UN-HABITAT twenty first session of the Governing Council, 16-20 April 2007, Nairobi, Kenya: inclusive cities remain elusive

UN-HABITAT Report cites failed policies, bad governance, corruption, and a fundamental lack of political will for persistent urban poverty and burgeoning developing country slums - urgent need for political and economic action based on human right to decent shelter and a better life. The challenges of urban poverty and appalling living conditions in the cities of the world’s developing countries do not persist because of a failure to devise workable solutions. They persist because of narrow political and economic priorities that are not based on meeting the needs of people in an equitable or sustainable manner. It is now clear that effective approaches to urban development are those that integrate basic human rights into proposed solutions. UN-HABITAT’S recently released publication The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements 2003 argues for an inclusive, “rights-based approach” to development - one predicated on the promotion of freedom, the well-being and dignity of individuals, and the “centrality of the person.”