Deputy Minister Zou Kota-Fredericks: Political Bureau of African Forum on Urban Safety meeting

Address by South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Human Settlements, Ms Zou Kota-Fredericks (MP) at the Meeting of the Political Bureau of the African Forum on Urban Safety eThekwini

Cllr Zandile Gumede, Chair of the African Forum on Urban Safety (AFUS) and Mayor of eThekwini Municipality
Councillor Paulin Claude Danho, Mayor of Abidjan
Mr Abdelkrim Khatib, Secretary General of Marrakech Municipality
Dr Abdoulaye Salifou, Director of the United Cities and Local Government of Africa
Ms Elizabeth Johnston, Director-General of the European Forum for Urban Safety
Mr Xolile George, CEO of the South African Local Government Association
Professor Tunde Agbola from the University of Ibadan; Representatives of UN-Habitat
Officials
Ladies and gentlemen

It is a great pleasure to be here with you today to deliberate on how we can align African Forum on Urban Safety (AFUS’s) work with key international commitments and agreements. This meeting comes at an opportune time.

In 5 weeks from now, the Governing Council of UN-Habitat will convene its 26th Session and agree on a work programme and budget for the coming two years, and debate the implementation of the New Urban Agenda adopted in October last year in Quito, Ecuador at Habitat III.

Safety is a key concern of the South African government at all levels and we have acknowledged that it has many dimensions which extend beyond the traditional notions of policing.

Allow me to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to Mayor Gumede and the City of eThekwini for their leadership and good work in linking the development of sustainable human settlements with safety.

In so doing you are giving expression to the aspiration of South Africa’s National Development Plan which at its core aims to ensure the achievement of a “decent standard of living” for all South Africans by 2030, and are linking two important aspects, namely Chapter 8 which is “Transforming human settlement and the national space economy” and Chapter 12, which “building safer communities”.

I would also like to acknowledge the excellent work being undertaken by UN-Habitat in promoting urban safety in its advocacy work, through pilot projects to identify good practice, through facilitating networks for knowledge exchange, and for ensuring research and policy guidelines are undertaken to inform global, regional, and national commitments that link human settlements development with safety.

Through our collective work, these ideas are now gaining traction nationally, regionally and globally. We are thus extremely pleased that safety is acknowledged in the outcome of Habitat III, the New Urban Agenda, which sets out the policies, practice, and roles and responsibilities of national, sub-national, local government, non-government actors and the community.

Fellow members of the Political Bureau of AFUS,

Allow me to reflect how the nexus between safety and human settlements is being addressed in key global and regional commitments, namely the Agenda 2030 adopted by United Nations in 2015, the Pretoria Declaration for Habitat III, the Common African Position for Habitat III, and the Outcome of Habitat III, the New Urban Agenda.

Agenda 2030 envisages “a world where human habitats are safe, resilient and sustainable…” More concretely, Sustainable Development Goal 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable” commits us to:

“By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums”

and

“By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities”

There is an important link between Goal 11 and Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, and Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.

In other words, we need focus on ensuring all people, particularly women and girls, migrants, people living with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations, feel safe.

The Pretoria Declaration for Habitat III was the result of deliberations on the critical issues to be included with regard to tackling informal settlements and slums in the

New Urban Agenda by over 500 participants from national, sub-national and local government, civil society organisations, academia, and multi-national organisations from 52 countries in April 2016. The Pretoria Declaration for Habitat III links safety and human settlements by:

“Acknowledge the prioritization of in situ upgrading to respond to the scale of urban poverty and at the same time strengthen socio-economic and cultural dynamics for safe and sustainable neighbourhoods”

And
“Acknowledge that women’s multiple roles as family and community caregivers and income generators, produces gender specific needs that informal settlement upgrading and development must address to be effective and responsive. Women’s tenure security is a cornerstone of women’s empowerment and gender equality, and encourages public policies that promote women’s safety in public and private spheres”

