World Habitat Day 2014
The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day. The purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter. It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.
World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/202, and was first celebrated in 1986.
Each year, World Habitat Day takes on a new theme chosen by the United Nations based on current issues relevant to the Habitat Agenda. The themes are selected to bring attention to UN-Habitat’s mandate to promote sustainable development policies that ensure adequate shelter for all. These themes often promote a one of UN-Habitat’s focal areas, such as: inclusive housing and social services; a safe and healthy living environment for all — with particular consideration for children, youth, women, elderly and disabled; affordable and sustainable transport and energy; promotion, protection, and restoration of green urban spaces; safe and clean drinking water and sanitation; healthy air quality; job creation; improved urban planning and slum upgrading; and better waste management.
Sri Lanka to celebrate World Habitat Day in grand scale
The Ministry of Construction and Engineering Services has taken steps to celebrate “World Habitat Day” which falls on 6th October under the theme of “Voices from slums”. The theme is intended to reflect on development activities implemented while listening to the voices of the people living in slums.
The Government has accorded the highest priority to the provision of housing and settlement facilities to low income earners in the City of Colombo and other urban zones across the island and the launch of socioeconomic processes geared towards uplifting their living standards.
The following programs will be implemented to coincide with 2014 World Habitat Day under the guidance of the Ministry of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities with the involvement of the National Housing Development Authority, Urban Settlement Development Authority, Institute for Construction Training and Development and Condominium Management Authority.
•Handing over 15 old housing schemes in the City of Colombo and the suburbs renovated under ‘ Nagamu Purawara’ programme to their residents.
• Granting deeds to 1000 recipients of houses in the Colombo metropolitan area.
•Implementing 25 community development projects which provide health and sanitation facilities to 5000 families of urban underserved settlements.
•Establishing 25 Janasevana Swashakthi community development centres to enhance socioeconomic activities of urban underserved settlements.
•Organizing painting competitions and exhibitions for children with the aim of developing creative skills of20,000 children of urban low income families.
•Organizing children’s drama competitions and drama festival to promote artistic skills of 1500 urban low income children.
•Staging “Kolamba Lamai (Children of Colombo) show with the participation of2000 children with the objective of developing aesthetic skills of the residents of underserved settlements in Colombo.
•Organizing sports festivals to develop sports skills of 2000 urban young men and women.
•Providing self-employment training to 2000 urban women under the Swashakthi Kantha Saviya programme and employment assistance and donation of equipment for 200 women.
•Renovating housing projects located in urban areas of all districts of the island with the participation of residents and conducting school seminars and community workshops at the district level on the theme of Habitat Day.
In addition to the above programmes the Condominium Property National Conference will be held with the participation of the representatives of management corporations established in multi-storeyed housing schemes in and around Colombo as well as special seminars and training programs too will be conducted.
28th National World Habitat Day 2014 Celebrations – “Voices from Slums”
The ministry of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities the focal point of Un-habitat in Sri Lanka had made arrangements to celebrate this year world habitat day under the theme of “Voices from Slums” – “ janasevana for future “ in collaboration with the beneficiary families and other stakeholders of the Janasevana Housing and Settlement Development Drive, which is a people centered development programme initiated by the stage.
The 28th National world Habitat Day was held under the patronage of His Excellency the President at the Colombo Sugathadasa indoor stadium with the participation of the minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Deputy Minister, Her Excellency the Ambassador of Cuba Government MPs Ministry Secretary and head of the stakeholder agencies and about 5000 benefiters peoples of the Janasevana Housing and Settlement Development Drive.
As a part of the millennium development goals, the world pledged to improve the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020. and committed to halving by 2015 the proportion of the population without adequate sustainable access to drinking water and basic sanitation. In Sri Lanka these targets have been achieved successfully and it is reviled in the national census and statistics of Sri Lanka published in 2012. Accordinging to the report, Sri Lanka has one of the slowest population growth rates (1% per Annum) among the countries in Asian Region and Urban population growth of an average 0.3 percent a year. It has 82% permanent houses and only 136,000 improvised units or the slums which is the lowest numbers among the region. The census reports also indicated that 87% of the total population is having electricity supply while 80% pipe borne water supply and 79% waster sealed toilets.
