Cities Alliance Public Policy Forum

The Cities Alliance Consultative Group meets once a year in a city suggested by one of the Alliance members. A Public Policy Forum accompanies this event. In December 2001, the Public Policy Forum was held in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), at the invitation of the Government of West Bengal. The Forum was planned by the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights and Slum/Shack Dwellers International with the support of the United Kingdom Government's Department for International
Development (DFID) and in collaboration with slum communities and NGOs of Kolkata and the Government of West Bengal.

The concept of the Policy Forum is to create a public event in which the whole range of actors who support city development can interact and share experiences. In addition to visitors from 11 cities around India, participants came from 30 other countries. Together, there were more than 150 participants. Slum dwellers, NGO workers, international agency staff, academics and government representatives all mingled and discussed, sharing views and comparing experiences.