Title of Event:

Name of Organisation:

Date and time of the session:

Security and Safety: Public Policies, Urban Practices

Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne/UN-HABITAT Safer Cities/Foreign Affairs Canada

Tuesday, June 20th / 16:30 - 18:30

Key Highlights

1. Estimated no of participants: 80
2. Stakeholder group representation at the event: academics, NGO, governments, United Nations
3. What were the expected objectives: discussion around the new concept of Human Security, presentations of existing research-action projects
4. What did the networking event achieve: discussion, debate, including interventions from Madagascar, Cote d'Ivoire, Brazil, etc.

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

The "Urban Violence and Security Policies" project (VUPS), launched at the World Urban Forum II in Barcelona, focuses on the cities of Barcelona and Bogotá. It has now entered into its final phase of dissemination of research findings and consolidation of the Barcelona-Bogotá city-to-city partnership. The presentation focused on the field work carried out in both cities by VUPS, and on the exemplary city-to-city co-operation between these two urban centres.

The "Human Security: Urban Safety and Security Practices" project (EPFL, UN-HABITAT, UNITAR), will apply the human security concept to case studies of ten cities facing different kinds of human security crises including urban violence, conflict, natural disasters, and political and economic problems. The aim of the project is to publish and disseminate an authoritative guidebook on lessons learned from practices and policies in the urban environment.

In his brief presentation, Dr. Bob Lawson (Human Security Policy Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada) explored the links between Human Security and Cities. He emphasized informal slum settlements -- places where rapid urbanization and conditions of extreme poverty have combined to pose significant human security challenges. Failed public security, often perpetuated by state forces that are unwilling or unable to provide security, as well as the privatization of security in many developing world cities, have exacerbated these human security problems in cities, worsening social segregation and community violence. However, Dr. Lawson argued that cities also offer unique opportunities for conflict prevention due to their conflict-resilient tendencies. Strengthening democracy and governance capacity at the local level, as well as working with civil society to reinforce positive social capital, are key approaches that can help to address community violence and human insecurity in cities.

The Global Report on Human Settlements is the flagship report of UN-HABITAT, developed to inform governments of conditions and trends in global human settlement. The newest issue of the Report, to be published in late August 2007, will be devoted to the theme of "Enhancing Urban Safety and Security" and will address three major areas of focus: crime and violence; security of tenure and protection against forced eviction; and natural and human-made disasters. The Report will highlight appropriate urban planning and management methods designed to reduce the incidence and impacts of these phenomena.

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

•  Barcelona-Bogota have engaged in rich city-to-city co-operation

•  The failure of public security is increasingly affecting cities worldwide

•  Mixed cities with active programs designed to cultivate social capital, and inclusive governance structures offer opportunities for conflict resilience

•  To answer to the security demand in urban space, a city has to combine different factors:

•  Inter-sectoriality

•  Inter-actors

•  Micro-characterisation (real diagnosis)

•  Responsibility

•  Participation / representation

•  Prevention

•  Maintaining PUBLIC space

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

The "Human Security: Urban Safety and Security Practices" project aims to review the security situations of 10 cities and publish an authoritative guidebook on lessons learned from practices and policies in the urban environment.

The Human Security and Cities team will produce a volume reviewing key human security challenges and opportunities in cities, including a chapter on best practices and current institutional programs geared towards improving urban human security.