Following an initial call for proposals, Cities Alliance has approved in principle the first batch of Concept Notes for funding under the Catalytic Fund.
The Catalytic Fund is a Cities Alliance funding instrument which provides grant support for projects that strengthen and promote the role of cities in poverty reduction and in sustainable urban development. The seven selected Concept Notes total of more than US $1.6 million. The strong response to the initial Call for Proposals, one of the core elements of the new Cities Alliance business model, indicates that there is a clear demand for a targeted funding instrument such as the Catalytic Fund.
UCLG and Cities Alliance have a longstanding cooperation in city development and slum upgrading. According to the new Charter of the UCLG-Cities Alliance partnership adopted in Mexico City, UCLG will be the permanent Chair of the Cities Alliance Executive Committee, a unique partnership including many of the G7 country governments, international donors and co-chaired by the World Bank and UN Habitat. UCLG took part to the meetings in Washington on 10 and 11 March aiming at defining the work programme for 2011 and 2013 and to the Cities Alliance Executive Committee in Accra on 11-13 July.
The seven approved projects are:
- Tenure Security Facility Southern Africa. This activity aims to provide technical assistance and advisory services to slum upgrading initiatives in the Southern Africa region. It is sponsored by Shack/Slum Dwellers International and the South Africa Department of Human Settlements, and will be implemented by Urban Landmark.
- Promoting Climate Resilient City Development and Settlements Upgrading Strategies for Sri Lankan Cities. This activity aims to mainstream climate adaptive and mitigation responses into national urban planning methods, policies and frameworks. It is sponsored by UN-HABITAT and the World Bank, and will be implemented by the Management Resources for Good Governance organisation.
- Housing Sector Development in Ethiopia: Making Shelter Assets Work. This activity focuses on the post-construction management of neighbourhoods built under the Ethiopian Government’s Integrated Housing Development Programme (IHDP), which seeks to provide housing for poor and middle-income households and reduce the number of slums. It is sponsored by GIZ and will be implemented by the Housing Development and Government Buildings Construction Bureau of the Ministry of Urban Development and Construction.
- Promoting Affordable and Sustainable Sanitation Services in Freetown, Sierra Leone. This activity aims to strengthen the Freetown City Council’s institutional capacity to promote improved sanitation in the city. It is sponsored by UN-HABITAT and will be implemented by the Freetown City Council.
- Strategic Plan for the Southern Association of Municipalities of Santiago, Chile. This activity elaborates a strategic development plan with a participatory focus for seven municipalities located in the southern part of metropolitan Santiago. It is sponsored by the Chilean Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and UCLG, and will be implemented by the Southern Association of Municipalities of Santiago.
- Urban Development Strategy for Metropolitan Yaoundé, Cameroon. This activity involves the formulation and implementation of a sustainable urban development strategy in Yaoundé, with an emphasis on improving infrastructure and basic urban services in poor neighbourhoods. It is sponsored by the World Bank and will be implemented by the Yaoundé Urban Council.
- Historic Cities Sustainable Development Strategy for Bukhara and Samarkand, Uzbekistan. This activity supports the historic cities of Bukhara and Samarkand to identify and prioritise key areas for urban integrated development that will promote and attract local economic development opportunities. It is sponsored and implemented by the World Bank.