Habitat Debate Vol. 13, No. 4, Healthy Cities

December 2007 • Vol. 13, No. 4

Habitat Debate

In this issue: Cities and health ................... 4 Climate change ..................... 8 A WHO view ........................ 12 Slumsandill health ............. 15 Field dispatch ..................... 20 Hong Kong safest city .......... 18

A look at Global Migration Problems

Healthy Cities U N I T E D

N A T I O N S

H U M A N

S E T T L E M E N T S

P R O G R A M M E

Habitat Debate December 2007

A Message from the Executive Director

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n recent weeks, I had the privilege to join a select group of African leaders in the Egyptian city of Alexandria where former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano was presented the inaugural Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The prize is aimed at promoting good governance in Africa.

The historic ceremony in Alexandria on Monday, 26 November 2007, marked a proud turning for Africa: For the first time, an award for good governance and outstanding leadership was being conferred; and for the first time also, Africa was seizing the initiative on the world stage by presenting the world’s only major award for good governance.

After years of civil war and turmoil, we have all witnessed the remarkable transformation in Mozambique, and as former South African President Nelson Mandela stated in a televised message to Alexandria, the prize represents an African initiative celebrating the successes of new African leadership. In short, it is an example that the rest of the world can emulate.

It was with this in mind, that UN-HABITAT appointed President Chissano as the agency’s Youth Ambassador at the Third Session of the World Urban Forum in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2006.

Earlier, on World Habitat Day, 4 October 2004, Mr. Chissano became the first African leader to be awarded UN-HABITAT’s own prestigious Habitat Scroll of Honour in which he was cited for “his tireless efforts to uplift the lot of the poorest of the poor in Africa”. As Chairman of the African Union, he was instrumental in lending political support to the drive by African mayors to devolve authority to local governments so that basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity and shelter, and basic health services could be ensured.

The eminent members of the Mo Ibrahim Award Committee defined good governance as key to: n n

Safety and Security; The Rule of Law, Transparency and fighting Corruption;

n n

Participation and Human Rights; Sustainable Economic Development; and n Human Development Access to health services is, by far, one of the most tangible indicators for human development and one of the most direct means of attaining many of the Millennium Development Goals.

With half of humanity already living in cities, and projections showing that by 2030 this figure will rise to two-thirds, we are living in an age of unprecedented, rapid, irreversible urbanisation. The cities growing fastest are those of the developing world, and the fastest growing neighbourhoods are the slums.

As we become a pre-dominantly urban species – homo urbanus – cities are increasingly assuming a leadership role amid the phenomenon of globalization.

While most big cities are driving their respective national economies, many cities today, especially in the developing world, are the locus of extreme poverty.

For years, UN-HABITAT has warned about the consequences of rapid and chaotic urbanisation and of the plight of the 1 billion urban slum dwell-

ers deprived of the most basic amenities such as water, sanitation, security of tenure, durable housing and sufficient living space. If present trends continue, their numbers are likely to increase to two billion by 2030.

UN-HABITAT is one of the few UN bodies that works with organizations at every level, including local governments to build, manage, plan and finance cities without slums that are healthier, livable places for all, and which do not pollute the environment or deplete natural resources.

The agency counsels slum upgrading and pro-poor housing and urban development as a major means of prevention against disease. Indeed, the health crisis in our cities today is closely linked to the slum crisis which, in the end analysis, is a crisis in governance.

If immediate and effective interventions are not made today, this situation will become a major threat not only to our health, but also to social stability.

This is just one reason why we at UN-HABITAT are proud to have President Chissano serving as our Youth Ambassador.

Anna Tibaijuka Executive Director

Habitat Debate December 2007

Contents A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ............................................2

OVERVIEW

Citied and health .........................................................................4

FORUM

Built environment for health .................................................6

Women and health .....................................................................7

opinion

Ban Ki-moon on climate change ..........................................8

SPECIAL REPORT

Surviving in cities ....................................................................... 9

Roman Rollnick

Pollution and health.................................................................11

Editorial Assistance

A WHO initiative ........................................................................12

Forum

Healthy cities for the elderly .................................................14

Health problems in slums ..................................................... 16

case study

Nepal .............................................................................................18

Cartagena, Chile ........................................................................19

Field dispatch

UN-HABITAT scoops major award........................................20

NEW Publications

.....................................................................................21

NEWS & Events

.....................................................................................22

Cover Photo Adding a touch of paint to her new home, this Indonesian woman is one of many thousands of tsunami and earthquake survivors who have benefitted from UN-HABITAT’s post-disaster reconstruction programmes in Asia in recent years.

Photo ©: UN-HABITAT

Editor

Tom Osanjo

Design & Layout Victor Mgendi

Editorial Board Nicholas You (Chair) Lucia Kiwala Anantha Krishnan Eduardo López Moreno Jane Nyakairu Edlam Abera Yemeru Mariam Lady Yunusa

Published by UN-HABITAT P.O. Box 30030, GPO Nairobi 00100, KENYA; Tel: (254-20) 762 1234 Fax: (254-20) 762 4266/7, 762 3477, 762 4246 Telex: 22996 UNHABKE E-mail: infohabitat.debate@unhabitat.org Website: http://www.unhabitat.org/

ISSN 1020-3613

Opinions expressed in signed articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views and policies of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‑HABITAT). All material in this publication may be freely quoted or reprinted, provided the authors and Habitat Debate are credited.

OVERVIEW

Habitat Debate December 2007

Cities, climate change and global health As humanity becomes predominantly urban, the major challenge for public health in the 21st century will be in cities. Patterns of future urban growth will affect the incidence and severity of health issues. The morphology of cities, their density, the age of their populations, accessibility to shelter and basic services, and the stress factors of urban living will have an increasing impact on the health of populations, writes Nicholas You, UN-HABITAT’s Senior Advisor Policy and Strategic Planning.

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n both developed and developing countries, the challenge is to develop effective policies and programmes that reduce the prevalence of chronic, infectious, pollution and stress-related diseases, and to reduce the health inequities that characterize health care and prevention in urban areas.

For developed countries, which are already highly urbanised, a main problem is to deal with long standing disparities in health care, especially among marginalized and elderly populations. The developing world, however, has to respond to the rapid rate of urbanization which in many countries is characterized by an equally rapid growth of slums.

The Challenge of Slums

A key finding of UN-HABITAT’s flagship report, The State of the World Cities 2006/7, is that for the majority of the urban population living in developing countries, poor health is less determined by income than by living conditions. This is especially the case for early life experiences which are amongst the most powerful influences on health throughout the course of life. The findings of The State of the World’s Cities confirm studies that have connected overcrowded housing conditions during childhood with respiratory problems and infections later in life. Housing deprivation alone can lead to a 25% greater risk of disability or severe ill health across the life course, with the risk increasing with exposure to poor housing in early childhood. Where social dislocation is proverbial, the HIV/Aids pandemic has catastrophic effects, especially on women and children.

This ill health undermines efforts to reduce poverty. People and families with children who become ill

are more likely to fall into the poverty trap. Debilitating illness prevents adults from earning a decent living; it also prevents children from attending school, thus decreasing their chances of a healthy and productive adulthood.

To solve these problems, efforts in poverty eradication and health care must be harmonised with efforts in urban planning and management.

Indeed, reducing risks and improving global health is not simply a function of health care. Rather it is an issue of providing equitable access to public goods and services. More concretely, any sustainable effort in dealing with malaria, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and other prevalent diseases that are major contributing factors to infant mortality will depend on our ability to provide access to decent shelter and basic infrastructure and services such as clean water, basic sanitation and garbage disposal. In summary, the emerging risks and issues related to health cannot be separated from the way that cities are planned and managed.

Deaths per 1000 births

Slums constitute a major impediment to achieving sustainable global health.

One billion people around the world today live in slums and deprived inner city neighbourhoods. Most of them lack adequate shelter and basic services. This figure is expected to rise to 2 billion over the next 25 years. What we are witnessing is the urbanisation of poverty and ill health, and the creation of a fertile breeding ground for endemFigure 3.3.2: Under-five mortality (deaths per 1000 births) ic disease. Living conditions in by type of residence in selected cities slums constitute the basis of most if not all of the prevailing health 120 hazards we are battling with toCity Non-slum Slum day. It is among slum dwellers 100 that malaria, tuberculosis, the opportunistic diseases associat80 ed with HIV/Aids, and other epi60 demics take the heaviest toll.

The contributions by WHO, 40 UNAIDS, UNFPA and UNHABITAT to this issue of Habitat 20 Debate all reaffirm the causal relationship between poor health and 0 ) ) ) ) ) poverty. They mirror findings in a) ca) al) zil zil zil cco cco ric fri eg f o o A r r Bra Bra Bra n A ( ( o o e developed countries where studh o h l t a M o (S u (M ut au tib eir t( ar ca (So (So oP ies conducted as recently in 2004 uri an ba ak n a J C n a lb an D a S R de rb sa tow by the National Health Service in Du Ca pe R io Ca Scotland in the City of Glasgow show life expectancy to be signifSource: UN-HABITAT (2005), Urban Indicator Programme Phase III. icantly lower among low-income Note: Computed from Demographic and Health Surveys(DHS) data (1995-2003). groups.

Habitat Debate December 2007

Climate Change – a challenge but also an opportunity

It is no coincidence that climate change has emerged at the forefront of international debate precisely at the same time, and virtually at the same pace, as the world becomes urbanized.

Urbanisation brings irreversible changes to our production and consumption patterns. How we plan, manage and live in our growing cities determines, to a large extent, the pace of global warming. This is because 75% of global energy consumption occurs in cities, and an equally significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming come from urban areas. Roughly half of these emissions are caused by the burning fossil fuels for urban transport; the other half comes from energy to heat or cool our buildings and to run our appliances.

