3.2.1.1 Housing
In September 2000, 189 UN Member States adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), setting clear, time-bound targets for making real progress on the most pressing
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development issues faced by the global world (UN, 2007). It was envisaged that achieving these targets would have a direct effect on the lives and future prospects of billions of people around the globe. The MDGs will mark a positive beginning at the start of the 21st century (WHO & UNICEF, 2004). They are a global cornerstone for facilitating access to adequate shelter, water supply and sanitation in the developing world. This section highlights significant points of departure in housing, water and sanitation issues. It establishes a broader understanding of these issues and how they influence policies in the developing countries.
In light of the increasing numbers of urban slum dwellers, governments have recently adopted a specific target on slums, i.e. Millennium Development Goal 7, Target 11, which aims to significantly improve the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020 (UN-Habitat, 2003). There are two indicators necessary for monitoring progress to meet this target, i.e. (i) Proportion of urban population with access to improved sanitation; (ii) Proportion of households with access to secure tenure (owned or rented) (Alliance2015, 2007).
Highlighted above is the magnitude of the housing challenge as faced by the global community particularly the developing countries. It outlines some of the proposed interventions by intergovernmental organisations such as the UN. These provide the dissertation with impetus and direction on global trends and challenges of housing, water and sanitation policies.
3.2.1.2 Water and Sanitation
There are over 1.1 billion world citizens who do not have access to drinking water from improved sources, while 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation. Safe drinking water and basic sanitation are so obviously essential to health that they risk being taken for granted (WHO &
UNICEF; 2004). Through the MDGs, the world has pledged to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015.
Consequently, this commitment is globally publicized with the aim to support the commitment by the member states of the UN in recognition of the intensity of the water and sanitation challenge facing the developing countries.
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The most difficult aspect of ensuring that access to adequate water supply and basic sanitation target is met is its complexity as a ‘moving target’. On one hand, population growth in poor regions of the world has posed an even bigger challenge for the reaching of this target. Also, population growth rate tends to exceed the capacity of the developing countries to deliver water and sanitation. Against this background, more intensive, effective and concerted action by all stakeholders is needed if the MDG drinking water and sanitation target is to be met (WHO and UNICEF, 2004).
Furthermore, the objective of the MDGs is to encourage developing countries to set practical targets, develop attainable action plans, and allocate the financial and human resources needed to bring safe drinking water and basic sanitation to their populations, in a sustainable manner, while protecting the basic needs of poor and vulnerable people. Therefore, setting realistic targets is an ideal starting point for developing countries if they are to come anywhere close to achieving the MDGs.
UN-habitat and the Indian Government (2006) developed a Framework of Action for achieving Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation in the Asian-Pacific Region. The framework introduced four major themes of pro-poor urban governance and planning, slum upgrading, delivery of MDG for water and sanitation and financing sustainable urbanization in this region with the view to help pursue a common approach to the promotion of sustainable human settlements with focus on urban poor and slum dwellers.
The framework recommended measures to achieve the MDGs on water and sanitation in the Asian-Pacific region by primarily adopting: firstly, the use of appropriate and affordable technologies and system models for sustainable management: often governments of the developing countries tend to pursue conventional means of delivering services. The challenges of these conventional technologies include management, affordability and maintenance difficulties. Secondly; building partnerships with civil society organizations, private sector and regional knowledge centres: such partnerships are crucial in ensuring that new and innovative means of service delivery are established and implemented. They also have a potential to create a sense of collective responsibility towards improving living standards of the poor. Thirdly, Awareness, capacity building and community empowerment:
another critical aspect in the development of sustainable communities and efficient local governments. Fourthly, principled governance: This principle may help develop a sense of
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responsibility and eliminate corruption. Finally, Policies and programmes that pursue an integrated approach taking cognizance of the links among water, sanitation, health and hygiene between economy and the environment, and between urban and rural areas (UN- Habitat & Indian Gov; 2006, pg 25). This element can be considered as a first step towards integrated development. The linkages in development initiatives are critical in the shift towards holistic development that goes beyond predefined departmental boundaries.
Highlighted here is a good example of a region that has taken MDGs and moulded them into what could be called ‘region specific’ targets. In this manner, MDG targets are regionalized, nationalized, narrowed and focused within reasonable capacity of a specific country.
However, SWH (2005, pg1) acknowledged that the water and sanitation target to cut in half the number of people without adequate and sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation will not be reached unless:
There is deliberate commitment by donors to increase and refocus their development assistance and to target sufficient aid to the poorest low-income countries.
There is a deliberate commitment by the governments of the middle-income countries that do depend on aid to reallocate their resources so that they target funding to their unserved poor.
There are deliberate activities to create support and ownership for water supply and sanitation initiatives among both women and men in poor communities.
There is a deliberate recognition that basic sanitation in particular requires an approach that centres on community mobilization and actions that support and encourage that mobilization.
These suggestions highlight the need for a global collective responsibility and commitment to prioritise water and sanitation issues. These are a few of many challenges that need to be overcome in order to achieve global consensus on water and sanitation delivery. Although presented at a macro level, they serve as a framework and benchmark for positive initiatives towards water and sanitation.