The 20th. Century ended with major warnings regarding poverty, environmental devastation and population growth. Multilateral organizations, worldwide forums and academic research have indicated that the reduction of poverty, increased and inclusive economic development, and a fair distribution of wealth are among the main tasks for the initial decades of the New Millennium.The challenge is to minimize burgeoning poverty in cities, improve access to basic needs such as shelter, clean water and sanitation, education and employment and training. And because growing urban populations are increasingly inhabitating land previously used for agricultural or industrial uses, it is also essential to achieve economic growth that is socially and environmentally sustainable. Worldwide, almost a billion people live in shanty towns and the increasing numbers of urban poor do not have adequate housing, sufficient income, access to education, adequate safety and security, or a political voice. More than 40 percent of the world's population lacks basic sanitation and more than one billion people still use unsafe sources of drinking water. Lack of safety in urban shanty towns and the effects of natural disasters overwhelmingly affect the most vulnerable, causing great fear and despair. Despite these difficult factors, around the world the least-fortunate members of society have started to envision their role in the struggle to improve their living conditions.Traditional social programs and policies have generally been designed and/or approved by specialized government staff and decision makers. These efforts may be well grounded for situational assessment purposes but they often do not reflect poverty-related issues as experienced by people living in poverty on a daily basis and/or who have experienced them for generations. There is often a political bias in the origin of social policies that respond to institutional goals or interests, but which rarely relate to the needs of empoverished citizens. Over time, even though many economies have become stronger and more efficient, the share of wealth available to those in the most-disadvantaged segments of society has diminished. Also, a top-down decision-making style has resulted in the loss of valuable resources, including diminished human efforts and hopes because 'beneficiaries' are not sufficiently empowered to make appropriate use of allocated resources.Human and financial resources, political will and organized citizens are required to revitalize local economies, build financial security for individuals and families and make cities livable for all people. Such a community development approach invites and encourages members of all segments of society to become engaged and active in finding solutions to the issues in their communities. Achieving solutions that truly meet the needs of all citizens can only occur when decision-making considers the needs of the entire community and prioritizes people in both business and government agendas.In previous international discussions we have introduced the innovative alliance established in 2004 by the Vancouver Agreement, an urban development inititiative of the governments of Canada, British Columbia and the City of Vancouver, the Institute of Public Administration of Canada and the Community Intersectoral Methological Model (MOMIC) in Chile.

Inglés