UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

GENERAL E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 20 February 2004 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Special Body on Pacific Island Developing Countries Eighth session 20-21 April 2004 Shanghai, China

THEME TOPIC: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES IN URBAN MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES (Item 4 of the provisional agenda) REVIEW OF PACIFIC SUSTAINABLE URBAN MANAGEMENT AND POVERTY ISSUES AND INTRODUCTION OF THE PACIFIC URBAN AGENDA FRAMEWORK Note by the secretariat

SUMMARY The purpose of this note is to outline the key urban development issues facing Pacific island countries and recommend support for a Pacific urban agenda. The note highlights the important economic and social development benefits of urbanization. Calls to localize the Habitat Agenda and address the Millennium Development Goals were the catalyst behind the Pacific Regional Workshop on Urban Management held in Nadi, Fiji in December 2003. The Workshop pooled national and regional experiences, shared initiatives and case studies addressing urban governance, land, security, squatter settlements and environmental concerns. It developed and agreed to a Pacific urban agenda which proposes actions to address urban management and governance issues in the subregion. The note discusses the impact of high urban population growth rates, which have created policy and planning challenges for central and local Governments as well as civil society. Many urban areas in the Pacific are characterized by poor housing and environmental conditions and the proliferation of squatter communities. Constraints on the availability of land for urban housing and the cost of housing are forcing many urban immigrants to live in degraded conditions with no legal protection or security of tenure and with limited or no infrastructure or urban services. Declining social cohesion in many urban communities is creating security concerns, which will require a consultative and community-based approach if the economic and social benefits of urban development are to be realized and the urbanization of poverty is to be avoided. The note concludes that the proposed Pacific urban agenda would provide a framework for urban development and management, a coherent strategic vision and prioritize issues and concerns in managing human settlements. The agendas framework would also provide a structured approach through which Pacific island countries individually and collectively could compare strategies and learn from their experiences.

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E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 1 INTRODUCTION 1. The purpose of this note is to provide an overview of urban development and management

issues in the Pacific and to introduce the outcome of the Pacific Regional Workshop on Urban Management held at Nadi, Fiji from 1 to 4 December 2003, which agreed on a Pacific urban agenda. 2. There have been a number of attempts since the early 1990s to develop a subregional

approach to the planning and management of Pacific towns and cities. In 1993, Pacific island countries participated in the Ministerial Conference on Urbanization in Asia and the Pacific organized by ESCAP at Bangkok. In 1996, a paper was prepared on The State of Human Settlements and Urbanization in the Pacific Islands as part of the subregions contribution to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) held at Istanbul, Turkey. Building on the momentum gained from that Conference, the Third South Pacific Forum Economic Ministers Meeting held in July 1999 agreed that a draft Pacific Habitat agenda and regional action plan should be developed. In 2001, the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) gave further weight to the preparation of such an action plan to address current urbanization, urban development and urban management issues in the Pacific subregion. 3. The December 2003 Workshop was convened jointly by ESCAP, the UNDP Urban

Governance Initiative (TUGI), the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in response to the increasing recognition of urban development issues in the Pacific, the need to localize the Habitat Agenda as well as the Millennium Development Goals that apply to urban development, namely: Under Goal 1, to reduce by half the proportion of poor people by 2015 Under Goal 7, target 11, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020 4. Goal 7, target 11 is in line with the Habitat Agenda, which also calls for: Improvement in the lives of slum dwellers Good urban management to prevent the urbanization of poverty 5. The Pacific Regional Workshop on Urban Management was attended by national planning,

central and local government officials from nine Pacific island countries in addition to representatives of United Nations agencies, the Asian Development Bank and regional non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The Workshop recognized the need to tailor the Habitat Agenda and the Millennium Development Goals to country circumstances in view of the varied geographic character and range of environmental issues in the Pacific. /

