WHAT IS THE CITIES ALLIANCE?
The Cities Alliance is a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development.
CITIES ALLIANCE MEMBERS
- Local authorities: United Cities and Local Governments and Metropolis
- Governments: Australia, Brazil, Chile, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America
- Non-governmental organisations: Slum Dwellers International (SDI) and Habitat for Humanity International
- Multi-lateral organisations: European Union, UNEP, UN-HABITAT and the World Bank
WHAT DOES THE CITIES ALLIANCE DO?
The Cities Alliance prioritises support to cities, local authorities, associations of local authorities and/or national governments that are committed to:
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Improving their cities, and local governance, for all residents;
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Adopting a long-term, comprehensive and inclusive approach to urban development;
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Implementing those reforms necessary to effect systemic change, and to achieve delivery at scale; and
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Decentralising resources to empower local government
Support provided by the Cities Alliance to cities, local and national governments generally falls within three broad categories:
- Citywide and nationwide slum upgrading programmes;
- City development strategies; and
- National policies on urban development and local government.
HISTORY OF THE CITIES ALLIANCE
The Cities Alliance was created in 1999 when 10 donor governments joined the World Bank, UN-HABITAT and the major international associations of local authorities to form a new partnership aimed at focusing on two key issues: the growth of slums and the management of cities where slum growth was taking place.
The first act of the newly created Cities Alliance was to produce the Cities Without Slums Action Plan, which created a proposed target of improving the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by the year 2020—the first time such a measurable target had been set in the international development arena. South African President Nelson Mandela agreed to serve as patron of the Action Plan, which was subsequently incorporated into the United Nations Millennium Declaration in 2000 as Target 11 of the Millennium Development Goals. (Read more about the Cities Without Slums Action Plan.)