However as in many other countries in the world, there is a compelling need for a retrospective look at the housing development sector in relation to the socio economic, cultural and environmental as well as technological challenges confronted.The Ministry of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities which is responsible for the policy directives of the implementation of Janasevana National Housing and Settlement Drive has released this and initiated to formulator a National Housing Policy with the plan of actions based on strategies of Mahinda Chinthan vision of for the future needs. The approval of the cabinet ministers have been obtained for the National Housing Policy recently and ceremonially handed over to his excellency the president Mahinda Rajapaksa by the Minister of Construction, Engineering Services, Housing and Common Amenities Mr. Wimal Weerawansa at this National celebration of 28th World Habitat Day.
A habitat week has also has been declared from 1st to 6th October 2014 by the state in order to celebrate the ultimate results achieved in the Janasevana National Housing and settlement development drive targeting for the World Habitat day 2014.
The children in underserved settlements (slums) are socially depressed due to the prevailing social and environmental condition of their neighborhoods. Many of the children do not have proper childhood, getting easily vulnerable to urban crimes. The youth men and women are the groups who are very concern and worry about the inequity of the society and also ready to challenge the consequences.
Janasevana considers these groups are most important, in its proramme activities and urban settlement development authority under its Janasevana Swashankthi Programme conducting various children and youth programmes such as paintings, stage drams ect. and 6 a side softaball cricket tournement in order to improve their artistic, educational and sports skills. 13000 children participated in the art competition, 1500 for stage drama festivels, 2000 for Kolamba Lamai verity entertainment at the Colombo Nelumpokuna international theater and 230 teams including 2000 youth participated the cricket encounter. In addition National level school art and essay competition have been organized by the National Housing Development Authority during the habitat week.
Cities are engine of growth. However resources generated from the cities have not been evenly distributed among the city dwellers. It prompt backwardness, low, employability due to lack of skills etc. Make them retain in poverty circle and considered them as socially marginalized from the main storm of the society. Janasevana Swashakthi Programme identified these issues and introduced livelihood improvement programme to enhance the entrepreneurship promotion, skill development and marketing of the families who engage in food production as self implement in Colombo slums. 25 mutual self help groups Consisting of 135 community members formed at settlement levels lead by community leaders are played key role in this community based process. They have organized street food festival at the heart of the Colombo City with the assistance of Janasevana during the habitat week.
Janasevana recognized the efforts of poor families and communities on improving environment and common amenities by themselves as mainstrom process of their settlements and aweding the micro contracts for the constructions activities. during the Habitat Week The institute of construction training and development (ictad) under the Ministry of Housing has initiated to develop the capacities of these small contractors/ builders and registered 50 Nos. community based organizations who have been undertaking the community contract in the underserved settlements enabling them to compete with the main stream of the construction sector.
The security of tenure is a fundamental factor to be considered in uplifting the living condition of the poor urban communities and create an asset base for them. Janasevana has given priority to hand over the ownership deeds to the families who are living in low income housing schemes of National Housing Development Authority. 500 families in Colombo received their housing rights on home ownership at the national celebration of 28th would Habitat Day.
This is the first time in the National World Habitat Day collaboration and presented in the awards and certificates for the winnings of the world habitat day competitions continuously in three times.The World Habitat Day “Colombo Declaration” showing various development project and their future activities as well as the world habitat day souvenir was too launched at this conference.At this occasion His Excellency the President has declared that by 2016 the shanties would be more thing of the past as all Sri Lankan would own their own homes. The President noted that the government has realized that every citizen in the country should own a home and that they have begun carrying out large scale projects to made this a reality, president awareness that the government will work towards bettering lives of children and place focus on safeguarding then from vices such as drugs and alcohol.