We further called for:
“Adopt participatory urban planning and design guiding urban development and renewal in such a way that ensures the access to adequate and affordable housing, infrastructure and basic urban services for all, in particular for people living in poverty, women, children, youth, older persons, people with disabilities and vulnerable households. Thus, guiding the transformation of informal settlement neighbourhoods to inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable settlements…”

Fellow members of the Political Bureau of AFUS,

In Africa, we also undertook very thorough preparations for the Habitat III consultations. The Ministerial sub- committee on human settlements and urban development of the African Union Specialised Technical Committee on Public Service, Local Government, Urban Development and Decentralisation (STC 8) developed a Common African Position on Habitat III, to ensure that Africa becomes an active driver of the development of the Habitat III outcome, the New Urban Agenda, aligned to Agenda 2063 and the emerging African urban agenda.

Beyond ensuring that Africa’s priorities are captured in the outcome of Habitat III, the Common African Position and Common African Position for Habitat III provides a strong basis for developing future charter and guidelines for housing and urban development in Africa. The document was endorsed at the African Union Summit in Kigali in June 2016 through a decision of its Executive Council.

Pillar 1 of the Common African Position for Habitat III: “Harness the Potential of Urbanization to Accelerate Structural Economic Transformation and Inclusive Growth”, concretely urges:

“promoting slum upgrading to provide secure tenure, infrastructure, basic service and socio economic facilities for addressing exclusion, poverty, health, safety and improved quality of life”

Pillar 2: “Link Sustainable Urban and Human Settlements Development with Resilience” calls for:

“Building institutional capacity and enhance it where it exists for urban safety, resilience and disaster risk management…”

“Preserving eco-systems and providing safe and inclusive urban public spaces”;

And

“Ensuring safety and security in human settlements” Chairperson and Bureau members,

The New Urban Agenda adopted by United Nations members in October last year in Quito, Ecuador, is a global commitment to addressing urbanisation over the next twenty years. It did not seek to provide specific targets, as these are already developed under the Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals.

Rather, it sought to address the required policy, institutional, and programmatic commitments member states would need to implement, to give effect to the specific SDG targets, and tackle urbanisation and the reduction of poverty and inequality going forward.

The link between safety and human settlements and urbanisation is established no less than 16 times in the New Urban Agenda. The New Urban Agenda comprises the Quito Declaration followed by the Quito Implementation Plan.

The Quito Declaration sets the scene, outlines the agreed principles and values, and ends with a call for action to implement the concrete proposals of  the New Urban Agenda. Paragraph 2 cautions us as follows:

“By 2050 the world urban population is expected to nearly double, making urbanization one of the 21st century’s most transformative trends.

As the population, economic activities, social and cultural interactions, as well as environmental and humanitarian impacts, are increasingly concentrated in cities, this poses massive sustainability challenges in terms of housing, infrastructure, basic services, food security, health, education, decent jobs, safety, and natural resources, among others.”

The Quito Declaration of the New Urban Agenda expresses a shared global vision as follows:

“We share a vision of cities for all, referring to the equal use and enjoyment of cities and human settlements, seeking to promote inclusivity and ensure that all inhabitants, of present and future generations, without discrimination of any kind, are able to inhabit and produce just,  safe,  healthy,  accessible,  affordable,  resilient,  and sustainable cities and human settlements, to foster prosperity and quality of life for all…”

The New Urban Agenda further commits us to leaving no one behind in “promoting safety and eliminating discrimination and all forms of violence”.

Action is required to give effect to this Vision. Guidance in this regard is found in the Quito Implementation plan, which lists the transformative commitments to be made by member states, outlines what needs to be done for effective implementation, and describes how the implementation of the New Urban Agenda will be supported and tracked internationally.

In order to achieve sustainable urban development for social inclusion and ending poverty, we commit to “promote the development of integrated and age- and gender-responsive housing policies and approaches across all sectors, which incorporate the provision of adequate, affordable, accessible, resource efficient, safe, resilient, well-connected, and well-located housing...” There are several further references to adequate housing that is safe, public spaces that are safe, and an environment in cities and human settlements that is safe.

