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Visioning platform for a Global Action Plan to tackle the Slum Challenge

Monika Glinzler

Moderator

date June 27, 2022 | 14:30 - 16:00 (passed)
place
Multifunction Hall Room 17
organization
Department of Human Settlements
country
South Africa
language
English
theme
Equitable urban futures

Summary

Multi-level partnerships for scaling slum upgrading for sustainable local transformation and delivery of the Right to Adequate Housing - About one billion people or a third of the current urban population dwells in slums. The rapid urbanization in many countries has outpaced the capacities of local and national governments in service provision. This gap in service provision and adequate housing has led to increase in urban poverty that is manifest in slums and informal settlements. Recent developments in the context of the COVID-19 pandemics have worsened the situation for many slum dwellers and have highlighted the manifold vulnerabilities in slums and informal settlements. The topic of slums and informal settlements has been high in global debates for 20 years. The inclusion of slums as critical global development issue in the period preceding the year 2000 culminated in the adoption of Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) as part of the United Nations Millennium Declaration in the year 2000 whereby slums were thought as opportunities to achieve the MDGs in cities. With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and specifically the “Urban Goal” SDG 11 “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, the international community made sustainable urbanization part of the core of human development. Still, the formulation of MDGs, SDGs and the New Urban Agenda have not brought enough momentum to effectively tackle the challenge of slums. Many countries are not yet integrating the “slum issue” in national policies and city level planning and absolute numbers of people living in slums

Objectives

The Visioning platform for a Global Action Plan will aim at: ● Providing an opportunity for dialogue for greater alignment, through sharing experiences and lessons learned ● Identifying common visions and potential synergies for future slum upgrading approaches ● Identifying the technical and financial support that can be leveraged to increase the scale of upgrading approaches and strengthen impact in vulnerable communities ● Building short-, medium-, and long-term partnerships between local & national governments, international development & financing partners, and other stakeholders for integrated approaches

Session panelists

Panelist
Role
Organization
Country
Mr. Sameh Wahba
Global Director
World Bank
Mr. Patrick Canagasingham
Chief Operating Officer
Habitat for Humanity
Ms. Kerstin Sommer
Program Manager: Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme
UN Habitat
Ms. Sheela Patel
Board Director
Slum Dwellers International
Mr. Paulo Ciccarelli
Head of Unit F4 – Sustainable Transport and Urban Development
European Commission