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 2 6. The Workshop provided an opportunity to share national and regional experience. Examples

of urban management tools, local initiatives and case studies were presented during the Workshop. The presentation of country examples included one by the Government of Fiji on its squatter policy and another by Papua New Guinea on its National Consultative Committee on Urbanisation, which initiated consideration of an urban social charter. Also presented was a description of an urban planning initiative in Samoa involving the establishment of its Planning and Urban Management Agency. Management tools included TUGIs report card, which is designed to improve

participation and increase understanding and appreciation of how city governance works. An urban security presentation which attracted considerable interest was the Safer Port Moresby initiative of Papua New Guinea. 7. Three key themes were addressed by the workshop: access to serviced shelter, the urban

environment and urban security. These themes were discussed in detail and provided an opportunity for participants to share experiences and strategies. Common issues arising in the discussion of these themes were reflected in the Pacific urban agenda (see annex). These issues included recognition that good urban development policy required a response from local and national Governments in partnership with communities and NGOs. The rural-urban interface, which is changing through improvements in communications and transport, was recognized as a critical and mutually reinforcing element in national economic development that must be considered in the formulation of development strategies. Participants agreed that urban development policies must be consistent with rural

development policies. The workshop viewed poverty as a single issue encompassing both rural and urban areas. 8. The Workshop agreed that there were limits to the ability of Governments to constrain the

urbanization process. The development of urban areas was the result of a multitude of decisions in the public and private sectors and civil society, as well as factors operating at the local, national and international levels. Although urbanizing populations will seize economic opportunities, it is

necessary to have enabling conditions through sustainable access to land, housing and infrastructure; social and economic services; and participatory decision-making. The development of supportive partnerships among domestic stakeholders, regional and international organizations and development partners is essential in building the necessary financial and human resources required to address urban management issues. 9. The increasing need for urban management looms as one of the most significant development

issues for Pacific island countries in the twenty-first century. By 2025, over half the population of most Pacific island countries will be living in urban areas. This will produce social and economic benefits because urban areas can drive national economic growth through the provision of labour and the generation of capital as the focal points for investment, production and consumption. Urban areas also provide opportunities to improve access to health and education services, as well as power,

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 3 telecommunications, transport and water infrastructure because economies of scale are easier to achieve. In the formulation of government and local government policies, it is necessary to (a) recognize that these economic and development benefits ensure a balanced approach to rural and urban development and (b) emphasize the importance of addressing poverty reduction within a ruralurban framework.

I. URBAN POPULATION GROWTH

10. Urban areas in the Pacific have grown rapidly in recent decades; this has not only stimulated

economic growth and employment generation but also has created new social and development challenges for local and central Governments, as well as civil society. 11. Urban growth arises from both high rates of natural population increase and outer island or

rural-urban migration of people seeking employment and a wage income. In Fiji, the high rate of natural urban growth is being exacerbated by the termination of the land leases of many sugar cane farms, forcing many Indo-Fijian farmers, their families and their employees families to seek employment and shelter in urban areas. 12. Pacific populations have high national and urban growth rates (see the table), particularly in

Melanesian and Micronesian countries. Rapid urban growth has resulted in spatial patterns of towns and cities that are distinctive in the Pacific. High population growth is either polarized in one or two key islands such as in Majuro in Marshall Islands, Funafuti in Tuvalu or Apia in Samoa, or dispersed over a number of centres such as in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Urban populations in the atoll societies of Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu are very vulnerable because of restricted land area, rapid growth rates, the rising sea level and climate change, overcrowding and poor infrastructure, which together pose fundamental barriers to sustainable economic, social and cultural development. 13. In some cases urban population growth rates are almost double the national growth rates. By

contrast, the urban growth rate of Honiara, Solomon Islands has declined in recent years from an intercensal growth rate of 6.8 per cent (1976-1986) to 3.8 per cent (1986-1999) because of the outmigration from Honiara following the civil unrest in June 1999. Definitions of urban areas sometimes exclude areas of urban development that are growing at the highest rates. In Vanuatu, for example, many squatter communities, where most of the population growth is occurring, are outside the Port Vila municipal boundaries.

