About the Habitat Platform

Working towards a sustainable living and residential environment

According to the UN-Habitat Global Report on Human Settlements 2003, almost a third of the world population consists of slum dwellers. This was based on a world-wide survey conducted in 2001, which put the figure at 924,000,000. If current trends continue, 1.5 billion people will be living in such conditions by 2020. The vast majority will have no access to basic facilities, such as adequate housing, clean drinking water, sanitation, education, health provision, employment or control over the circumstances in which they live.

Yet this is not entirely inevitable. According to a 2005 report on progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals [http://www.unmillenniumproject.org], drawn up under the chairmanship of Jeffrey Sachs, stepping up current efforts could reduce the increase by 570 million. In addition to measures to improve living conditions in existing slums, the report calls for alternatives to the formation of new slums.

The Millennium Development Goals or MDGs were adopted by the United Nations in 2000. The seventh Goal in particular – to ensure environmental sustainability – impacts directly on slum dwellers. Two of the Goal’s specific aims are to achieve a significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020, and to significantly increase access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

The UN Habitat Agenda

MDG 7 is based on the Habitat Agenda [www.unhabitat.org], adopted in 1996 at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul. The main aims of the Habitat Agenda are to ensure adequate shelter for all and a sustainable living and residential environment. The document contains 600 recommendations to this end.

The term ‘Habitat’ thus relates to people and their quality of life, an extremely broad field of reference: from housing to economic issues and from health to grassroots participation. The Habitat Agenda emphasises that these issues are closely interrelated. As well as an independent goal, a good living environment is also a basic precondition for improving health or creating a favourable business climate. In addition, the Agenda advocates close cooperation between local communities, businesses and public authorities to improve the living environment.

The role of the Habitat Platform

The Habitat Platform supports Dutch organisations working towards better living conditions for slum dwellers and a sustainable living environment. The focus lies on Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Eastern Europe, and the Platform acts as a broker in knowledge and contacts.

To achieve its aims the Platform brings practical knowledge (including best practices) and expertise together in knowledge networks such as Cities for People [link] and Toolkit Participation [link]. It promotes the dissemination and application of such knowledge by supporting organisations active in the field in their search for information. In addition the Platform acts as a matchmaker, bringing partner organisations together in short or long-term innovative cooperative arrangements. Useful instruments include websites and other electronic media, and events such as the annual World Habitat Day.

The Platform’s activities are based on what is known as the City-Wide Approach, an integrated and interactive approach to promoting a sustainable living environment.

The Habitat Platform was set up in 1998 by the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and receives financial support from both.