Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction

Background and Objectives

Background

UPPR will build on the approach of the Local Partnerships for Poverty Alleviation Project (LPUPAP, 2000-2007), which has gained wide acceptance by communities and local government partners. This approach has, as its foundation, community action planning from which prioritised community contracts are developed for settlement improvements and socio-economic activities. Communities themselves execute the contracts and manage project funds.

The project will support local capacity for the development and implementation of poverty reduction strategies at town level. It will also make links to financial institutions, such as local banks and micro-finance bodies, to provide access to a wide range of financial services by community groups, including housing improvements and business development support. It will ensure that the implementation of pro-poor urban development and poverty reduction strategies at town level influence policy development at the national level.

Objectives

The project's goal is "To reduce urban poverty in Bangladesh". Its objective is "To improve the livelihoods and living conditions of 3 million urban poor and extremely poor people, especially women and children". UPPR will contribute to urban poverty reduction by directly improving the living environment and social and economic conditions of urban poor families in 30 towns and by influencing national and local urban poverty reduction and economic development policies.

Activities

Output 1
Urban poor communities and groups are mobilised to create healthy and secure living environments:
-Urban poor communities form Primary Groups (about 25 households), Community Development Committees (CDCs), Clusters of CDCs, Town Federations and cross community common interest Associations with 70% of leadership positions taken by women;
-Community Action Plans developed leading to community contracts for settlement and environment improvements and support for socio-economic development activities;
-Improvements in security of tenure leading to increased in investment in housing improvements
-An improvement in community and family health status.

Output 2
Urban poor families acquire resources, knowledge and skills to increase their incomes and assets:
-Urban poor households have increased incomes and assets and remain out of poverty for at least two years;
-Urban poor families have access to formal financial services;
-Improvements in social conditions such as a reduction in dowry and an increase in the age of marriage for girls;
-An increase in the percentage of girls completing secondary education and women’s participation in economic activities.

Output 3
Pro poor urban policy environment delivering benefits to poor people:
-MDGs localised to town level and town level economic development and poverty reduction strategies prepared and implemented with participation of all stakeholders including urban poor communities;
-Urban poor community development funds established to ensure post project funding for community infrastructure, housing improvements and livelihoods activities;
-Partnerships between government and donors formed so that pro-poor policies are developed and implemented and there is an increase in donor and government funds directed towards urban poverty alleviation;
-Programme for capacity building of local government officials and elected representatives and communities leaders;
-Peer group learning processes established including town networks and international exchange programmes for community leaders as well as government officials and elected representatives;
-Development of knowledge products an implementation of communications strategy.

Results (2009)

UPPR will support programmes that will, by the end of the project improve the livelihoods and living conditions of three million urban poor people, out of whom:
-2.5 million people living in urban slums will have improved access to basic services;
-2 million urban poor people, of whom 50 per cent are women and girls, will benefit from improved incomes and assets;
-Models will be developed and implemented to improve the lives of the urban extremely poor who make up at least 10per cent of the urban poor population;
-Local government, urban poor community, civil society and private sector partnerships will be established;
-Town level economic growth and poverty reduction strategies will be developed and implemented with the participation of urban poor community leaders, the private sector, civil society and the local government
-Community access to sustainable sources of finance for housing and livelihoods improvements will be established.

During 2009, a total of 478 community contracts have been issued to Community Development Committees in 23 towns in Bangladesh for small-scale infrastructure works within the context of the UPPR project.