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 4 Table. Selected Pacific island populationsa

Pacific island country or area Last census Population as counted at last census 46 773 14 990 775 077 219 521 133 152 84 879 50 840 196 836 2 088 17 225 5 190 786 176 848 409 042 97 784 9 526 193 219 Urban population (%) 48 63 46 53 38 43 65 71 35 71 15 35 12 32 47 21 Annual intercensal urban growth rate (%) 4.6 -1.0c 2.6 1.4 1.9 5.0 1.8 2.7 1.2 2.9 4.1 2.0 3.4
f

Annual intercensal national growth rate (%) 2.9 -2.2 1.6 1.6 1.0 2.5 2.0 1.8 -3.1 2.2 4.4 1.0 0.6 0.5 3.0

American Samoa Cook Islandsb Fiji French Polynesia Guam Kiribati Marshall Islands New Caledonia Niue Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa
d e

1990 2001 1996 1996 1990 2000 1999 1996 1997 1995 2000 2001 1999 1996 2002 1999

Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalug Vanuatu

0.8 1.7 4.3

___________
Data taken from Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Noumea, New Caledonia. (See <http://www.spc.int.nc/demog/ pop_data2000>) unless otherwise stated. b Preliminary census results, Cook Islands Office of Statistics, Ministry of Finance and Economic Management. c The urban population of Cook Islands includes all people on the island of Rarotonga. d The Samoa figures make use of 2001 household income and expenditure survey data to calculate the total population. e Population Unit, Ministry of National Planning. f Honiara only. g Figures quoted are preliminary results provided by the Tuvalu Office of Statistics.
a

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 5 II. URBAN COMMUNITIES 14. The lack of available land for house construction in urban areas is forcing people to build on

customary or native land where the landowner is usually unwilling to consider the construction of permanent dwellings and the informal nature of the landlord-tenant relationship discourages people from constructing more robust housing. Therefore, poorly constructed or temporary dwellings in areas of poor drainage and little infrastructure usually characterize such new communities. The temporary nature of the housing, the lack of security of tenure and an underdeveloped infrastructure are defining characteristics of many urban communities in the Pacific and they have become known as squatter communities. 15. An informal system of land supply can provide an important safety net to facilitate the

availability of affordable land and housing for urban immigrants. However, squatter households are vulnerable to manipulation by both State and customary landowners. Their tenure is accorded no protection under the law and many households are becoming impoverished as they are forced to pay high rent or fees for services such as access to drinking water. The extent of informal and squatter development in the Pacific island countries indicates that land availability and housing affordability are problematic. Measures are necessary to enhance the supply of urban land and to improve the performance of urban land markets, while taking into account traditional land tenure patterns. 16. Fairburn-Dunlop1 noted that the migration of outer islanders and rural villagers to urban areas

is a pressing yet under-recognized issue in the Pacific. It is not clear how much urban drift is truly voluntary. In many cases, as rural land becomes more scarce, garden plots become smaller and land disputes increase accordingly, the family unit has little choice but to migrate if it wants to survive. Contrary to the widespread and persistent belief that people come to an urban area temporarily and can return to their village any time there is no evidence to suggest that a return to the village will result in economic, social or spiritual security. III. URBAN MANAGEMENT 17. Contemporary urban planning institutions and processes in the towns and cities of Pacific

island countries date from the colonial era and do not reflect current local conditions. Zoning schemes and land-use plans have some relevance in some countries, but in other countries they are ignored by both central and local Governments. Many plans and schemes are not enforced or not understood by the wider community. Plans often extend only to the urban edge of the local

government boundaries and do not encompass the rapidly growing peri-urban areas. A preoccupation with day-to-day issues of land boundary and ownership disputes means that strategic urban planning and policy issues rarely make it to the local government agenda.

Resettlement Policy and Practice in Southeast Asia and the Pacific: Proceedings of Workshops held in Manila and Port Vila, 1998 (Asian Development Bank, 1998).

