In many countries, legislation can be a barrier to good urban governance and urban poverty reduction. Outdated or contradictory legislation can disempower local authorities and the urban poor, preventing them from taking concrete measures to improve the quality of life in cities. Recognizing these realities, the Global Campaign on Urban Governance proposes to take action on three fronts. First, by exploring the links between international law and the principles of good governance, the Campaign will provide a substantive and legal basis to promote normative debate on the principles of good urban governance. This work will also support the ongoing "Dialogue on Decentralisation" the follow-up activity to the World Charter of Local Self-Government. Second, the work on legislation will support the preparation of national campaigns by examining Government commitments to international and human rights legislation. Third, the Campaign will provide support to countries seeking to revise national, state/provincial or local legislation to provide for more inclusive urban governance. • International Legal Instruments Addressing Good Urban Governance This report examines the extent to which the principles of good urban governance, as defined by UN-HABITAT’s Global Campaign on Urban Governance, conform with international legal instruments agreed by the United Nations. Looking specifically at international human rights law, this handbook for legal experts, national and local governments suggests that there is an implicit international consensus on key principles of good governance. To download the publication, please click here. • Support to legislative reform in Kenya UN-HABITAT’s national level support to legislative reform has been initiated in Kenya. The Campaign has provided inputs to the review of the Kenya Local Government Act through the Consultative Group on Participatory Local Governance. UN-HABITAT's submission has two purposes. First, to draw attention to Kenya’s commitments to participatory governance in international law and in commitments it has made at various international conferences sponsored by the United Nations. The paper also highlights the examples of legislation from The Philippines, Bolivia and South Africa that enshrine participatory governance, as a source of text that could be incorporated in Kenya. For more information, please see the submission. Future areas of interest of the Campaign in the area of legislative reform include: - Case-studies of Enabling Legislation: In collaboration with the Urban Management Programme, the Campaign has initiated research on legislation that institutionalises participation in urban planning and management.
- Sourcebook and Guidelines for Pro-Poor Legislation: Also being undertaken in collaboration with the Urban Management Programme, this publication aims to present examples of national, state/provincial and local legislation that is designed in whole or in part to improve the quality of life of the urban poor. The publication will also attempt to provide practical guidelines for human settlement professionals involved in legislative reviews
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