Centre for Policy Research along with Cities Alliance is pleased to invite for a webinar on Slum Upgrading in Asian Countries: Learning globally from local best practices.
December 11, 2020 during 4 pm – 6:30 pm IST (10:30 – 12:30 UTC)
The unfolding of the COVID 19 pandemic and its specific geographic development within city regions has brought to the forefront the socio- economic cracks of current urbanization patterns. Poor neighborhoods and particularly dense informal settlements are disproportionally at risk of becoming contamination vectors. With the health crisis, the fundamentals of cities are again back on the discussion tables: What cities do we want to live in? And how can we best achieve them?
Furthermore, in order to achieve the SDG targets and overcome their fragmented nature, interventions are needed to create synergies between sectors, unlock creativity, and smartly deploy resources and capacities. As it has been increasingly proved, cities are fundamental in achieving multi- sectoral interventions that tackle several SDGs simultaneously. This implies working with municipalities through a multi-stakeholder approach, engaging civil society, private sector organizations, universities, and multilateral institutions in the formulation of best practices about the role of cities enabling the achievement of sustainable development goals on the ground.
Among the most crucial themes that impact the daily management of municipalities addressing the pandemic in the Global South, is the challenge of slum upgrading, as well as the planning mechanisms that municipalities can develop in order to guarantee the right to adequate housing and the right to the city. As the New Urban Agenda established, housing is at the center of urban development and there is an urgent need to map and develop a diagnosis of informal settlements (SDG 11), as well as to establish adequate policies that can promote integration to the city and leave no one behind, as part of National Urban Policy frameworks.
Addressing these multi-disciplinary challenges imply integrating issues such as participatory multi-level governance, coordination of public policies, city-wide planning, disaster risk management, community building, and resilience strategies.
The Urban Thinkers Campus (UTC) is an initiative of the World Urban Campaign conceived as an open space for critical exchange between urban researchers, professionals, and decision-makers who believe that urbanization is an opportunity and can lead to positive urban transformations.
As part of the UTC initiative, after initiating the debate on successful projects in Latin America and Africa, this webinar will present a series of promising city-wide initiatives that aim at improving the lives of slum dwellers and reduce the inequality in accessing urban infrastructure and amenities. A round table shall situate these efforts within the larger challenge of the unfolding pandemic by debating ongoing adjustments to the programs as well as the question of how to make slum upgrading a priority in the post-COVID recovery process.
Practitioners, academics, and the interested public are invited to join this free webinar and round table debate. The insights gained from the overall debates on these three regional experiences in slum upgrading projects will directly inform a special session at the LAC Regional Housing and Habitat Forum envisioned for May 2021.
Agenda proposed
15 min – General introduction on the challenges of slum upgrading in Asian cities
45 min – Presentation of Best Practices and Lessons learned from Asian cities countries and cities ( Indonesia, India, Thailand and Bangladesh, TBC)
15 min – Q&A interactive session
45 min – Round Table Debate on Slum Upgrading under and after COVID 19
Key partners engaged & event Organizers
STATEMENT
January 17th, 2024
On 10th January 2024, CPR received a notice from the Ministry of Home Affairs cancelling its FCRA status. The basis of this decision is incomprehensible and disproportionate, and some of the reasons given challenge the very basis of the functioning of a research institution. This includes the publication on our website of policy reports emanating from our research being equated with current affairs programming.
During the tenure of our suspension, we sought and obtained interim redress from the honourable Delhi High Court and will continue to seek recourse in all avenues possible.
This cancellation comes after a decision to suspend the FCRA status in February 2023. These actions followed an Income Tax “survey” that took place in September 2022. The actions have had a debilitating impact on the institution’s ability to function by choking all sources of funding. This has undermined the institution’s ability to pursue its well established objective of producing high quality, globally recognised research on policy matters, which it has been recognised for over its 50 years’ existence. During this time the institution has been home to some of the country’s most distinguished academics, diplomats and policymakers.
CPR firmly reiterates that it is in complete compliance with the law, and has been cooperating fully and exhaustively at every step of the process. We remain steadfast in our belief that this matter will be resolved in line with constitutional values and guarantees.