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 6 18. While statutory frameworks are necessary to underpin the control and regulation of urban

development, this approach is not sufficient to meet the major challenges of urban growth management in the towns and cities of Pacific island countries. The urban environment is under increasing threat from air pollution (vehicle emissions and domestic fires), industrial discharge, destruction of mangroves and the filling of wetlands, increased runoff, including faecal coliform contamination, and the inadequate collection, treatment and disposal of domestic wastewater and solid waste. These forms of pollution have health and other social effects, in particular, within poor and vulnerable urban communities. An urban development strategic vision must encompass

environmental planning outcomes at the national, regional, metropolitan and local levels and must include community interests and development priorities. 19. The challenge to be more inclusive at the local and municipal government level is being

addressed in Fiji through ESCAP-supported corporate planning processes designed to improve locallevel governance and service delivery, enhance community participation and strengthen partnerships with civil society. These steps have served to strengthen local governance, particularly through community-planning consultations, and provide a strategic vision of community development priorities. IV. URBAN SECURITY 20. Social cohesion, essential for societal stability, security and an adequate standard of living, is

being undermined by the unguided growth of urban areas. The decline in cohesion within households and communities not only affects friends and neighbours but also affects kinship networks and traditional hospitality and the ability of individuals, families and communities to cope with and address poverty.2 21. Conventional approaches to security for urban dwellers focus on control instead of

prevention. While this approach may be effective in the short term, the complexity and scale of urban security issues calls for a more comprehensive approach underpinned by proactive crime-prevention strategies. Urban insecurity problems require a collaborative approach and the strengthening of partnerships among key community groups to rebuild community cohesion. V. 22. CONCLUSIONS

High urban population growth rates have created pressures which local (municipal, city and

town) management and administrative structures are ill-prepared to handle. The cities and towns of the Pacific have not yet fully recognized the need to address the social and environmental challenges facing urban immigrants and are unable to respond appropriately to the growth of squatter settlements
See D. Narayan and others, Voices of the Poor: Can Anyone Hear Us, published by Oxford University Press for World Bank, March 2000, page 220ff: When community networks are stretched too thin and there is insufficient state support, community cohesion begins to unravel, p. 225.
2

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 7 because of the lack of resources to address infrastructure needs, the lack of available land and the inadequacy of planning policies. 23. The proposed Pacific urban agenda (annex) provides a framework for urban development and

management and a coherent strategic vision and prioritizes issues and concerns in managing human settlements. As a framework, it also provides a structured approach by which Pacific island countries individually and collectively can compare strategies and learn from their experiences. In order to support these countries effectively and efficiently, development agencies within and outside the United Nations system need to coordinate their activities and develop partnerships so that each agency can contribute what it does best. VI. 24. RECOMMENDATIONS

Governments should make a commitment to address the priorities and actions outlined in the

Pacific urban agenda and in particular: (a) Review urban development policies in the light of existing urban priorities and

strengthen urban management in central and local Governments; (b) In order to address Millennium Development Goals 1 and 7 (target 11), develop more

accurate information on the dimensions of urban poverty and develop squatter or informal settlement policies to improve the social and environmental conditions of settlements while recognizing the desire of people to live in urban areas; (c) Form new partnerships with civil society in general and community-based

organizations in particular to assist community development and social well-being within poor urban communities, squatter and other informal settlements in the urban and peri-urban areas of cities and towns and improve access to essential services; (d) Form working partnerships with landowners and encourage the involvement of

landowners in urban planning, and seek to exercise more effective controls on land use within the urban and peri-urban boundaries of towns and cities; (e) Improve representation in local urban governance, particularly of minority interest

groups, including youth, people with disabilities and women and seek to improve local management structures and systems to assure more effective consultation with community- interest groups; (f) Encourage regional agencies, United Nations bodies and multilateral donors to

endorse and support the proposed Pacific urban agenda and develop partnerships to implement it, and ensure that urban management issues are raised and debated in bilateral and regional forums.

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Annex PACIFIC URBAN AGENDA Priority theme: Access to serviced shelter

Issues 1. Housing policy Involve input from the community using the bottom-up approach Use participatory assessment in assessing needs and provide training to develop skilled facilitators Involve women in consideration of gender and equality issues Establish squatter (community) councils and local planning boards Clarify the role of all stakeholders (government, civil society, communities, private sector) so that institutions can be effective in addressing issues and concerns Develop strategies and policies to resolve the major issues of: * Land-use zoning and standards, security * Integrated urban and rural housing development * Self-help and services schemes * Housing finance, grants and subsidies Ensure adequate land supply Assess information on land tenure and land management issues identify Pacific experiences and past proposals for land reform Establish consultative mechanisms for review of land tenure and management, including conflict-resolution measures for land disputes and other key issues, including land inheritance by women Raise awareness and build consensus with landowners and other key stakeholders about the need for security of tenure Appropriate actions

