Urban Poverty and Environment’s goal is to ease environmental burdens that exacerbate poverty in selected cities by strengthening the capacity of the poor to equitably access environmental services, reduce environmental degradation and vulnerability to natural disasters, and enhance the use of natural resources for food, water, and income security.

Over five years, UPE will be funding integrated research projects in eight selected cities, to maximize the potential to generate lasting partnerships, and to help build the capacity of researchers, community groups, the private sector and policy-makers. The aim is to generate sustained and in-depth research — allowing enough time for results to become apparent — and to develop synergies with past and present projects of both IDRC and other agencies.

It will also allow UPE to compare and contrast results and share lessons that can be applied more broadly. UPE has selected eight cities, in the four following regions: two in Asia; two in Sub-Saharan Africa; one in the Middle East and North Africa; and, three in Latin America and the Caribbean. The cities were selected on the potential for UPE support to make a difference and achieve demonstrable results.

• The Focus Cities