Global warming poses a direct threat to the safety of wellbeing of urban dwellers as witnessed by the continuing struggle of the people of New Orleans to rebuild their homes and communities as a result of hurricane Katrina.

While media reports tend to focus on the immediate humanitarian crisis, most of these events have both short and long term effects on health, not to mention thepropagation of diseases.

We all agree that mitigation measures are urgently required. However, to date, the measures we envisage at the global and national levels have yet to be accompanied by concerted efforts at the city and local levels. While we fine-tune carbon trading mechanisms and instruments, we need to take immediate actions to make our cities more sustainable by revisiting our land-use plans, our transport modalities, and our building designs. There is a unique opportunity to bridge our global efforts in emissions control with local efforts to improve quality of life, health and the productivity of our cities. Our cities are, after all, the driving force of our economies, and what better measures can we take than to reduce traffic congestion, improve air and water quality, and generally, reduce our ecological footprint.

At the same time, there is rising consensus that we must take immediate adaptation measures to reduce vulnerability. Yet, here again, we have yet to recognize the need to plan our cities and settlements to prevent loss and

OVERVIEW

Figure 3.3.5: Percentage of children with respiratory diseases

Source: UN-HABITAT

destruction of lives and properties.In the view of UN-HABITAT, the time to act is now and the place to act is in the cities of the world. Cities have to take preventive action and planning to offset the worst. The United Nations has calculated that one dollar invested in disaster reduction today, can save up to seven dollars tomorrow in relief and rehabilitation costs.Thus, climate change problems have to be considered in urban planning, and planning capacities have to be strengthened.

There is no doubt that local authorities will be at the front line in finding local answers to these global challenges. There are no one-size fit all solutions and each local authority will have to assess its own risks and vulnerability and plan accordingly, whether in coping with rising sea levels, cyclones, droughts, flooding, or disease.

Climate change must be tackled within a broader framework of sustainable housing and urban development.

This broader framework includes a holistic approach to participatory governance, urban environmental planning and management, and the harnessing of ecologically sound technologies.

It requires new forms of partnerships with all major stakeholders, not least

the people and the communities themselves, and from gender and age perspectives. It requires new paradigm shifts in the critical areas of transport, energy, water and waste management, and heath.

In summary, urban poverty, health and climate change are all linked, and cities and towns represent the nexus of the equation. This is an excellent opportunity to re-examine how we manage and plan our cities.It is an opportunity to re-think many of our policies that have made cities the single biggest source of green house gas emissions in the North, while at the same time, excluding up to two-thirds of the urban population from good health in the South.

Reducing the vulnerability of cities to the effects of climate change should and needs to be seized as an opportunity to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable segments of our urban populations.It is an opportunity for all of us - policy makers, planners and environmental specialists and citizens - to join forces and place cities and the urban future at the forefront of the sustainable development agenda, indeed of our respective national development agendas.

FORUM

Habitat Debate December 2007

Creating built environments that support health and well being The Planning Institute of Australia has a membership of some 5,000 urban planners around the country.

Liz de Chastel, the Institute’s National Policy Manager, says it has been advocating for some time the important role that planning and planners can play in creating built environments that can encourage active, healthier lifestyles.

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he link between people’s health where they live is now gaining more prominence as more research and data becomes available in Australia.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, despite the publicised importance of physical activity, there has been no increase in the level of exercise in recent National Health Surveys. In 1995, 39 per cent of people aged 15 years and older were classified as overweight or obese. This increased to 44 per cent in 2001 and 47 per cent in 2004-05.

With this and other factors in mind, the Institute’s National Policy Committee of the Planning Institute recently adopted a national position statement on Healthy Communities encapsulating its advocacy position for Healthy Communities.

Planners can contribute to improving community health and well being by encouraging built and natural environments that promote physical activity, spiritual, social and mental well being and community safety.

The Institute believes all professions and governments that influence the built environment should incorporate health outcomes into statutory and strategic planning processes and policies for example in areas such as urban design, building regulations, infrastructure, engineering and new residential developments.

Structures and programmes, particularly at the local level should support the integration of health and planning outcomes.

Around the country, planning professionals are already currently working with health officials in government and community agencies to ensure our built environment is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Planners are in a good position to help shape our built environments to encourage more physical activity which is the most important factor in addressing obesity, resultant heart problems and diabetes. For example walking to the shops, bus stop or school is the physical activity most people will engage in, and there is a strong correlation between having safe, attractive paths in the neighbourhood and being physically active.

Shelter and seating that encourage people to use public transport – Adelaide, South Australia.

Photo ©: Planning Institute of Australia

Transport is a very important issue in terms of planning and health. Active forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport are opportunities for physical activity, mental well being and social connectedness.

Developing partnerships and working relationships with health practitioners and health organisations is the most important area where planners can help shape environments that support health.

One notable example here is a partnership involving he Heart Foundation, the Planning Institute of Australia and the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), with support from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

They recently started a project to develop national planning guidelines to provide an integrated approach to the design of healthy built environments for Australians. The project is entitled Healthy Spaces and Places, A National Guide for Planners.

Its aim is to improve health outcomes for all Australians through better designed built environments. It will provide guidance to planning practitioners and related professions at the State, Local Government, and private sector levels on how to incorporate active living principles into the built environment.

Built environments can include elements such as neighbourhood centers, public transport, cycle tracks, walkways and recreation areas by providing an environment which encourages and promotes active living for all age groups.

An important aspect of this project is that the partnership brings key agencies together in a collaborative approach.

The guidelines will take a national perspective and address strategic and practical applications and include supporting case studies addressing different geographical scales, policy agendas and target groups. The guidelines will have applicability to all levels of government and the development industry, and provide an integrated, cross-sectoral approach, highly relevant to policy delivery at regional and local levels.

Another key aspect of the project is the consultation being undertaken with the planning and health sector to find out what is being done in this area, such as new ideas for the guidelines and feedback at various stages of the development of the guidelines.

The link between the built environment and health and well being is now established and planning practitioners are taking a more pro-active role in designing Australian cities and towns to support active living for residents.

Habitat Debate December 2007

FORUM

Women and health - poor women in cities suffer most The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are meant to help reduce gender inequality confronting poor women in the South. Although both rural and urban women who live in poverty face difficulties, Sylvia Chant of the Department of Geography and the Environment at the London School of Economics argues that it is poor women in cities who face the greatest disadvantages. Both their physical and mental wellbeing is threatened by a complex set of environmental and socio-economic factors.

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he health of women living in poverty in cities at greater risk than men’s due to their greater vulnerability to health threats present within the environment in which they are forced live. Slum dwellers live in conditions which include overcrowded dwellings, often too close to open refuse dumps, stagnant pools or open drainage channels choked with human waste.

These are known to exacerbate the risk of contracting certain communicable diseases, often referred to as ‘diseases of poverty’. In addition, women are the primary care givers for sick infants and children, thus they are in more frequent and direct contact with communicable diseases. The poor physical environment and the loss of babies to disease or malnutrition put an enormous amount of stress on these women which can lead to mental disorders such as fatigue, anxiety or depression.

More poor urban women are infected with HIV/AIDS than poor rural women. It is often assumed that slum dwellers get HIV because of unprotected sex with multiple partners.

However, there are other reasons as to why they become infected. Limited access to clean water and sanitation can lead to conditions such as whipworm, hookworm, malaria, bilharzia and tuberculosis. Common outcomes are malnutrition, further compromised immune systems, and increased ‘viral load’. These, in turn, render women more susceptible to HIV infection and accelerated progression from HIV to AIDS. Women infected by bilharzia, for example, often end-up with lesions in the urogenital tract which can lead to a threefold increase in their vulnerability to HIV. Furthermore, mothers infected by worms are at greater risk of passing HIV on to their babies.

There are a number of social and cultural factors which can lead to a woman becoming infected with HIV/ AIDS within a slum environment.

In the urban environment wom-

When it comes to health problems, women suffer first Around the world, women are more likely to be classified as living in poverty. And they are more likely to be more exposed to environmental health problems. Often gender discrimination exacerbates environmental injustice for women. The Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at the University of Bonn, Germany has studied the risk factors behind poor water, sanitation and hygiene in the Aral Sea region. In the town of Khorezm, Uzbekistan, for example, every child under two suffers at least six episodes of diarrhoea a year. The burden of caring for them usually falls with their mothers, and often they too take ill. Statistical analysis showed that the absence of toilet paper or wipes and visible contamination of stored drinking water play a key role in diarrhoeal disease transmission at the inter-household level. Also problematic is the presence of human waste, with at least a quarter of all homes taking it from their pit latrines straight to their vegetable gardens. Small children often defecate in the open. For example, it was found that the city university, home to 10,000 students, did not have a working sewage system.

Instead, the compound had open lakes of human waste. A number of Central Asian and Eastern European NGOs, and members of the network Women in Europe for a Common Future have started to address this problem, by demonstrating the WHO guidelines on low cost hygienic toilets, which dehydrate human waste so that it can be safely used in farming. – Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director, Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF).

en are dependant on a wage economy. Within the slums, this makes her more likely to engage in unprotected ‘transactional sex’ in order to generate income which places her at greater risk for becoming infected with HIV/ AIDS or some other sexually transmitted illness.

In addition, further risk of infection come from a lack of privacy, thus a lack of security, meaning many young women face rape or other sexual assault either in the home, in shared sanitary facilities, or on their way to or from their shacks.

In order for the MDGs to be successful, revision and inclusion of gender inequality issues will need to be expanded to all of the goals.

Poor women should not be abandoned to manage the problems of urban poverty on their own. What they need are appropriate resources and

political and professional support to guide them through the process.

These women must be included in programme formulation, design and resource-allocation for the goals to be effective. Positive change in this regard will be a challenge unless women are seen as ‘integral players in urban governance’.

