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11 January 2006 — The Urban Poverty and Environment program initiative (UPE) of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is pleased to announce the selection of the first five cities to be highlighted in the Focus Cities Research Initiative.

The strategy of the Focus Cities Research Initiative is to advance awareness, policy options, and best practices for the reduction of environmental burdens in urban slums through in-depth participatory research with multistakeholder city teams involving local government authorities, research institutions, and community organizations.

For the next three years, City Teams in Kampala (Uganda), Dakar (Senegal), Jakarta (Indonesia), Colombo (Sri Lanka), and Moreno (Argentina) will each receive funding of up to CA $1.2 million for innovative projects linking urban poverty alleviation, environmental management, and natural resource use for food, water, and income security.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the Kampala City Team is led by KUFSALCC (Kampala Urban Food Security, Agriculture and Livestock Coordinating Committee) and will focus on linking waste recycling and urban agriculture. The African Institute for Urban Management (IAGU) will lead the Dakar City Team in researching the impacts and alternatives of a landfill site on local urban agriculture and community health.

In Asia, MercyCorps Indonesia will lead the Jakarta City Team to pilot models for realizing economic benefits through environmentally-friendly practices. The Colombo City Team, led by the Colombo Municipal Council, will investigate the effects on poverty of instituting community-based solid waste and sanitation systems.

In Latin America and the Carribbean, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED America Latina) will refine a model for multi-stakeholder participation in the delivery of water and sanitation services and test it in other sectors, in Moreno, Argentina.

More details on the Focus City Teams will be posted on the UPE Web site in the coming months.

A call for proposals to select additional Focus Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa regions will be announced in June 2006. 

2006-01-11

News 9 of 9