2. Land tenure and land management

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 9 3. Housing markets 4. Building codes Identify options for landowners to achieve greater recognition and involvement in land management Involve urban landowners in the process of service provision Increase the role of landowners in the urban planning and development process, including landuse planning Streamline the urban development process, including fast-tracking land leases and development proposals Make information on land (e.g., mapping and landownership data) available and accessible provide central information (one stop shop) using up-to-date technology Make land markets efficient and affordable, including an adequate supply of land for all market segments Encourage land registration and titling of customary lands where appropriate Recognize the range of housing suppliers (including the private sector, NGOs, middle income persons, public rental agencies, squatters, welfare agencies, government housing schemes, landowners) and facilitate their provision to meet the growing demand Review and rationalize institutional frameworks and arrangements Investigate the possibility of more flexible and appropriate building codes. Appropriate actions

Priority theme: Urban environment

Issues 1. Provision of infrastructure

Develop flexible and consistent planning and design standards Undertake cost recovery Undertake assessment of infrastructure needs at varying levels Promote coordination among planning agencies and service providers Prioritize infrastructure needs (e.g., replacement, operations and maintenance, future expansion plans)

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 10 Evaluate policy directions for financing (e.g., cost recovery, user pays, affordability, tariff structures, timing) Ensure accessibility to all support services (health, schools, recreation, shopping centres, etc.) Finance sourcing (e.g., operations and maintenance, capital works) Develop a national development plan set objectives and preferred approaches Assess urban environmental issues, including fire risk, coastal hazards and key sources of pollution Identify partner agencies, community and private sector partners, agree committee mechanisms Identify issues and detailed actions via consultations and coordination including bottom-up approach Raise awareness at all levels Monitor public health and impacts of development including communicable diseases, HIV/AIDS, increasing air and noise pollution and environmental degradation Review institutional and legal frameworks for urban development, including status of environmental impact assessment (EIA), land-use planning, governance, health and building Rationalize institutional framework and legislative arrangements, including mainstreaming EIA into the planning and urban development process Appropriate actions

2. Integrate environmental and disaster management into urban planning and management

3. Public health 4. Institutional and legislative framework

Priority theme: Urban security

Issues 1. Good governance

Improve urban representation, including adequate representation of women in decision-making positions Seek greater transparency in the election of urban councils Seek greater recognition and application of the principles of good governance, including consultation and participation with community groups by all officials, politicians and institutions Develop an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of all parties in community consultation Agree criteria for election of political candidates

E/ESCAP/SB/PIDC(8)/1 Page 11 2. Urban poverty 3. Employment Define and understand the dimensions of urban poverty (hardship) Develop strategies to deal with improving poverty levels, such as access to services and security of land tenure Improve the gathering of baseline information on the condition of the urban poor Improve the effectiveness of welfare and housing assistance for the needy Undertake awareness-creation and education about urban poverty needs, issues, concerns and measures to improve the quality of life of the urban poor Support initiatives, mechanisms and guidelines to develop the informal economy, including opportunities for employment, access to credit, microfinancing, access to space (to sell and produce goods), promotion of cottage industries, development of linkages to the formal sector, including the role of the private sector, civil society and local government Develop microfinance schemes and targeted projects in formal and informal sectors Support the initiatives of NGOs and community-based organizations to provide training and the creation of trust funds Revise the education system to adapt its curriculum to market demands and the need to provide living skills Improve the sensitivity of land planning to the needs of business Create social support mechanisms to encourage productive labour inputs, especially for women (e.g., child-care centres) Identify the most vulnerable groups such as street children, women and the disabled and assess each groups needs for rehabilitation, counselling, education, employment and social welfare Empower vulnerable groups with skills and training, including adult and vocational training Support and develop initiatives to strengthen support networks and communities, especially in traditional settlements Focus on strengthening the effectiveness and key role of the family and household units Initiate and support community policing and neighbourhood watch programmes Empower and strengthen recognized community and traditional social support systems to support urban security issues work with and within the community structures . . . . .

4. Vulnerable groups 5. Personal security