Of great importance, is the necessity to acknowledge the disproportionate role women play in terms of the ‘care economy’ and its effect on their health.

Unless these challenges are met, poor urban women can expect to experience little advancement toward gender equality in the future.

Habitat Debate December 2007

OPINION

Climate change – a major threat to our health and our planet’s health On 15 December 2007, governments representing most countries around the world agreed to launch negotiations on a new pact to fight global warming. The Bali “roadmap” agreed by 187 governments, provides for two years of talks to adopt a new treaty to succeed Kyoto beyond 2009, widening it to the United States and developing nations such as China and India. Under the deal, a successor pact will be agreed at the next climate change meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009. The two weeks of talks in Bali, Indonesia drew more than 10,000 participants and six heads of state. The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, hailed the outcome citing his deep concern about global climate change. This is the essence of the message he carried to world leaders in Bali.

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s we convene here in Bali the eyes of the world are upon us. This is a historic moment, long in the making.

Decades of careful study by the planet’s leading scientists. Years of heated argument among the world’s policy makers.

Countless media stories debating the linkage between observed natural disasters and global warming.

Now, finally, we are gathered together in Bali to address the defining challenge of our age. We gather because the time for equivocation is over. The science is clear. Climate change is happening. The impact is real. The time to act is now.

The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change tells us that, unless we act, there will be serious consequences – rising sea levels, more frequent and less predictable floods and severe droughts, famine around the world, particularly in Africa and Central Asia, and the loss of up to a third of our plant and animal species.

They emphasize that the costs of inaction – in ecological, human and financial terms – far exceed the costs of action now.

But the scientists also stress a silver lining: that we can still address the problem, in ways that are both affordable and promote prosperity. By being creative, we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while promoting economic growth.

In this sense, climate change is as much an opportunity as it is a threat. It is our chance to usher in a new age of green economics and truly sustainable development. New economies can and must grow with reduced carbon intensity even as they create new jobs and alleviate poverty.

This shift toward a greener future is in its infancy and needs urgent nurturing.

The multilateral agreement that will emerge from the United Nations Framework on Climate Change Conference negotiations needs to make the necessary changes possible. We must

ensure an incentive structure for countries, businesses, and individuals. There is no trade-off between fighting climate change and pursuing development. In the long run, we can prosper only by doing both.

Already, there is an emerging consensus on the building blocks of a climate agreement, including adaptation, mitigation, technology and financing. It must also be comprehensive and involve all nations, developed and developing.

Our atmosphere can’t tell the difference between emissions from an Asian factory, the exhaust from a north American car, or deforestation in South America or Africa. And it must be fair, reflecting the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

The issue of equity is crucial. Climate change affects us all, but it does not affect us all equally. Those who are least able to cope are being hit hardest. Those who have done the least to cause the problem bear the gravest consequences.

Cities and climate change “Three-quarters of global energy consumption occurs in cities, and an equally significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming come from urban areas. Roughly half of these emissions are caused by the burning fossil fuels for urban transport; the other half comes from energy to heat or cool our buildings and to run our appliances. Our cities are, after all, the driving force of our economies, and what better measures can we take than to reduce traffic congestion, improve air and water quality, and generally, reduce our ecological footprint.”

– Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN-HABITAT in her address to the High Level plenary in Bali.

We have an ethical obligation to right this injustice. We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable.

That is why any agreement should look to developed countries to continue taking the lead on curbing emissions.

And developing nations need to be given incentives to limit the growth of their emissions. Together, we can spur a new era of green economics, an era of truly sustainable development based on clean technology and a low-emission economy.

But we must also take action on the immediate challenges. It is critical that we follow through on existing commitments and ensure the resilience of populations that are or will be the hardest hit by climate change impacts.

What the world expects from Bali – from all of you – is an agreement to launch negotiations towards a comprehensive climate change agreement. You need to set an agenda – a roadmap to a more secure climate future, coupled with a tight time-line that produces a deal by 2009. The date is crucial not only to ensure continuity after 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires – but equally, to address the desperate urgency of the situation itself.

I am encouraged by progress in the negotiation on both the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol. The implementation and enhancement of agreements on adaptation, deforestation, and technology will be important both now and in the period after 2012.

Reaching a comprehensive climate agreement will not be easy. Having the right tools for such an agreement will help us to implement it in a cost-effective way. And the United Nations will assist you in every way possible. We stand ready to deliver on the mandates that you have already entrusted us, to

Habitat Debate December 2007

OPINION

support you throughout the negotiating period, and to help implement the agreements reached.

Every UN agency, fund and programme is committed. We are determined to be a part of the answer to climate change.

Indeed, as the summary paper distributed to all delegations explains, the Chief Executives of the UN system have already begun to define a joint UN contribution on this issue.

As this work progresses, we will continue to provide a credible, coherent scientific foundation for understanding what is happening to our planet and how we might best address it. We will continue to expand support for global, regional and national action on climate change, drawing on the agenda you set. And we will lead by example, by moving towards carbon neutrality throughout the UN System.

This is the moral challenge of our generation. Not only are the eyes of the world upon us. More important, succeeding generations depend on us. We cannot rob our children of their future.

We are all part of the problem of global warming. Let us all be part of the solution that begins in Bali. Let us turn the climate crisis into a climate compact.

In New York, on 24 September 2007, at the High-level event on climate change called by the Secretary-General, world leaders gave their views on climate change. Here, we carry key points raised by one representing the world’s biggest trading bloc, and another representing small islands.

Mr. José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, speaking for the world’s biggest trading bloc, the European Union: The challenge of climate change can be met. But only if we act urgently, based on one shared vision for humankind – a vision of transformation from a high carbon present to a low carbon future.

This in turn means – and my friends there are no easy choices here – setting binding reduction commitments to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union remains firmly committed to, and will meet its Kyoto targets.

But now we need to look beyond 2012. The European Union will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to at least 20 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2020. Furthermore, we will go further to a 30 percent reduction if there is a fair and effective global agreement for the post 2012 period. These interim steps are essential if we are to attain a 50 percent reduction in global greenhouse emissions by 2050 compared to our 1990 emissions.

This will not be easy. We have already taken, but we have to do more to limit the rise in global temperature to at most 2 degrees Celsius. The European Commission is working towards a package of measures to strengthen our emissions trading scheme.

Using energy more efficiently means saving money.

Switching to cleaner energy sources improves our air quality and our health. Investing and innovating creates industrial know-how and sustainable jobs. Investing in renewable energy strengthens the security of our energy supplies. Doing all this necessitates the right incentives. Europe is an open liberal democracy. We cannot force people to change. Transformation must be market based.

And in Europe we know this works. The global carbon market, in less than three years of existence, has had a total turnover of nearly 30 billion dollars, and right at the heart of this

is the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions trading system.

We are committed to helping developing countries leap a generation of technology to a secure low carbon future.

Prime Minister Keith C. Mitchell of Grenada, Chairman of the Alliance of Small Island States, presented the UN General Assembly a passionate and urgent situation report: Climate Change is the single most important threat facing the economic development, the peace and security, and the territorial existence of Small Island States. Because of the sea level rise, we face the spectre of environmental refugees and our people are already being displaced.

The Maldives has some 1,900 islands and undertaken significant expenditure in building sea defences and safe resettlement zones for its people. The costs of protecting vulnerable infrastructure such as capital cities, airports, seaports and coastal roads are continuing to increase. In the case of the Cape Verde islands off the coast of Africa, desertification is driving the switch from farming to tourism. They have had to build four international airports at great cost.

Sea temperature rise is closely correlated with the increasing ferocity of hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons. And these are appearing in unusual latitudes. In the case of Grenada, we had not seen a hurricane in 49 years until Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. This took the lives of 35 citizens, destroyed 90 percent of our housing stock, and devastated our agricultural sector destroying 80 percent of our main export, nutmeg, 70 percent of cocoa and all our cash crops. Few economies can withstand GDP losses of 25 percent without severe socio-economic repercussions, let alone 200 percent. In the face of climate change, the Bretton Woods institutions must make special provisions for Small Island Developing States even if they are middle-income countries. While hurricanes are forming further south in the Atlantic, cyclones are forming further north in the Indian Ocean, affecting the Seychelles for the first time in 50 years. Sea temperature rise is causing bleaching of coral reefs. Loss of these eco-systems has a harmful impact on fish stocks, one of our main sources of protein and export.

More funding is required for Adaptation Projects on the ground. As an illustration, in the case of the island of the Nauru in the Pacific, where ground water is contaminated, they need funding for 2,000 water tanks – not further consultation exercises.

Africa left out in climate change debate Africa is the “forgotten continent” in the fight against climate change. It needs help to cope with projected water shortages and declining crop yields, says Mr. Yvo de Boer, the U.N.’s top climate change official. Mr. de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change said he is concerned that big developing countries, such as China and India, had won far more funds than Africa from rich nations to help cut greenhouse gases, for instance by investing in wind farms, hydropower dams or in cleaning up industrial emissions. “Africa is not getting a lot out of climate change policy at the moment,” he said. “But climate change will affect Africa very severely.”

– Reuters

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FORUM

Habitat Debate December 2007

Do cities give the poor better chances of survival?

It is commonly assumed that people in cities live longer and healthier lives than people who live in the countryside. Indeed, health indicators show this to be the case. However, while proximity to city health services is definitely advantageous, this is by no means the case for people living in slums, write Nefise Bazoglu, the Head of UN-HABITAT’s Monitoring Systems Branch, and Gora Mboup, Senior Demographer at the agency’s Global Urban Observatory.

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n the poor neighborhoods of the cities of the developing world, communicable diseases, such as diarrhoea, tuberculosis, or malaria, long forgotten in the industrialized world, remain to be the nasty, sometimes fatal threats. Likewise, HIV/AIDS. The cities of the developing world show a divided landscape, in physical and social terms, between slums and non-slum settlements. The children of the slums die young, even if they are physically closer to hospitals and help, when compared with rural areas.

