DIRECT UNITED NATIONS COMMITMENT TO URBAN POOR CALLED FOR AT SEMINAR ON REGIONAL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
Press Release
ESCAP/259
HAB/140
DIRECT UNITED NATIONS COMMITMENT TO URBAN POOR CALLED FOR AT SEMINAR ON REGIONAL COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN HUMAN SETTLEMENTS
19970228 BANGKOK, 26 February (UN Information Services) -- A seminar on "The Role of Community Development in Shelter and Human Settlements Improvement" concluded yesterday afternoon at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok with participants calling for a new style of United Nations programme which is flexible, participatory and focused directly on the needs of the urban poor.The Deputy Director of the Urban Community Development Office of Thailand, Somsook Boonyabancha, said the programme should be open to the direct participation of the community-based organizations and respond to their needs. Also, she said this United Nations programme has an important political role to play and should be more demanding on governments to follow up the commitments they have made at international meetings like the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, 1996) to protect people's housing rights and to halt evictions whenever possible.
The Regional Seminar, which was organized by the Community Development Programme for Asia of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements from 24 to 26 February, brought together some 45 participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam to assess the current problems poor urban communities face in obtaining access to housing and services. The country delegations, comprising representatives of governments, non- governmental organizations and community-based organizations, were also able to share experiences on how to strengthen the legitimacy of communities in dealing with governments and to provide the Community Development Programme for Asia with guidance on the kind of facilitation and support that they need to help the tens of millions of poor families in Asia, that are living in desperate poverty and degradation without basic shelter and services.
The Seminar participants requested the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Programme to assist in directly promoting and strengthening community-based processes in their countries. It was generally agreed that only when communities are involved in the planning and implementation of shelter and settlement upgrading projects which affect their lives, will the resulting developments be appropriate and sustainable. Strong and capable community organizations are essential. In order to work with local authorities and have a say in the design of government programmes, community organizations need to have legal recognition.
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A range of countries in the region have built up useful experiences in this field which can be shared with other countries in the region. Examples are the land-sharing experience and the Urban Community Development Office in Thailand, the Community Action Planning and Management approach in Sri Lanka, the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and the organization of development consultants in Indonesia.
The Seminar participants included representatives of other regional programmes and organizations, including the Regional Network of Local Authorities, the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights and the Human Settlements Programme of the Asian Institute of Technology, which will work jointly on the implementation of this new programme of South-South cooperation.
The Habitat Community Development Programme for Asia, which is located in the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)/Habitat Joint Unit on Human Settlements at ESCAP was initiated at the end of 1995. Funded by the Danish International Development Agency (Danida), it is geared to promoting the rights and supporting the capacities of community groups in low income neighbourhoods to participate in the development of better shelter and living environments in partnership with non-governmental organizations, local authorities and national governments.
For further information, contact Peter J. Swan, Coordinator, UNCHS Community Development Programme for Asia, C/- UNESCAP, tel: 2881604, fax: 2881097.
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