Second World Urban Forum (WUF2)

During UN-Habitat's 2nd World Urban Forum (WUF II), held in Barcelona in September 2004, ComHabitat hosted a networking event entitled City-Community Partnerships in the Commonwealth.  Multi-sectoral teams from Nairobi and Mumbai also presented their experiences of moving from a situation of confrontational evictions of railway-side slum dwellers, to negotiations with slum dwellers' federations resulting in mass voluntary resettlement.  There was a wide-ranging discussion that focussed on:

• how the complex negotiations necessary for such a large-scale resettlement process had occurred;
• how the social, economic and livelihoods aspects of resettlement had been managed; and
• how this programme could be replicated in cities as diverse as Calcutta and Accra. 

Speakers emphasised that political will is needed, together with the willingness of the slum dwellers to engage in planning for resettlement.  The report from the networking event can be downloaded from the bar on the left.