Despite pro-poor policies of slum upgrading, such inequalities, for example, still prevail in the urban areas of Egypt and Brazil, where figures show the under-five mortality rates to be 34.41 percent and 61.64 percent, respectively.

In the urban settlements of Ethiopia, the under-five mortality rate for babies born to families living in non slum areas stands at 95 per thousand, compared to 180 – almost double – for those in slums. This situation is a pattern that is repeated in urban areas across Sub Saharan African. In other parts of the developing world, mainly Asia, although the overall levels of child mortality are much lower, evidence points to the fact that the children in slums continue to die much younger than those living in better neighbourhoods.

Factors explaining this duality should be common knowledge. Even though children born in urban slums are closer to hospitals, health centres, and their parents might be better informed, UNHABITAT research shows the death rate for this group to be comparable to that of rural children. How could we explain this? The impact of missing basic services - water, sanitation, decent housing and living space on child deaths - is not direct, but through diseases. Water-borne diseases, contact with human waste, and poor hygiene practices combined, make for a rich breeding ground for infections and malnutrition.

Overcrowding, poor water and sanitation, and insecure housing, and morbidity, are also related. In Sub Saharan

Africa, it is typical to witness a two or even three-fold difference between the malnutrition levels of children living in slums and those living in planned areas.

While, malnutrition is seen among 10 percent in non-slum neighborhoods, it is at endemic proportions within slums – 26 percent to cite the urban areas of Benin, Cameroon and Nigeria. Among the extremes, Ethiopia, Chad, Mali, Niger and Madagascar show malnutrition rates as high as 40 to 50 percent among urban slum children, a situation worse than in rural parts of those countries.

In Asia, differences in malnutrition levels between the children of slums and non slums are not as pronounced, as in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although 40 to 50 percent of children in the slums of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan suffer from malnutrition, the levels within non-slum neighborhoods, 25-33 percent, are not very low either.

Environmental conditions and the quality of public health services are among other factors that are linked to morbidity and malnutrition. A good measure of this is the extent to which the population is covered by the pub-

Most children in slums have nutrition problems.

Photo ©: UN-HABITAT / N. Kihara

lic health is the percentage of children vaccinated against measles. Thus in urban Africa it is quite low, with the exception of Egypt, Zimbabwe and the Central African Republic. Not surprisingly, a wide gap exists between the children receiving services within slum and non-slum neighborhoods, to the disadvantage of the former. Constant diarrhoea is known to contribute to malnutrition in babies and children.

Finally, births attended by skilled personnel, another significant element of primary health care systems, is also a good indicator of how well people are covered by services. In the slums of Kenya, Uganda, Mali, Rwanda, 80-90 percent of pregnant women receive no formal assistance when they go through one of the most challenging experiences of their lives, delivering babies.

Needless to say that bad living environment within the neighborhoods is also a fertile breeding ground for infections and accidents. Garbage dumps are another route for disease transmission, not to mention the exposure to toxins and chemicals. Unfortunately, solid waste disposal is the most neglected aspect of environmental health.

Approximately one in five Egyptian households, for example, throw their trash into the streets, and in Kenya, 63 percent of garbage is thrown out anywhere. Yet another risk associated with garbage is the formation of slum settlements on or near huge, reeking garbage mounds at the city outskirts. These pose considerable dangers – such as a garbage mound landfall that engulfed a Manila slum, and an Istanbul fire triggered by chemical reactions in a trash dump, not to mention close proximity to germs and toxins.

In view of such evidence, it is clear that the death and the disease burden of the urban poor can only be fully addressed by a comprehensive approach.

This should combine settlement plans and adequate housing, and also strengthening of primary urban health care and programmes that aim at reducing social inequalities.

Habitat Debate December 2007

FORUM

Pollution, indoors and outdoors is a killer In cities of the developed and developing countries, high levels of pollution caused by motor vehicles, industrial emissions and use of solid fuels like wood, charcoal, coal, or dung for cooking have led to an increase in respiratory illnesses, according to latest research by UN-HABITAT’s Global Urban Observatory.

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n 2000, some 300,000 cases of chronic bronchitis and 500,000 asthma attacks in Europe were attributed to automobile exhaust alone. In the Chinese capital of Beijing, more than 400,000 people die each year from pollution-related diseases.

In slums, high exposure to indoor air pollution caused by cooking fuels used under poorly ventilated conditions have also led to higher rates of respiratory illnesses. UN-HABITAT research shows that families living in overcrowded, poorly ventilated housing without adequate sanitation and safe water are constantly exposed to infectious air-borne diseases. The prevalence of acute respiratory illnesses is much higher in slums and rural areas than in non-slum urban areas.

The combustion of solid fuels results in the emission of hundreds of compounds, many of which are health-damaging pollutants or greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change.

Linkages among household solid fuel use, indoor air pollution, deforestation, soil erosion, and greenhouse gas emissions have become increasingly important in understanding the impacts of domestic energy use on the local and global environment, and on health.

In addition to their local and global environmental impacts, biomass and coal smoke contain a large number of known health hazards. In a world where approximately half the global population relies on biomass for daily cooking and heating, every year, 1.6 million people die from exposure to indoor air pollution, 1 million of whom are children.

Solid fuel use is especially common among low-income households in Africa and South-Eastern Asia. Slum dwellers are up to 10 times more likely to use solid fuels for cooking than those living in non-slum areas. Indoor air pollution can also lead to illness in non-slum households that have enclosed, poorly ventilated cooking areas and are situated among other households using solid fuels.

UN-HABITAT is mandated to help Member States of the United Nations monitor and attain Millennium

An abolution block in a Jakarta slum. Photo ©: Ministry of Public Works, Indonesia

Development Goal 7, target 11: to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwell‑ ers by 2020.

The inclusion of the slum target in the Millennium Development Goals indicates recognition by the international community that urban poverty is a growing challenge. However, national and international data and poverty reduction strategies still do not acknowledge the deprivation levels in slums and consistently underreport health, literacy and other development indicators.

For instance, while aggregate health statistics suggest that urban dwellers have better health status compared to those living in rural areas, UN-HABITAT indicators show that there is a large and growing gap between the health status of high-income urban residents and those living in poverty.

The internationally agreed-upon slum target has been largely ignored in country and agency reports on progress on the Millennium Development Goals, due in part to the lack of intracity data disaggregated across slum and non-slum areas. A review of the existing strategies to improve in the lives of slum dwellers reveals a gap in addressing the situation of the urban poor in national and international pro-

grammes. The crisis that slum dwellers are facing has been masked by the common practice in social science to analyse the human settlements dimension by categorising information according to “urban” and “rural”. In country reports, all urban households – rich and poor – are averaged together to provide single estimates of poverty, education, health, employment, and human settlements, leading to an underestimation of the urban poor and the conditions in which they live.

Data produced by the United Nations, World Bank and other agencies presents urban poverty on a regional scale and generally links it to theoretical projections not based on actual surveys.

For instance, World Bank projections indicate that the locus of poverty will move to cities only after 2035.

Although the number of slum dwellers is not an accurate measurement of the number of urban poor – poverty can manifest itself in non-slum areas; conversely, not all people who live slums are poor – slums are the visible face of urban poverty. It is, therefore, crucial to know how many slum dwell‑ ers there are, where they are located, and what their basic needs are in terms of shelter, water, sanitation, health, education, employment, and the like.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Habitat Debate December 2007

Our cities, our health, our future – action on social determinants of health in cities “Why do we keep treating people for illness only to send them back to the conditions that created the illness in the first place?” asks the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH). Dr. Susan Mercado of the WHO Centre for Health Development and Head of the WHO-CSDH hub of the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings (KNUS) in Kobe, Japan, calls the question a wake-up call for the public health sector.

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he public health sector has to acknowledge and confront the pervasiveness of urban poverty as a significant risk factor for ill-health and unfair health opportunities. It must also recognise and deal with the fact that urbanisation is, and will continue to be, a key driver of health in the 21st century.

Urban poverty and poor health

Early in the life of the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings, it was decided that while it would consider health challenges across the social gradient in cities of both developed and developing countries, the strategic focus would be on the urban poor and the one billion people who live in informal settlements and slums.

Poverty and health inequalities within and between countries contribute a major part of the local, national and global burden of disease. With a third of the urban population globally living in informal settlements, it is not surprising that communicable diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, dengue, respiratory infections and diarrhoea are a constant concern, while emerging diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian flu are feared for their potential to spread rapidly in crowded, deprived areas and then threaten the population at large. In Africa, the heavy burden of HIV-AIDS is closely associated to several social determinants including gender, socio-economic status, employment, access to drugs, availability of food, water and adequate sanitation, transportation and social support systems.

The rise in morbidity and mortality from road traffic injuries in developing countries is closely linked to rapid and unmanaged urbanization and affects poorer pedestrians and cyclists, and motorcyclists more than motor vehicles users.

The disintegration of social cohesion in deprived urban areas contributes to violence, crime and a diminished quality of life from living in constant fear. There is increasing evidence to show that the stresses of poverty and social isolation in cities result in poor mental health. In developed countries, isolation and the breakdown of the

What works?

In a review of over 80 case studies by the WHO Centre for Health Development, there was evidence to show that the following actions contribute to strengthening the role of the health sector in better assessing and responding to urban health challenges: n Creating trust by facilitating dialogue among stakeholders; n Empowering communities through engagement and participation; n Using a “healthy settings approach”; n Advocating social and financial accountability (i.e. for health funds at local

level); n Pushing non-health equity drivers into the domain of public policy e.g. land use policy, land tenure, human rights; n Using local data and local situations to articulate the links between health and other sectors, e.g. transportation, housing, public services; n Supporting regulations that protect people from threats and hazards (in the workplace, communities, schools, etc.); n Engaging in political processes that impact on social determinants such as violence prevention, employment, child development and gender.

social fabric is also linked to poor mental health. Tobacco use, alcohol and substance abuse and illicit drug use in the urban setting are also public health challenges as risks increase with greater access to harmful substances, exposure to advertising and marketing, and fast-paced lifestyles.

