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 In many countries, legislation can be a barrier to good urban governance
and urban poverty reduction.а Outdated or contradictory legislation
can disempower local authorities and the urban poor, preventing them from
taking concrete measures to improve the quality of life in cities.
Recognizing these realities, the Global Campaign on Urban Governance
proposes to take action on three fronts.а First, by exploring the
links between international law and the principles of good governance,
the Campaign will provide a substantive and legal basis to promote normative
debate on the principles of good urban governance.а This work will
also support the ongoing "Dialogue on Decentralisation" the follow-up activity
to the World Charter of Local Self-Government.а Second, the work on
legislation will support the preparation of national campaigns by examining
Government commitments to international and human rights legislation.а
Third, the Campaign will provide support to countries seeking to revise
national, state/provincial or local legislation to provide for more inclusive
urban governance.
UN-HABITAT's support for legislative reform has been initiated in Kenya.а
The Campaign has provided inputs to the review of the Kenya Local Government
Act through the Consultative Group on Participatory Local Governance.а
UN-HABITAT's submission has two purposes.а First, to draw attention
to KenyaТs commitments to participatory governance in international law
and in commitments it has made at various international conferences sponsored
by the United Nations.а The paper also highlights the examples of
legislation from The Philippines, Bolivia and South Africa that enshrine
participatory governance, as a source of text that could be incorporated
in Kenya.а For more information, please see the submission.
In addition to providing ad hoc support to national activities such
as described above, the Campaign will produce three specific publications:
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Guidebook for the Principles of Good Urban Governance: The publication
will review international and human rights law to establish a legal foundation
for the principles of good urban governance.
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Case-studies of Enabling Legislation: In collaboration with the
Urban Management Programme, the Campaign is producing a working paper on
legislation that institutionalizes participation in urban planning and
management.а The results of preliminary research for this publication
was compiled as an input to the review of the Kenya Local Government Act.
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Sourcebook and Guidelines for Pro-Poor Legislation:а In collaboration
with the Urban Management Programme, the publication will present examples
of national, state/provincial and local legislation that in whole or in
part is designed to improve the quality of life of the urban poor.а
The publication will also attempt to provide practical guidelines for human
settlement professionals involved in legislative reviews.
For more information, please contact:
Global Campaign on Urban Governance
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (254-2) 623216, Fax: (254-2) 624264
E-mail: governance@unhabitat.org
Website: http://www.unhabitat.org/governance
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