• Why this programme?
• What is it for?
• Strategy
• Activities
• Management and networking
• Reporting and evaluation
• Sponsors

The most alarming accompaniment to urbanization in this globalizing world has been the deepening of urban poverty and the growth of slums that now envelop nearly one billion persons worldwide. The lack of decent work opportunities is an important dimension of urban poverty; a big challenge is how to create jobs while also making cities healthier places.

Together with local representative groups, local authorities have a key role to play in ensuring that employment generation is put at the heart of urban agendas. Public-private partnerships can foster business opportunities and job creation, while offering a good basis for an urban dialogue giving voice to all parties concerned.

However, valuable local efforts are often hampered by limited resources and by a mismatch between required skills and available expertise. This aspect has become particularly critical in the light of continuing decentralisation, whereby local authorities have more and more responsibility for developing and implementing appropriate, sustainable city development initiatives.

Recent needs assessments and field experiences confirm that there is a growing demand for capacity-building services in this area, at both national and municipal levels. In response to this demand, the ILO and UN-HABITAT have been working together to develop curricula and offer training opportunities based on best practices and tested tools.

This joint effort is a contribution to the "Cities Without Slums" initiative that has been endorsed as a Millennium Development Goal - "By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers".

The overall objective of this inter-regional programme is to contribute to poverty reduction and local economic and social development in cities and towns in developing countries.

More specifically, the programme aims at strengthening local capacities in planning and implementing citywide employment initiatives that will reduce poverty through the creation of decent and sustainable jobs linked to a better access by the poor to urban infrastructure and services.

Expected results include:

• Approximately 150 key persons trained in advocated concepts and practices.
• The training contents reflected in city development strategies, programmes and projects in targeted countries.
• A consolidated set of training materials and case studies for future advocacy and capacity-building work.
• An information basis available.

The programme is expected to lay the basis for a larger capacity-building effort that will hopefully attract a wide audience of urban development players.

The programme addresses the skills development needs of different urban stakeholders, and is geared to creating a critical mass to promote and implement the advocated concepts and practices in targeted countries.

The programme draws on a sound technical cooperation experience worldwide. It complements and reinforces other ongoing, relevant development efforts in an attempt to have a stronger effect and greater visibility.

It endeavours to institutionalise capacity-building in this area by involving regional and national institutions and experts to the maximum extent possible.

Over two years (2004-2005), the programme is to:

• Organise a series of interrelated training events grouped as follows:
  
  
  • Sub-regional workshops targeting decision makers, city planners, social partner representatives, NGOs, business associations, and relevant learning institutions. The specific aims of these activities are: (i) to raise awareness of existing approaches and tools for creating employment in cities in order to reduce poverty; and (ii) to enhance skills in applying of such approaches and tools. Three sub-regional workshops are to take place in Lima (Peru), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and New Delhi (India), respectively.
  
  
  
  • National training workshops for practitioners involved in the implementation of urban development programmes such as planners and engineers, NGOs, community representatives, local contractors, training service providers, and other interested professionals. These are more technical courses that draw extensively on training guides and modules developed by the ILO and UN-HABITAT, and allocate more time for practical exercises. Choice of venues will be based on the outcome of the sub-regional events.
  
  
  
• Develop and maintain an Internet platform to serve as an interactive tool for information exchange, networking, and follow-up; a reference base for future training on the subject of urban employment and related issues.

The coordinating unit operates within the Employment and Skills Development Programme of the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin, Italy. The unit works in close collaboration with:

• ILO Geneva EMP/INVEST, IFP/SEED, LED) and field structures
• UN-HABITAT (UMP, SCP, Training and Capacity Building Branch - TCBB) and its anchor institutions

• other international agencies and organizations;
• national entities: government agencies, the private sector, NGOs, service providers, technical cooperation projects, social partners, civil society representatives; educational/training institutions; and the media;
• city administrations;
• a pool of experts and consultants

Each training activity will incorporate an evaluation session to elicit participants' views regarding the relevance of the activity to their needs, as well as the effectiveness of the methodology and materials employed in achieving the training objectives. The evaluation results will be presented in activity reports to be circulated by means of the Internet platform.

A mid-term internal review will be conducted and its report submitted to the parties concerned at the end of the first year of implementation.

A final report is also foreseen. Its content will be discussed at a final review meeting to be held at the ITC in Turin towards the end of the project. This meeting will bring together the implementing agencies and donor representatives to assess the results and the scope for further development of the programme.

The programme is co-sponsored by the Italian Government, the Arab Gulf Programme For United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND), the International Labour Organization, and UN-HABITAT.
To consolidate and expand activities, further support is sought from donors with a specific interest in sustainable city development and related economic and social issues.