Poor nutrition and lack of sufficient food is another challenge for the urban poor.

Malnutrition and underweight among children are usually endemic in informal settlements and is harmful to the physical and mental development of growing children.

At the same time, social and economic conditions create emerging risks of overweight across the urban population due to the globalisation of the fast food culture. This is further exacerbated by a lack of physical activity resulting from changes in occupational and leisure activities, car-dependency and an unsupportive environment for walking and other non-motorized transport in cities.

A lack of water and sanitation remains a major health threat for the urban poor.

Indoor pollution is a risk solved by access to cleaner household fuels. Poor quality housing and shelter are strong health determinants. The poor also often end up living in unsafe locations prone to flooding, fires, natural disasters and industrial pollution.

Informal settlements are places of work as well as living. Women and children who

live in slums may be exposed to chemicals, dust, heat and noise 24 hours a day.

These are just some of many ways that the urban poor suffer poorer health than other people in cities and sometimes even compared to the rural poor.

What needs to get done?

In order to protect the life-supporting systems and resources of the planet, it is essential to highlight the importance of healthy urban governance as a key pathway for empowering and strengthening local governments, implementing policies for sustainable urban development, redirecting urban planning, enforcing regulations, protecting vulnerable populations, ensuring access to health care for all and engaging communities and the people themselves in building healthier cities. For the KNUS network this entails: n Putting health and human development at the centre of government policies and actions; n building on and supporting community grassroots efforts to develop healthy urban environments and infrastructure; n developing mechanisms for bringing together private, public and civil society sectors, and defining roles and mechanisms for interna-

Habitat Debate December 2007

tional and national actors to support local governance capacity; n higher levels of government providing local governments with both the mandate and the means to improve health; n more participatory budgeting and other civic engagement processes as important means to engage the local community.

Policy and decision-makers need to highlight health equity as a development goal and realize that the gains in health and economic development in the past decade may easily be reversed by widespread health inequity.

It is critical to contextualize the unique challenges of urbanization in different regions as it is occurring in complex environments that interact with other drivers of health such as climate change, rising energy costs, demographic ageing, environmental degradation and technological innovation.

It must be emphasized that health equity in urban settings cannot be achieved without access to affordable health care and a stronger focus on the promotion of healthier settings in the city.

Key messages of the Knowledge Network on Urban Settings

Good local governance is key to achieving better health outcomes More than half of the global population now lives in urban settings. Urbanisation can and should be beneficial for health. In general, nations that have high life expectancies and low infant mortality rates are also those where city governments and policies address the key social determinants of health. Within developing countries, the best local governance can help produce 75 years or more of life expectancy; with poor urban governance, life expectancy can be as low as 35 years.

Local governance is an effective entry point for addressing social determinants of health Better housing and living conditions, access to safe water and good sanitation, efficient waste management systems, safer working environments and neighbourhoods, food security, and access to services like education, health, welfare, public transportation and child care are examples of social determinants of health that can be addressed through good urban governance.

Local governments should be empowered to exercise jurisdiction over informal settlements Failure of governance in today’s cities has resulted in the growth of informal settlements and slums that constitute an unhealthy living and working environment for one billion people. National government

institutions need to equip local governments with the mandate, powers, jurisdiction, responsibilities, resources and capacity to undertake ‘healthy urban governance’. A credible health agenda is one that benefits all people in cities, especially the urban poor who live in informal settlements.

The urban poor themselves need to be en‑ gaged in decision-making International agreements calling for urgent action to reduce poverty such as the Millennium Development Goals can only be met through national strategies that include both urban and rural communities and involve local governments and the poor themselves. Without genuine engagement with the urban and rural poor, interventions to improve informal settlements will be futile.

Health should be an outcome of urban planning in all countries Health inequalities in urban areas need to be addressed in countries at all income levels. Urban development and town planning are key to creating supportive social and physical environments for health and health equity. The health sector needs to establish partnerships with other sectors and civil society to carry out a broad spectrum of interventions.

Investment in better urban governance is crucial

SPECIAL REPORT

Half of the world’s population lives in urban settings. Achieving healthy urbanization in all countries is a global and shared responsibility. The elimination of deprived urban living conditions will require resources – aid, loans, private investments – from more affluent countries. The funding required is in the order of USD200 billion per year, which is no more than 20 per cent of the annual increase of the GDP in the high-income countries. Strong political commitment to better urban governance is crucial for the additional funds to bring about the intended improvements in living conditions and health equity. Creating global political support for a sustained and well-funded effort for social, economic and health equity is one of the greatest challenges of this generation.

Conclusion

In short, healthy urban governance and integrated approaches to interventions are key pathways to reducing health inequity.

Securing high-level commitment and resources, power sharing and expanding the jurisdiction of local governments, communities and civil society and enabling the urban poor to exercise more control over their lives and their health, coupled with fairer distribution of health opportunities, is vital to building a healthier and more equitable global society.

The Healthy Cities Programme – the WHO approach.

Since its launch in 11 cities in Europe in 1986, the Healthy Cities Programme (HCP) has grown to involve hundreds of cities and towns in both the industrialised and the developing world. The development of HCPs has taken different paths in different regions, with local guidelines and implementation frameworks already developed and under application in most regions. Initially the focus was on large cities, but the programme has also been successfully adapted for use in smaller areas such as villages and islands. A Healthy City is characterized in terms of a ‘process’ which contributes to positive changes in health in urban centres. It is about commitment by both government and civil society to building those physical and social environments that enable people to support each other in order to develop their maximum potential.

HCPs are integrated local environmental health programmes that strive to focus on actions at local level, to use local leadership, effective community mobilisation and participation, as well as intersectoral collaborative mechanisms that involve all stakeholders in programme planning and implementation. They provide a framework for action based on Health for All and the Ottawa Charter on Health Promotion. In other words, the programme requires buy-in at the ‘top’ from city managers and politicians while at the same time recognising that there needs to be a partnership that involves communities. In short, health cities have the following characteristics: They are based upon a commitment to health and require political backing for public health; they emphasise community participation; their outcome is healthy public policy; they promote primary health care; they address communicable diseases; they protect vulnerable groups; and they address urban health and environmental hazards.

– World Health Organization

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CASE STUDY

Habitat Debate December 2007

Healthy cities for the elderly As the world undergoes the largest wave of urban growth in history, within a single generation, the urban populations of Africa and Asia are set to double, and the elderly will make up a large part of that future urban growth, writes Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

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etween 2000 and 2030, Asia’s urban population will grow from 1.4 billion to 2.6 billion, Africa’s from nearly 300 million to 740 million and that of Latin America and the Caribbean from nearly 400 million to 600 million. The vast urban expansion in developing countries has global implications and requires a global response.

We know that the needs of the elderly will make up a large part of future urban growth. The number and proportion of older persons is increasing throughout the world. Urbanization in developing countries will concentrate an increasing proportion of the older population in urban areas.

In Africa and Asia, older persons still live predominantly in rural areas, but it is expected that this situation will be reversed before 2020. Realistic planning calls for explicit consideration of the needs, rights and participation of the elderly.

People live longer and have fewer children today, largely because technology allows them to do so. But there is no easy technological answer to the sudden arrival of large numbers of elderly people.

Population ageing is happening fast in developing countries. Ingenuity will be needed to meet its challenges.

Ageing in Asia, for example, is an increasingly urban phenomenon. By 2050, fully 24 per cent of China’s population will be 65 and over, compared with 8 per cent today. Seven per cent will be 80 and over, compared with 1 per cent today.

Given the context of limited access to social services, high incidence of poverty and low coverage of social security in many countries, this increase in the numbers of older people will challenge the capacity of national and local governments. In principle, urban areas offer more favorable conditions: better health facilities, home-nursing services and recreational facilities, as well as greater access to information and new technologies. Urban areas also favor the rise of associations of older persons as well as the development of community-based services to support the sick and the frail. For example, in Chennai, India, where the total fertility rate has already fallen to below the replacement level, the city is closing 10 maternity clinics, retraining staff and reopening them as geriatric units.

A market place in Papua New Guinea . Photo ©: UN-HABITAT

However, to benefit from these theoretical advantages, older persons need economic security, strong social support systems, access to good transportation and unimpeded access to urban space free of charge.

In most cities of the developing world, these potential advantages are undermined by poverty and by physical or institutional restrictions. Moreover, older persons are often invisible, “lost” among other priorities. Urbanization tends to erode traditional socio-cultural norms and values and the social networks and family support structures favoring the support of older persons by communities and families.

In Asia, as in many societies around the globe, children have traditionally supported their parents in their old age. As young people search for better opportunities in cities, a growing number of elderly are following them. They do not always find the support they need, however. In the Chinese city of Wei Hai, homes are being built for 10,000 “abandoned elderly” who have no direct family support. A pilot programme is also being developed there in which the national family planning board’s mandate will be extended to include the aged. Such creative reorganization will be necessary to prepare for the challenge of urban ageing.

Three main areas need to be addressed: helping older persons to preserve their autonomy and independent living for as long

as possible; providing health and other social services, including long-term care; and assuring higher levels of economic security through social protection systems for those who are more socially and economically vulnerable.

Particular attention must be given to the situation of women who are less likely to have lifetime earnings or full-time employment and who tend to live longer, thus losing spousal support. They are more likely to have worked in the informal sector and thus are not entitled to pensions and social security nor to have accumulated savings. Moreover, given the lack of state protection, the burden of care is likely to rest entirely on the shoulders of women and girls.

