the inclusion of human settlements concerns and the challenges resulting from the rapid urbanisation of poverty in PRSPs and other national development frameworks.
• Donors to recognise that adequate shelter for all, with secure tenure and access to essential services, good governance and sustainable urbanisation should be treated as central concerns within policies and strategies aimed at reducing poverty, localising the MDGs and stimulating economic growth.  
• Donors to dedicate a substantial increase in resources to these concerns, providing reliable funding for sustainable human settlements development in the medium- to long-term.
• Donors to support efforts to localise the MDGs and to promote local democracy and good governance in line with internationally recognised standards such as the Aberdeen Agenda:  Commonwealth Principles on Good Practice for Local Democracy and Good Governance.
• All Habitat Agenda partners to work together towards the rapid and comprehensive implementation of the Agenda, and the necessary investment in capacity to bring this about.  An important element of such capacity is the creation of reliable, appropriate and timely data collection to support policy development and the monitoring of progress.

Why is it that urban poverty, and investments in housing and infrastructure for the poor are so rarely mentioned in national poverty reduction planning?  ComHabitat hosted a debate at the Forum to explore this question based around a motion that "This House believes that urban development strategies are not relevant to national poverty reduction strategies".

Around 150 people attended the debate, held on the first afternoon of the Forum.  Numerous interventions from the floor included speakers from government, civil society and international organisations.  Many reasons were suggested for the lack of attention given to urban poverty and human settlements in PRSPs, including:  lack of co-ordination between ministries; a lack of data or the capacity to analyse it; a ‘hidden conditionality’ from donors in the way PRSPs are formulated to focus on other areas; and city governments not being involved in PRSP processes.  A report on the event can be downloaded from the bar on the left.

If you would like to know more about either event, please email kim@comhabitat.org