In paragraph 33: “We commit to stimulate the supply of a variety of adequate housing options that are safe, affordable, and accessible for members of  different income groups of society, taking into consideration socio- economic and cultural integration of marginalized communities, homeless persons, and those in vulnerable situations, preventing segregation….”

In paragraph 37: “We commit to promote safe, inclusive, accessible, green, and quality public spaces…”

In paragraph 39: “We commit to promote a safe, healthy, inclusive, and secure environment in cities and human settlements for all to live, work, and participate in urban life without fear of violence and intimidation, taking into consideration that women and girls, and children and youth, and persons in vulnerable situations are often particularly affected…”

In paragraph 40: “We commit to embrace diversity in cities and human settlements, to strengthen social cohesion, intercultural dialogue and understanding, tolerance, mutual respect, gender equality, innovation, entrepreneurship, inclusion, identity and safety, and the dignity of all people…”

The transformative commitments for sustainable and inclusive urban prosperity and opportunities for all link safe, inclusive, accessible, green, and quality public spaces as drivers of social and economic development. (Paragraph 53)

Paragraph 99 calls on Us to implement “urban planning strategies, that are appropriate, that facilitate a social mix through the provision of affordable housing options with access to quality basic services and public spaces for all, enhancing safety and security, favouring social and inter- generational interaction and the appreciation of diversity” We will furthermore “take steps to include appropriate training and support for service delivery professionals and communities living in areas affected by urban violence.”

The most explicit guidance with regard to ensuring safety in cities and human settlements can be found in paragraphs 100, 103, and 109:

Paragraph 100 states: “We will support the provision of well-designed networks of safe, inclusive for all inhabitants, accessible, green, and quality public spaces and streets, free from crime and violence, including sexual harassment and gender-based violence, considering the human-scale and measures that allow for the best possible commercial use of street-level floors, fostering local markets and commerce, both formal and informal, as well as not-for-profit community initiatives, bringing people into the public spaces, promoting walkability and cycling towards improving health and well-being”

Paragraph 103 sates “We will integrate inclusive measures for urban safety, and crime and violence prevention, including terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism, engaging relevant local communities and non-governmental actors, where appropriate, in developing urban strategies and initiatives, including taking into account slums and informal settlements, as well as vulnerability and cultural factors in the development of public security, and crime and violence prevention policies, including by preventing and countering the stigmatisation of specific groups as posing inherently greater security threats”

Lastly Paragraph 109 states: “We will consider increased allocation of financial and human resources, as appropriate, for the upgrading and, to the extent possible, the prevention of slums and informal settlements in the allocation of financial and human resources with strategies that go beyond physical and environmental improvements, to ensure that slums and informal settlements are integrated into the social, economic, cultural, and political dimensions of cities.

These strategies should include, as applicable, access to sustainable, adequate, safe, and affordable housing; basic and social services; and safe, inclusive, accessible, green, and quality public  spaces; and they should promote security of tenure and its regularisation, as well as measures for conflict prevention and mediation.”

Chairperson and fellow Bureau members,

This is what we have committed to globally and regionally. I believe we have all had a hand in shaping and influencing the New Urban Agenda. We now need to work tirelessly to popularise these commitments through continued advocacy.

We need to show practically how integrating safety into urban planning and human settlements development can effect positive change and give expression to a decent quality of life for all. We need workshops, case studies, research  and data. We need

partnerships between stakeholders at national, sub- national and local government, and with non-government actors and communities. We are aware that these commitments contain many challenging aspirations, but I believe that we can achieve them by continuing to work together with compassion and collective spirit to implement them in practice.

AFUS will play an essential role in this regard. I call upon us in this meeting to identify key points to be raised during UN-Habitat’s Governing Council in May 2017, as well as in our regional work at Ministerial level in the African Union, and at local government level through United Cities and Local Government in Africa.

We also require a practical work programme to address safety in African human settlements and cities, particularly for women and girls and people in living vulnerable situations.

I thank you.

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