The data needed to analyse and monitor these issues have to be improved and updated, including mapping the situation of older persons and their social and spatial segregation. In order to maximize the development benefits of urbanization for older persons while minimizing the possible negative impacts, new approaches will be needed. Cities must be prepared to absorb and sustain this projected elderly population growth. In return, their wisdom and experience can contribute significantly to long-term sustainable urban development – if cities, countries and the international community as a whole are willing to assist them.

Habitat Debate December 2007

forum

Health problems are hugely magnified in urban slums On visiting a slum, it is hard to ignore the impact that the lack of resources (sanitation, waste disposal, access to water, food) has on health, explain the experts of JHPIEGO, an international affiliate of the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University, which has worked in Kenya for more 30 years to improve the health and welfare of women and their families.

JHPIEGO, in collaboration with local and international partners, has spent the past several years collaborating on a variety of community-driven health initiatives in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. This article is excerpted from a report prepared by Stuart Merkel, a JHPIEGO Program Officer and Jane Otai, a JHPIEGO Program Advisor in June 2007 entitled, Meeting the health needs of the urban poor in African informal settlements.

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umerous studies, some going back 15 years, show that there is not nearly enough documentation on access to health care in Africa’s urban slums. Yet little has changed to build a knowledge base about urban health programming.

While much may have been done by local and international projects to identify and address urban health needs, only a few have documented their experiences. Almost all are experiences from Asia and Latin America, and most are incomplete when it comes to being critical about their successes and failures. Projects that have been implemented in African urban slums tend to have been small in scale, of short time spans and, in many cases, implemented by organizations with a limited capacity to evaluate their interventions or publish their findings.

Our findings show that with thoughtful planning, resources and inclusive programming, great strides can be made in improving the health status of communities in informal settlements in Africa and beyond.

Rigorous evaluation is also required to identify and validate best (or better) practices learned through project implementation, particularly in Africa.

Urban slums are communities characterized by insecurity of land tenure, poor structural housing conditions, deficient access to safe drinking water and sanitation, severe overcrowding and other factors. Slums are built in areas where no development has taken place, owing either to unstable land (hillsides as in the case of many Latin American cities, or flood plains), or proximity to garbage dumps or industrial areas (as exemplified by the two Nairobi slums of Korogocho and Viwandani). Slums often crowd train tracks or pipelines. Most lack accessible roads and government-run facilities (such as health facilities) and services (such as garbage collection).

Like many populations worldwide, slum dwellers take pride in their cultures and aspire to community ownership. For example, in Korogocho (in Nairobi), it is commonly held that while a man may not have the money to own a home or buy food or wa-

ter, he can gain respect in the community through his family and his children. Thus, it is important to look beyond the physical conditions of the urban slums and to recognize the great social wealth they have to offer.

The relatively few statistics that have been published on the health status of residents in informal settlements demonstrate the need for intervention to avert further preventable deaths and suffering. The child mortality rate in the Nairobi slums has been placed at over two times the rate for Nairobi in general: 151 deaths per 1,000 births compared to 61/1,000 for children under five. However, little substantive research has been published about the root causes of these alarming statistics, and even less has been documented about how to effectively address them.

Studies suggest that slum residents are at a higher risk of having unplanned pregnancies (and subsequently seeking unsafe abortions), and have a higher chance of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, particularly HIV, or of having pregnancy or birth complications than other sectors of society.

Their health is further threatened by a lack of water and sanitation, and mountains of garbage including human waste.

In addition, while slum communities face unique challenges and opportunities, the following broad themes consistently reMerkel, S et al. 2007. Meeting the Health Needs of the Urban Poor in African Informal Settlements. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Washington, D.C. For a copy of the full report, or for more information about JHPIEGO’s work in the slums of Nairobi, please contact Stuart Merkel at smerkel@ jhpiego.net or Jane Otai at jotai@ jhpiego.net. The preparation of this report was funded by the USAID. JHPIEGO’s activities in the slums of Nairobi were funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Wallace Global Fund.

appear in the discussion of the factors that affect health services in the urban slum setting: (i) ownership; (ii) dignity and recognition; (iii) community involvement; (iv) equal access; (v) recognition of power relations within the informal settlements and between the settlements and the larger community; and (vi) structural barriers to improving provision of health care to the urban slums.

Urban slums often lack public services, including government-run health services.

However, in areas where public health facilities operate in or near slums, health care providers face a lack of training; supply and staff shortages, a lack of community disrespect towards health care providers, and providers themselves exhibit a poor attitude to those they are supposed to assist.

Urban slums are often populated by migrants who have left their families and communities behind in their home villages to take advantage of better opportunities in the city. And many slum households are headed by single women or teenage children.

As everywhere, economic realities are closely tied to the availability and quality of health care, as well as access to and use of services, in the urban slums. Alongside the inability to pay for health services, poverty limits the procurement of other goods and services that directly affect health: food, water and waste disposal. In times of economic hardship, mothers often engage in illicit activities, such as prostitution and brewing, to care for their families.

Without a policy framework that encourages and enables productive collaboration with the urban poor, actions taken by government stakeholders tend to be less effective. A second related factor is the lack of government oversight in urban planning.

To hold government agencies accountable for their treatment of the urban poor, advocates and community members must have open lines of communication with government officials and service providers. One such mechanism is holding community forums where local government officials can discuss problems and identify solutions that are amenable to all.

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CASE STUDY

Habitat Debate December 2007

Fortress of Hope – helping poverty stricken young women stay healthy and safe Some people are healthier than others. That may be because they get more sleep, eat better, have good genes and exercise more. However, according to Canada’s much referenced Social Determinants of Health, income, social status, education, and the social and physical environment are the real reasons for better health. Here the journalist, Stephanie Morgan, a correspondent of the Canadian NGO, SAWA Global, speaks to a woman on the frontline in this battle. Felistah Mbithe Ngui, is the Programme Manager of the Fortress of Hope Empowerment Programme, which runs a small refuge home and offers HIV/AIDS and reproductive health education and life skills advice to girls and young women aged 10 to 24 in a neighbourhood of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, called Kayole.

Morgan: You offer reproductive health and HIV/AIDS counselling to any female youth who seeks it. Who are you reaching?

Ngui: We mostly counsel youth who are teenage mothers, those who marred young, adolescent commercial sex workers, HIV/ AIDS infected youth, those with disabilities (mental & physical), those in distress (for example, evicted from their homes), school drop-outs and youth who are still in school.

Morgan: Aside from offering educational in‑ formation you also offer life skills through vo‑ cational training. How does offering a boost in socio-economic status increase a person’s chance for better health?

Ngui: Currently, we offer hair dressing vocational training through a local hair salon to allow our members a chance at economic self-sufficiency. We have found many women who do not have a formal means to financially provide for themselves turn to informal methods, for example, choosing to accept cash in exchange for sex. These women are not commercial sex workers; rather, they are women who need to feed their families and perhaps a child. An acquaintance or friend may instigate sex with her and, instead of resisting; she agrees only on the basis that she receives cash payment in return. By agreeing to this ‘contract’,

A reproductive health class led by peer educator int a Fortress of Hope’s classroom.

Bottom right: Falistah Mbithe Ngui. Photo ©: S. Morgan

the woman opens herself up to the risk of becoming infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. One of our goals is to increase the girls’ self-esteem.

Morgan: Why? Ngui: Because if a girl feels economically secure and good about herself, she is able

to make more positive social decisions. It gives her confidence to say ‘no’ to activities she does not wish to undertake.

Morgan: It is said that education is impor‑ tant to the provision of good health. How does your organization add to this?

Monica, 18.

“When I was 13 years my Auntie came to take me to Nairobi. I didn’t want to go with her but my mom made me.

I was supposed to be going to school in Nairobi, but I never ended up going to school. My Auntie treated me horribly. She made me do all the housework. I told her I wanted to go back home to be with my mom, but she wouldn’t let me go. I decided to run away. I was 13 years old. I stayed with friends, but they were behaving badly, sleeping with men, etc. I decided to get a job, and once I found a job I got my own apartment. I was 15 years old. I decided to go back home to live with my father, but I didn’t tell my work that I was leaving. When I got home, I found my father had died. I returned to the city, but I couldn’t get my job back. I had to live with a friend. I went back home again to be with my mother and found she too had died. I was 17. I was confused and didn’t know what to do. A friend introduced me to Fortress of Hope and they allowed me to stay in the rescue home. I’m very happy! I feel like I’m at home. I just need someone to pay for my vocational training, and then I could get out on my own.”

Habitat Debate December 2007

CASE STUDY

Josephine, 18.

“My mother was a teenage mom. She got married and had 6 kids. My parents separated when I was 13 and I went to live in various places. Then my aunt took me in, and sent me to school and I went up to Form 2. When I was 15, my aunt died of breast cancer. After that life was so difficult. I worked as a house girl for a year. When I was 16, I decided to go back to school, and I got a sponsor to pay the fees. But we couldn’t afford to pay for the uniform and school supplies so a male friend offered to pay. He demanded sex from me. I didn’t want to, but he was paying for my school supplies. Then I got pregnant at 17, had to drop out and go away. I went home, but my mother didn’t want to see me. I met a woman and told her I wanted to leave my kid somewhere and go back to school. We didn’t find any place, but the woman recommended Fortress of Hope and brought me here. Fortress of Hope called my mother to ask permission to be put in the rescue home. I have been in the rescue home for three months now. They are now looking for somewhere for me to leave my kid so that I can go back to school in January. I want to be an accountant.

