Pretoria, 9 April 2016: UN-Habitat’s Participatory Slum Upgrading Progamme (PSUP) has launched the ‘Up for Slum Dwellers - Transforming a Billion Lives’ campaign. PSUP Booth SA_2_1In the presence of people living in slums, local and national governments, the private sector, research and academia, non-governmental organizations and the media, the launch took place during the Habitat III Thematic Meeting on Informal Settlements hosted by the Government of South Africa in Pretoria from 7-8 April 2016.

The campaign is an ambitious global public-private partnership being implemented through the framework of UN-Habitat’s World Urban Campaign (WUC). Calling for contributions, both in-kind and financial, from partners and building on the Programme’s know-how, the campaign will accelerate actions to improve the living conditions of slum dwellers. ‘Up for Slum Dwellers, Transforming a Billion Lives’, welcomes strategic partnerships that will boost the prosperity of slum dwellers and also contribute to the prosperity of the whole city’, said Mr. Alioune Badiane, the UN-Habitat Director of Programmes. ‘The challenges are immense, given that more than one billion people live in slums today. However, I believe that this campaign injects new momentum for systematic change. It will make us recognise slum dwellers and integrate them into pro-poor policy and planning. Transforming a billion lives by 2030 should be our shared legacy.’

Transforming neighbourhoods, connecting people Action PSUP_0_1

The campaign has already attracted interest for the next four years. The Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States and the European Commission have committed to partnering with the PSUP to support this campaign. World Urban Campaign Partners are also very supportive: ‘We welcome the Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme and are excited at the prospect of such a successful initiative growing. PSUP is already endorsed by 190 cities and has built strong relationships changing the urban future of slum dwellers. This campaign partnership is one of a kind - combining a global advocacy platform with a practical participatory programme’.

The PSUP will support individual countries in recognizing the people living in slums and integrating them into their cities and towns, transforming neighbourhoods as well as connecting people and knowledge. Mr. Badiane called upon the private sector and national and local governments around the world to join together for the campaign.

To learn more about the campaign, view at www.worldurbancampaign.org or follow us on Twitter @UN-Habitat #UpForSlumDwellers #UrbanCampaign