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Start Date : 7 Oct 08 |
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End Date : 9 Oct 08 |
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Location: ICRAF Lecture Theater (adjacent to UN-Habitat Offices) Nairobi, Kenya |
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Background:
The meeting will review three strategic policy papers that are currently being prepared to guide UN-Habitat’s implementations of its Medium Term Strategic Institutional Plan (MTSIP) 2008-2013. These papers include: 1) Participatory Planning, Management and Governance, 2) Pro Poor Land and Housing Policy, and 3) The Global Campaign for Sustainable Urbanization. Approximately 45 eminent local government, housing, land and campaign experts / representatives will have a frank exchange of experiences with the aim of producing practical recommendations to guide the implementation of MTSIP over the coming five years.
Activity:
The event will be highly interactive three day policy dialogue. Participants will be asked to review in detail policy papers presented within one of the three areas. Through a series of brief presentations, your opinions will be sought to assess the strengths and weaknesses of papers and concepts presented drawing upon your knowledge of the needs and challenges facing human settlements. The purpose of these discussions is to lead UN-Habitat towards improved interventions at the global, regional and local levels. Opportunities will also be provided for participants to review and make recommendations on how best to integrate work across these three areas. We need creative, out of the box thinking if we are to make a meaningful difference in the lives of over one billion slum dwellers.
Participants:
The program has been designed for national and local governmental representatives, experts, academics, partner representatives and members professional associations to engage in a series of stimulating and engaging debates. With minimal formality and following a short joint-opening session, participants will be invited to join colleagues within their respective focus group. The three groups will agree their own respective working arrangements, allowing for a number of further joint session to allow for interaction, reality checks and cross-fertilisation of experience and thinking.
Language:
The language of the workshop will be English. No interpretation will be available.
Expert Group Meeting objectives:
The workshop will provide an informal forum for discussion and debate and will seek to improve the draft strategy papers and their implementation by:
- Agreeing on emerging trends, needs and priorities in the fields of planning, governance, housing, land and public advocacy for sustainable urbanization.
- Assessing past experiences and identifying effective approaches to promoting sustainable and holistic approaches to improving human settlements.
- Making recommendations on the type and design of appropriate interventions, indicators and related methodologies and tools.
Expert Group Meeting Structure:
Given the complexity of “sustainable urbanization” the Expert Group Meeting will work along three distinct streams, each addressing one of the three Focus Areas.
Focus Areas (1) Participatory Planning, Management and Governance and (2) Pro Poor Land and Housing Policy share many common policy linkages between them. While the Campaign will direct much of the agency’s work and serve as an interface with partners who work in both these focus areas. Thus the design of the overall EGM is to bring these diverse constituents together and to identify synergies, while avoiding overlaps.
In order to capture these concerns, there will be a number of joint sessions to allow for cross-fertilization of ideas and the creation of synergies. There will also be separate sessions for each of the Focus Groups. The core participants of each EGM are among the world’s prominent thinkers, academicians and practitioners in their respective fields; they represent the supply side in these areas. The remaining focus areas (FA-4: Basic Infrastructure and Services and FA5: Finance Systems) will be represented throughout the EGM.
Finally, in order to obtain inputs from the demand side, a group of distinguished mayors, government officials and NGOs are invited to participate in the workshop to ensure relevance and act as a reality check as to local needs.
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Programme