Ngui: We have an open door policy to anyone who wishes to speak with us. Since the beginning of 2007, we have been able to train 56 girls as Peer Educators, thanks to funding from the American Jewish World Service. We also reach over 9,600 girls in 14 schools in Nairobi classrooms.

It is important that these girls have a better chance to develop positive social interaction and life skills which are imperative to their overall wellbeing.

Morgan: Social support networks are an important means to deal with handling the stresses of life in order to maintain good health. How does Fortress act to provide such support in the urban context?

Ngui: The girls to whom we provide outreach face a number of possible challenges.

The fact that they are female is a challenge in and of itself. Women do not have the same social status as men, therefore, experience discrimination in many forms.

Morgan: and if they are HIV-positive, for example?

Ngui: A female infected with HIV or who is pregnant may be ostracized by her community, even kicked out of her home by her family with no place to go. This creates

Selpha, 19 “I finished Class 8 when I was 16 years old and lived at home until school finished. My parents chased me away when I got pregnant. I just loitered around from one friend’s house to another.

I went upcountry to have the baby.

Afterwards, I went to find the father but his family chased me away, too. Later, I met a woman who recommended Fortress of Hope to me…it was the will of God. Fortress of Hope has really helped me and my baby. It has enabled me to go to college and train as a hairdresser through the vocational training programme.”

stress for her as she may not have a means to provide for herself, let alone someone to talk to or sympathize with her. Those in greatest need who seek our assistance are able to live in our Rescue Home in which their food, rent, and basic medical needs are provided for while they undergo employment training. This enables her

Peggy, 17 “I was out of school for two years from 15 to 17 because I could not afford the fees. I have two siblings. One is 10, the other is seven. My mom works on and off. Right now she works in a hotel, but paying for the school fees for the other two siblings is tough. I found out about Fortress of Hope because the Director invited me to check it out. When Fortress of Hope asked my mom how they could help, she asked them for the school fees which they agreed to pay.

It is not good for girls to be idle because they might get married young, get involved in drugs, etc. But if they go to school and get jobs, they stay busy and don’t get involved in bad situations. I can see the girls who stay at the rescue home are happy now. Before their minds seemed absent in class but since living in the safe home, they are able to concentrate.”

to focus on improving her situation and moving on.

Morgan: What kinds of problems and achievements has your organization faced in a large urban centre that have either pre‑ vented or enabled you to provide good health counselling?

Ngui: Generally, communities do not think that youth are capable of making sound planning decisions themselves. Our voices are often not easily heard. There is also discrimination against girls so you can imagine what it was like for two young women to start and operate an organization focusing on HIV & reproductive health!

Morgan: What about the cost of your services?

Ngui: Financial resources are always an issue. We sometimes find ourselves reaching into our own pockets when the need arises to continue operations and be available to our members. On a positive note, we are happy to have received recognition from the Kenyan Government. This has enabled us to be officially registered.

Morgan: What about local community leaders?

Ngui: Local community leaders, who previously negated our programme work, now recommend us to girls who are looking for accurate information and advice.

We now have an office and some classrooms. Best of all, we have won the trust and confidence of the girls we reach out to which leads to positive affirmations of our organization to others who hear about our work.

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opinion

Habitat Debate December 2007

Urban problems and policies in Latin America: truths and fallacies In this article, Professor Martha Schteingart of El Colegio de México, winner of the 2007 UN-HABITAT Lecture Award, gives a resumé of the lecture she delivered in Monterrey on the occasion of World Habitat Day in October 2007.

A

fter discussing the conclusions of studies undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s, dealing mainly with land and housing problems, I presented a balance sheet of research done in the 1990s and recent years on the regularization and upgrading of irregular settlements, on the social division of space and globalization, and on the urban environment, violence and lack of safety in cities.

The issue of irregular settlements, has undoubtedly played a key role in Latin American urban studies One crucial aspect that partly defines and characterizes irregular settlements is the question of access to urban land, but it is also important to point out that this irregularity may reveal differences in Latin American countries, since there are several legal situations and ways of violating the laws in force, as well as programmes for regularising land ownership in the various national and urban contexts (Azuela and Schteingart, 1991).

The 1990s and the beginning of the 21st century witnessed the consolidation of socio-political reforms that had begun years earlier and that pointed to a significant change in State intervention in general, and in urban issues in particular. This new scenario, which, albeit to varying degrees, emerged in several countries in the region, led us to incorporate new aspects that had not previously been included in urban studies, deal with other issues, and place more emphasis on the reduction of the state’s role and the negative effects of this on the majority of the poor population.

Ten years after we undertook a very important study on irregular settlements in Mexico City, we analyzed the current social problems of the population that was settled in some of the same neighborhoods and have begun to prove that although they have progressed in terms of quality

of housing, urbanization and certain services, partly encouraged by the regularization of land ownership and certain positive policies, the situation has notoriously deteriorated in terms of em‑ ployment, safety on the streets and edu‑ cation, because of the overall economic and social processes which barely depend on local management.

Our current analyses suggest that there has been a significant increase in the under-employment of men, with a greater proportion of women in the labour force. But since women lack childcare support from the government or the community, this situation leads to increased family disintegration, the creation of youth gangs, drug addiction, and a lack of safety in poor neighborhoods which we had not observed in our studies a decade earlier.

On the basis of case studies, we can argue that the regularization of land ownership has not necessarily helped the poor get loans for home improvement, which is usually achieved through enormous sacrifices and the use of self-construction processes.

That policy was a necessary but not sufficient requirement for improving popular settlements since although

housing credits require land ownership to be regularized, those credits have been increasingly restricted for the poor.

The relationship between globalization and the internal organization of cities, has guided interesting studies in Latin America (Aguilar, editor 2004). Despite the differences in the scope and type of changes observed in the big metropolises and the descriptions or explanations that are not always sufficiently based on empirical studies, it is interesting to note that they refer to a series of fairly recent processes and constitute an essential starting point for finding out about the changes that the cities in the region are currently undergoing.

However, despite the existence of numerous partial transformations, which include sharper spatial divisions, the emergence of specific new urban formations and gated communities, within larger structural sections, it is difficult to speak of a new urban order that corresponds to globalization, due partly to the slow pace of physical changes and to the fact that a city is the outcome of history, where the new and the old intertwine in a complex fashion (Marcuse and Kempen, 2000).

Taking stock of our research over several decades by highlighting its findings and shortcomings, reflects a conviction that this task is not only important for orienting knowledge production, but also for ensuring that it exerts an increasing influence on the transformation of society.

The existing reality implies political and social retrogression for large sectors of the Latin American population. Although acknowledged in official documents, this retrogression comes up against limited national or local poli‑ cies in the context of general, inadequate proposals which should undoubtedly be modified.

Habitat Debate December 2007

Working – Better sanitation in Cartagena, Colombia In this low-lying swamp community of 100,000, a study was conducted to determine an “intermediate technology” to improve sanitation, a goal that presupposed that no other system could replace a conventional sewer in the long term.

But the study resulted in the development of a special technology that has proved even more effective than a conventional sewer system, at about one-third the cost-not only for swamp areas, but indeed, for any low-density urban area. The new system replaced the large-diameter pipes of the conventional system, which sink or warp in swamp areas, with an unconventional system that filters out sewage solids into septic tanks and moves off the liquids in small-diameter pipes. The septic tanks require cleaning every six years.

While local residents were easy to convince as to the feasibility of the new system, planners and engineers from the local government agency were not so enthusiastic. Despite a water table 25 inches below ground, highly impermeable soils, and land levels well below the city sewer mains, the officials kept insisting that a conventional sewer system be installed, despite its tendency to sink and the necessity of pumping the sewage uphill to the city sewer mains.

facts and figures

One of the chief arguments the planners and engineers made was that existing construction codes did not allow for the lower standards of the new technology (i.e., it was illegal). Fundamentally, though, it was the lack of familiarity with the proposed new technology (a technique not discussed in most engineering schools) that created the most resistance. In the end, the new system was applied as a pilot and has functioned well for more than 10 years.

Not working – a mistake in Concepción, Chile?

In the areas surrounding the city of Concepción, Chile, planners ruled out the hillsides as permissible construction areas on the grounds that the city water pressure was insufficient to reach above a certain level.

As a result, they evicted poor communities huddled above the city. The irony is that Concepción averages 300 rainy days a year – enough pure potable water to supply New York City.

Yet planners and engineers completely discarded the catchment of rainwater as “backward,” even though such a solution can service any area at low cost.

– Solo TM, Perez E and Joyce S. 1993. Constraints in Providing Water and Sanitation Services to the Urban Poor. Water and Sanitation for Health Project Technical Report No. 85. U.S. Agency for International Development: Washington, D.C

IN MEMORIAM Mr. Nazhad Mustafa, Officer-in-Charge of the UN-HABITAT office in Erbil, Northern Iraq, Iraq passed away on 1 October 2007 at the age of 61 after a brief illness. Mr. Nazhad, a civil engineer and quantity surveyor joined UNHABITAT in 1998 at the beginning of the Oil-for-Food Programme and has ever since made a very positive contribution to UN-HABITAT’s rehabilitation programmes Iraq. He was a valued and respected senior member of the UNHABITAT Iraq team. He leaves his wife, two daughters and two sons.

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20

FIELD DISPATCH

Habitat Debate December 2007

Keys to new homes and new lives It is a very special occasion indeed that UN-HABITAT’s work helping build new homes and new lives for thousands of disaster survivors gains international recognition on the world stage. Yet that great honour was conferred when the movie, Playing Between Elephants by Cameraman/Director Aryo Danusiri won the Movies That Matter Human Rights Award at the 9th Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest) in December 2007. It is a story about a chief in the scarred territory of north Sumatra, Indonesia, trying to lead his village through reconstruction and rehabilitation after the 2004 tsunami. The JiFFest, the biggest international film festival in Southeast Asia, judged it the best human rights feature film out of 180 movies from 33 countries. Here, the movie’s Executive Director, Binod K. Shrestha, who serves as UNHABITAT Programme Manager of the Aceh Nias Settlements Support Programme, and other members of the UNHABITAT team tell the story behind the story.

