Title of Event:

Name of Organisation:

Date and time of the session:

Listen to Us: Grassroots Innovations to Securing Land and Housing

Huairou Commission

June 22, 2006, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Key Highlights

1. Estimated no of participants : 50
2. Stakeholder group representation at the event: 30
3. What were the expected objectives? Increase knowledge of grassroots women's innovative strategies, tools, and practices in securing land and housing, Create a space for a dialogue on collective organizing strategies and practices between grassroots practitioners, development professionals, UN representatives, and academics
4. What did the networking event achieve? In this event, grassroot women from the Philippines, Peru, Kenya and Nepal presented innovative practices and strategies they have pursued in order to address what impacts land and housing interventions are having on their lives. Presentations were followed by summaries from panelists, who highlighted the tools and strategies that women are using and framed this discussion within the broader context of the new initiative Women Land Link Africa (WLLA) and UN-Habitat's Global Land Tool Network (GLTN). The event allowed for a lively dialogue on collective organizing strategies between grassroots practitioners, development professionals, UN representatives and academics.

2. What were the core issues identified in your event as they relate to the theme and sub-themes of WUF III?

This networking event was directly linked to the sub-theme 1 "Sustainable Cities: Land, Housing and Infrastructure for All." The event also fit with the two dialogues held under this sub-theme:(1) Affordable Housing and Slum Upgrading - A road map to achieving the MDGs and (2) Inclusion - the right to the city. Secure tenure was recognized as a key issue in meeting the MDG target 11 to achieve significant improvement in the lives slum dwellers. Along goal 3 of the MDGs, speakers focused on promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in order to combat poverty and stimulate sustainable development. Achieving gender equality in access to land and secure tenure was identified as a key priority in this event as it plays a large part in determining women's access to basic infrastructure, services, employment opportunities and their ability to contribute toward sustainable development.

3. What were the main points raised by panelists and participants in relation to these different issues? What new ideas have been generated as a result of the discussion?

During this event speakers and panelists recognized the important contributions that grassroots women have made in securing land and housing in their communities. In addition, women's on-the-ground practices were highlighted as essential to achieving sustainable cities and communities. The event provided an important forum for grassroots women to speak to the challenges they faced within their communities and to address the steps that women have taken to combat these challenges. Tools and practices included community-based mapping initiatives, national and international exchanges, anti-eviction watchdog groups, demonstrations, lobbying, livelihood programs, and education campaigns. These were just a few examples that were highlighted during the session. New ideas that were generated included the introduction of innovative community-based practices and the discussion of how grassroots women can work together, through a global network, to inform global initiatives, campaigns, and policies.

4. What process steps have been identified in your event that could help turn ideas into operational reality?

The strategies and tools presented by grassroots women can help to inform UN-Habitat's Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) which was launched during the WUF III. During this networking event grassroots women presented concrete practices and tools that they are using in their communities to increase women's access to land and housing. With the continued support of the Huairou Commission - a GLTN partner - grassroots women's tools and practices can inform international campaigns such as the GLTN. In addition to global campaigns such as the GLTN, the importance of multi-level stakeholder partnerships and networks were addressed as key initiatives that should continue, both in Africa where the nascent success of the Women Lank Link Africa (WLLA) initiative was addressed as well as in other continents/countries.