From:
Witten Tenants Association
Habitat Net, AG Habitat Forum Envirinment and Development
Germany
To:
Executive Director
UN-HABITAT
Nairobi, Kenya
Dear Ms. Tibaijuka,
Our organization received information from Urban Poor Linkage (UPLINK), HIC and ACHR about UN-Habitat’s honour award for the Metropolitan City of Jakarta.
We cannot understand why UN Habitat gives this award to the City of Jakarta. The leading authorities are well known as example for the miss-use of the “city without slums”-approach. Cleaning the cities from the poor by evictions, excluding street vendors etc. is not what we understand by rights-based urban development. So far we thought that UN Habitat supports the people centred strategies which are basically orientated on respect for their rights and security of tenure. The Jakarta matters have already been subject for diverse solidarity calls from Germany including Berlin, which is the partner city of Jakarta.
We fully support the call of our Asian friends not to give this award to the Jakarta authorities. In spite of that the peoples’ organizations in Indonesia should be honored for their exiting solidarity and practical help under dangereous and very diffcult conditions after the Tsunami.
Kind regards
Knut Unger
Coordinator
Witten Tenants Association
Habitat Net, AG Habitat Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung
