Benin – Urban Development and Rehabilitation Strategy for the city of Abomey
The City of Abomey, Benin received a $250,000 grant to develop an urban development and rehabilitation strategy. The strategy is to include a participatory assessment of issues surrounding land, the environment, tax delinquency, and the lack of services; a land development framework for the city; and a 10-year intervention programme, including a priority action plan for poverty reduction, tourism development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, at the local level. Co-financing totalling $75,000 will be provided by the Government of Benin ($30,000), the Commune of Abomey and partners ($30,000), UN-HABITAT ($10,000), and Municipal Development Partnership ($5,000).

Brazil – Support of National Housing Plan and National Housing Subsidy Policy
Brazil’s Ministry of Cities received a $55,000 grant to fund a consultant to provide technical assistance to the ministry in support of (i) the development of a National Housing Plan, including a National Urban Upgrading Strategy, with time-bound objectives and targets; and (ii) a National Housing Subsidy Policy reflecting the need to rationalise the myriad subsidies embedded in government-supported housing programs, including on- and off-budget subsidies, and develop a well-targeted programme to benefit the poor, while making the most effective use of public resources. Co-financing of $150,000 will be provided by the World Bank.

Ethiopia – Establishment of Ethiopian Cities Network
Cities Alliance granted $74,000 for the establishment of an Ethiopian Cities Network. GTZ, as main sponsor, will support the process. The city network development process will begin with the facilitation of linkages among cities through workshop and consultation sessions among mayors and city administrators. Cities’ common concerns will be highlighted and fed into the national urban agenda. The legal conditions for the foundation of the network will be assessed, with a target date for the legal establishment of the network in March 2008. Co-financing of $50,000 is provided by GTZ ($30,000, in-kind), the World Bank ($10,000, in-kind), Ministry of Works and Urban Development and regional governments ($10,000).

India – Supporting Transformation of Mumbai—Phase 2
The Government of the Indian State of Maharashtra received a $500,000 grant to support phase two of the Mumbai Transformation Programme. Phase two is expected to further develop the public consensus and technical details needed to implement the reforms and investments identified under the Action Plan, that supports the development of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region as a world-class region. The consultation and planning support includes establishing metropolitan governance institutions, slum tenure reform and developing a state housing policy, planning regional infrastructure, corporatising public services, strengthening public consultation and citizen participation, and developing a strategy to address climate change and environmental impacts. Co-financing of $3.9 million will be provided by the Government of Maharashtra ($3.5 million), the private sector ($180,000), the World Bank ($200,000), and USAID ($100,000).

Indonesia – Preparation of a Proposal on “Making Urban Investment Planning Work. Building on the Indonesian CDS Process.”
UN-HABITAT received a grant of $75,000 to work with Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works to prepare a grant proposal, for submission to the Cities Alliance, to improve urban investment. The proposal is expected to build upon Indonesia’s past experience and successes with the CDS-1 programme that supported city development strategies in fourteen Indonesian cities. Co-financing totalling $55,000 will be provided by the Department of Public Works ($15,000), UN-HABITAT ($25,000), and the World Bank ($15,000).

Mali – National Program for Slum Upgrading and Reduction of Substandard Settlements in the Cites of Mali—Cities of Mali Without Slums
Mali’s National Directorate of Urban Planning and Housing received a grant of $360,000 to assess implementation of Mali’s National Housing Strategy (1995-2005); develop a national strategy to reduce, upgrade, and prevent urban substandard settlements through a national Malian Cities Without Slums programme based on a strong partnership between all actors; and build the capacity of local authorities and municipalities to prevent slum development. Co-financing totalling $275,000 will be provided by the National Directorate of Urban Planning and Housing ($205,000), Association of Municipalities of Mali ($20,000), Mali Housing Office ($10,000), Mali Mortgage Guarantee fund ($10,000), and UN-HABITAT ($30,000).

Nigeria – State of the Cities Report
The Federal Ministry of Housing, Environment and Urban Development received a grant of $250,000 to prepare a State of the Cities Report (SoCR). The SoCR process will involve surveying twenty cities for growth, productivity, environmental sustainability, service delivery, spatial form, infrastructure, financial resources, and governance. Co-financing totalling $165,000 will be provided by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Housing, Environment and Urban Development ($100,000), the Association of Local Governments ($15,000), and the United Nations Development Programme ($50,000).

South Africa – Strengthening the South African National Upgrading Support Programme
The South Africa Department of Housing received a $500,000 grant to strengthen the National Urban Support Programme by providing crucial support in the first few years of the programme. Main activities include revising and developing an informal settlements policy, and a national strategy to roll-out an informal settlements programme at scale; refining provincial policy and implementation frameworks for upgrading; designing a national capacity building programme for upgrading; developing instruments for private sector investment in upgrading; developing monitoring and evaluation systems to assess programme implementation; and providing technical assistance to provincial housing departments to administer housing funds. Co-financing totalling $1,386,865 will be provided by the National Department of Housing ($1,251,865), USAID ($100,000), and the World Bank ($35,000).

Sri Lanka – Pro-poor Partnerships for Participatory Settlement Upgrading in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Urban Development and Water Supply received a grant of $500,000 to build coherence of effort among international programmes that: support government efforts to institutionalise participatory urban governance approaches, assist the municipal councils of Ratnapura, Kotte and Batticaloa to consolidate and institutionalise participatory urban management mechanisms and partnership approaches through the development of pro-poor settlement upgrading strategies, prepare settlement upgrading action plans to mobilise follow-on investments, and support institutionalisation of lessons learned through local associations and knowledge products that can turn the Cities Without Slums concept into a national social movement. Co-financing totalling $980,000 will be provided by the Government of Sri Lanka ($100,000), local governments ($100,000), local communities ($30,000), the Asian Development Bank ($500,000), UN-HABITAT ($150,000), and the Canadian International Development Agency/Federation of Canadian Municipalities ($100,000).

* Guidelines for proposals and eligibility requirements for funding support are available from the Working with Cities Alliance Guide, accessible from the Cities Alliance website at: http://www.citiesalliance.org/work-with-ca/work-with-ca.html.