Mr. Sokifhao with his wife and children on the veranda of their new home. Photo ©: UN-HABITAT / A. Danusiri

I

t all culminated in the last week of November when our key partner, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) joined us to hand over 486 new homes to the survivors. We presented the keys to the new owners at a special ceremony in the Nias Island village of Silimibanua.

These people had been forced to live in makeshift accommodation since the double blow of the Indian Ocean tsunami killer wave that struck on 26 December 2004, and an earthquake on 26 March 2005. Hope came a month later, when UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka visited the region to show her solidarity and pledge the agency’s assistance.

And through it all, Aryo Danusiri, kept his camera rolling.

“We now have a place to call home,” said Mr. Sokifhao, a farmer and father of five on receiving the keys to his new home from the Nias Settlements Support Programme (NSSP), a joint programme of the Bank and UN-HABITAT. Mr. Pieter Smidt, the Bank’s Head of Mission, said: “We believe that many lessons can be learned from the communi-

ty-based housing process, in areas funded

by ADB.” “Right from the start, UNHABITAT advocated that the ‘recovery’ strategy must put people at the very centre of decision making so that reconstruction becomes part of a continuous recovery process,” said Mr. Chris Radford, Senior Human Settlements Officer at UN-HABITAT. Under the “off-budget” programme being implemented by UN-HABITAT and four NGOs – Muslim Aid, German Agro Action, another German NGO called Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe eV, and Cordaid of Holland, the Bank is financing the construction of about 3,000 new homes and the restoration of 1,050 others across Aceh and Nias.

One third of the new homes are being constructed by UN-HABITAT. In the neighbouring island of Simeulue, the Asian Development Bank and UN-HABITAT are assisting with the reconstruction of 459 homes in five villages.

We involved the survivors from day one in what we call the People’s Process.

Drawing on the agency’s vast experience in post-disaster reconstruction and de-

velopment and adapting it to local conditions, we agreed with the survivors on the establishment of three key components: the instrument - community institutions in the form of village committees and local councils to help make decisions; the means - planning mechanisms which were participatory and inclusive; and the mechanism – the establishment of a financing system to provide money for grants and infrastructure.

Despite the fact that UN-HABITAT homes were not as costly as other organisations, a survey by Syiah Kaula University showed the recipients were very happy with the outcome. And that is because we involved the people themselves right from the start.

Aryo’s film traces challenges and pitfalls of community leadership. For Aryo, neither the choice of interesting aspects in this process, nor the selection of an exemplary village was easy. His patience in struggling with time constraints and his faithfulness in following through as events unfolded paid off.

Lesson learned: It takes a village to rebuild a village.

Habitat Debate December 2007

Anchoring Homes ISBN: 978-92-113-1910-1 HS: 933/07e Languages: English, Indonesian Publisher: UN-HABITAT

An unusual and interest photograph essay that chronicles the lives of people who lost relatives, neighbours, most of their belongings and their homes when a tsunami wave struck the Indonesian coastline and other Indian Ocean countries on the fateful day of 26 December 2004. It shows in pictures the scale of the destruction and depicts how people rebuilt their homes and lives. In its explanation in both English and Indonesian, it gives a detailed description of how UN-HABITAT, as the lead agency for shelter and human settlements put the survivors themselves at the very centre of the process – from the deicision making to rebuilding. This informative book is must reading for anyone involved in humanitarian work.

U N - H A B I TAT a n d t h e K e n y a s l u m upgrading programme Language: English Publisher: UN-HABITAT

Packed with interesting photographs, this book describes the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme, a collaborative initiative between the Government of Kenya and UN-HABITAT. It explains how the programme seeks to improve the livelihoods of people living and working in slums and informal settlements in Kenya’s urban areas. KENSUP was launched during the global observance of World Habitat Day on 4 October 2004. Kenya’s cities and towns are home to 34 percent of the national population and generate over 65 percent of the national GDP. With an annual urban population growth rate of 4.4 percent, it is one of the most rapidly urbanising countries in East Africa. This is must reading for all interested in the daunting urban problems covered here.

New Publications

Local Actions for Sustainable D e v e l o p m e n t o n Wa t e r a n d S a n i t a t i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i c Region Language: English Publisher: UN-HABITAT

UN-HABITAT in partnership with Asian Development Bank (ADB) produced this interesting and authoritative work in support of its ‘Vision 2020’ on the ‘Delivery of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on Water and Sanitation in the Asia-Pacific Region’. Released at the Asia Pacific Water Summit in Beppu, Japan on 4th December 2007, it aims at helping governments attain the water and sanitation goals by sharing solutions that can be easily replicated, scaled up and which are sustainable, besides being cost-effective and innovative. It has brought forward the proven practices in different parts of the Asia-Pacific region, which are pro-poor, appropriate, affordable, culturally acceptable and extremely useful to the user communities. It outlines 58 local interventions in 26 nations including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Handbook on post-conflict land administration and peace building ISBN: 978-92-113-1921-7 HS: HS/945/07E Language: English

Throughout history, conflicts have been waged over land.

Many of these conflicts have direct effects on the control over land and the rights of people relating to land and cause innumerable denials of housing, land and property rights. These are human rights under international human rights law, and are increasingly recognised as such within the domestic laws of all countries by formal, customary and other national legal structures. arrangements. This book gives an excellent outline with many solutions proposed.

To order these and any other publications, go to www.unhabitat.org and click on publications

21

22

News & Events

Habitat Debate December 2007

Chissano awarded coveted governance prize

Post conflict reconstruction in Lebanon A UN-HABITAT project team in Lebanon helping rebuild the living environment in 21 towns around the country in November briefed the Cypriot Foreign Minister, Mrs. Erato KozakouMarcoullis, on progress in a post-conflict rehabilitation programme for which the Development Assistance Agency of the Republic of Cyprus (Cyprusaid) has provided 500,000 euros through UN-HABITAT. The funds are being used to help rebuild thousands of homes that were destroyed or damaged in Israeli air raids in 2007.

A new urban archive

Former Mozambique President Joaquim Chissano received the inaugural Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership aimed at promoting good governance in Africa. At a glittering ceremony 26 November in Alexandria’s renowned library, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Mr. Chissano, who led Mozambique for 18 years during which brought the country out of a devastating civil war, was personally congratulated by the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka and other leaders after Mr. Annan handed him the award on behalf of the businessman, Mr. Mo Ibrahim. The prize, which surpasses the Nobel Prize for the amount awarded, was created by Mr. Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born billionaire. During the ceremony, the former South African President Nelson Mandela was declared an honorary laureate.

Promoting the Internet for development Delegates at the Fourth Web for Development conference in Nairobi agreed that access to the Internet had to be improved in the developing world. Access to the web, said a statement read out after the 28-30 November meeting, and is limited: “Some 450 million people worldwide are connected to computers. By contrast, only 14 percent of the global telephone users have Internet access. This is due to poor computer skills, illiteracy, and disabilities in a world where access is mainly visual and costly. For these reasons, the digital divide cannot be easily be bridged using the present computer-based technological ICT set up,” the statement said. The examined the theme, Driving Economic and Social Development with the Internet, drew more than 300 experts from UN bodies, governments, non-governmental organizations, universities and the business world.

A helping hand from the UN Secretary General A group of 30 young people drawn from Kenya’s largest slum of Kibera met at UN-HABITAT headquarters in Nairobi in November to explore ways of using funds made available

by UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon through the Pony Chung Scholarship Foundation. Mrs. Tibaijuka, in a message to the meeting, said the funds, amounting to USD 100,000, had been made available to the agency following a visit to Kibera by the Secretary-General on his first official African tour in January 2007. They cited the need for training in building and construction methods, computer skills, accounting, entrepreneurship and resource mobilization.

UN-HABITAT and the University British Columbia have announced a partnership to create the UBC / UN-HABITAT Archives which will be the world’s most complete online repository of information on building sustainable cities. In a statement read on her behalf, UN-HABITAT’s Executive Director, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka said she was delighted to learn that the Vancouver-based university had taken initiative to build a virtual human settlements information centre containing critical print and electronic material from Habitat’s first conference held in1976 up to and including the 2006 World Urban Forum III both of which took place in Vancouver.

Archivists meet Archivists and record keepers of major international organizations met at the United Nations African headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya in October for talks on how to improve management of their vast repositories of information so that the world can derive the maximum benefit of their information resources and knowledge. The week-long gathering of the International Council of Archivists at the 33rd Session of International Organizations was formally opened by Ambassador Inga Björk-Klevby, the Deputy Director of UNHABITAT. Organizations represented to discuss the theme, Archives for Development, included officials from UN Agencies, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), NATO and the Universal Postal Union.

World Habitat Day a huge success World Habitat Day 2007 closed in a grand finale on Friday in the Mexican city of Monterrey capping a week of activities in cities around the world that began in The Hague on 1 October. This year, the theme chosen for the occasion was to raise awareness about the safety and security of cities. In his World Habitat Day message, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, said, “At this turning point in human history, surveys show that crime in urban areas is on the rise everywhere.” In her message, Mrs. Tibaijuka said that in many parts of the world, the “state is increasingly perceived in tactical retreat, unable to tackle the root causes of crime and disorder.”

Mexican professor wins 2007 UN-HABITAT Lecture Award Professor Martha Schteingart of El Colegio de Mexico, (Mexico City) was delcared the winner of the 2007 UN-HABITAT Lecture Award. The Award recognises outstanding and sustained contribution in the field of human settlements.

Habitat Debate December 2007

News & Events

UN-HABITAT OFFICES Headquarters

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