Africities VII, First the Inhabitants!
The International Alliance of Inhabitants (IAI) hasorganized the session “The Inhabitants Associations & Local Authorities towards Quito ” (Johannesburg, 30/11/15, 9.00-12.30, Africities VII, Sandton Convention Center, Ballroom 1A) to establish a stepping stone towards the UN’s Habitat III and the parallel World Urban Social Forum which will both be held in Ecuador in October 2016.
The session will revisit the Recommendations of Africities VI, (Dakar, 2012) which called upon local authorities and national governments of Africa, as well as the International Development Partners and the UCLG-A to recognize and support the role of associations and networks of inhabitants, to assess whether or not any progress has been made, and to identify ways in which we can promote an alternative to neo-liberalism in our cities.
Cities have to belong to the inhabitants. For that reason the Session aims to support the independent voices of all the Inhabitants as an essential basis to build an alliance with the progressive local authorities and institutions in order not only to claim but mainly to implement the right policies for the right to the city. As the Inhabitants are the main builders of the city, they have the right to upgrade their popular neighborhood, slums included, thanks to those policies which enable them to radicate. Zero Evictions and going out of the market to housing with dignity, should be the direct results of those policies, and the essential conditions to the involvement of the People's participation in the day to day governance and administration of their city. Just to say that our objective is to bring those proposals to Africities VII in preparation to the Alternative World Urban Social Forum and to Habitat III.
Who We are!
The International Alliance of Inhabitants is a global network of grassroots organizations and locally based social movements, committed to defend the right to housing and to the city without frontiers. It is vital for our Network's activities and campaigns to remain independent of all governments and companies. Our work is based on voluntary commitment and contributions from our supporters which allow us to maintain our independence, and the effectiveness of our activities.
More info : www.habitants.org
Inhabitants session Program
The Inhabitants Associations & Local authorities towards Quito
30 November 2015 - 09:00 AM - Room: Ballroom 1A
The session will bring together representatives of social movements, NGOs, elected officials and local government officials to discuss the promotion of dialogue between the parties as a concrete contribution to shape an agenda for the Future of Africa with the People, as well as a regional contribution to the World Urban Social Forum and Habitat III in Quito, in 2016.
The session is grounded in the context of the Recommendations developed by the inhabitants session at AFRICITIES VI, referred to local authorities, the National Governments of Africa, the International Development Partners, and the UCLG-A, to recognize the role of and support the associations and networks of inhabitants, encouraging community-led initiatives and participatory and inclusive urban planning, prioritising the needs of the poorest residents in development, defending the rights of all inhabitants to security of tenure and to dignity, by alternative policies and tools (eg., a multi-actor Advisory Group to monitor and assess local authorities, inhabitants organisations and other stakeholders in order to prevent forced evictions)
Objectives:
- Strengthen the convergence, the voice and the impact of local associations of inhabitants from poor and marginalized urban neighbourhoods facing the impact of neo-liberalism in the continent in the development of housing policies and urban planning based on human rights and the protection of the environment and the redistribution of resources, in particular, towards the World Urban Social Forum and Habitat III in Quito, in 2016.
- Jointly evaluate the recommendations of the 2012 Africities Session and whether or not any of these recommendations have been adopted by local and/or national governments, or international development partners.
- Identify local authorities to engage in a policy debate regarding Habitat III and the WUSF within the context of human rights, the defence of the commons, the equitable redistribution of resources, and our responsibility towards future generations, and especially the need for alternative paradigms to the destructive policies of neo-liberalism and neo-colonialism.
Panel
President: Fatimetou Bint ABDEL MALIK, Maire de Tevragh-Zeina
Moderator: Nelson SAULE, Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C)
Rapporteur: Mike DAVIES, Coordinator Anglophone Africa, IAI, Zimbabwe
Speakers
Victoria OHAERI, Executive Director, Spaces for Change, Nigeria
Soha BEN SLAMA, Coordinator Tunisia, IAI, Tunisia
Massa KONE, NOVOX, Mali
Muziwakhe NDLALOSE, Deputy president, Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM), South Africa
Edward MOLOPI, Research and Advocacy officer , Socio-economic Rights Institute (SERI), South Africa
Sheila MAGARA, National community leader, Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation, Zimbabwe
Program 3 hour session:
1 hour - presentations from panellists
90 minutes – Debates and Assessment of the Recommendations of the Inhabitants Africities VI Dakar, 05 December 2012
30 minutes - Development of Recommendations for the Political Sessions