Rossbach calls for structured participatory governance in housing provision

It is not enough to just build houses; functional systems must be established, communities, cities, internal unity, and a social contract must be created, the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Anacláudia Rossbach, said at the NGO forum held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), Report informs.

"One thing we have learned over these 50 years is that this task is too enormous for any single organization to handle alone. We have learned that we must work together at the local and city levels to ensure that our urban planning is based on participatory principles. At the local level, we need sustainable, well-structured participatory governance schemes that bring together different sectors."

The Executive Director emphasized that this cooperation is of vital importance for the development of housing and urban planning policies and the reconstruction of territories:

"When I participated in the Azerbaijan National Urban Forum, I was greatly pleased to witness how communities and stakeholders were actively involved in the reconstruction efforts," she said.