Dr Rao.VBJ Chelikani
By 2050, nearly 70% of the global population is expected to live in urban areas. While India remains less urbanised than many Latin American and several African countries, Telangana has urbanised rapidly, with its urban population estimated at slightly above 50% by 2026. This urbanisation process is likely to be much faster than expected in the past. But urbanisation is not simply a matter of demography but also an indicator of the growth of human aspirations and the means to fulfil them, reflecting a higher standard of living among residents.
We must accept urbanisation as a natural modern phenomenon in human settlements for economic growth, more jobs and social progress in the interests of future generations, as we cannot go back to rural life in villages. On the other hand, we are implementing programmes such as PURA: Provision of Urban Amenities to Rural Areas. Among the new settlers in municipalities and corporations, many form or join and live in self-managed, co-owned, associative communities that provide services on the principle of mutuality, such as Resident Welfare Associations, Apartment Owners‟ Associations, Cooperative Housing Societies, and gated-community associations.
All these human settlements in towns and cities will be under unprecedented economic pressure due to mass exodus, amassing and concentration of populations, slums, poverty, especially among women, and dependent children, scarcity of housing and basic services of water, etc., unemployment and underemployment, ethnic tensions and violence, substance abuse, crime and social disintegration. Our ways of living are leading to climate change, land degradation, traffic congestion, and air, water, and soil pollutions. Yet, since many of them, belonging to the middle classes, are qualified, competent, and young, aspiring professionals, and they are empowered by knowledge and social responsibility to attend to these problems in governing newly formed neighbourhood communities and in local area development.
My thesis is that, given their rich Human Capital and Social Capital, urban citizens alone can significantly contribute to promoting Human Development and Social Development in their areas. If they are allowed to participate in overall governance, especially local governance, it will improve faster city development and, consequently, national development. You may communicate with these institutions for knowledge exchange, urban sustainability initiatives, climate resilience programmes, waste management practices, participatory governance models and Sustainable Development Goal localisation projects. We will certainly stand a better chance if we face these challenges together in a global partnership. This is the mission of the UNO and some of its Agencies, which can be contacted directly by any RWA manager for inspiration, communication and for collaboration in certain cases.
I. The United Nations has organised two major global conferences on human settlements: Habitat I in Vancouver, 1976, focusing on Housing, Urbanisation, and Basic Human Settlements. Habitat II in Istanbul, June 1996, focused on “Adequate Shelter for All” and “Sustainable Human Settlements Development.” Later, the UN shifted to ongoing discussions for a New Urban Agenda (NUA), which is a global framework to guide sustainable urban development through 2036 and beyond. It was formally adopted at the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III) in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016. But, the term 'Resident Welfare Associations' has not been explicitly central in Habitat I or II documents.
However, their spirit is reflected in concepts like: Community Participation, Decentralised Urban Governance, Local Stakeholder Involvement etc. In Habitat II, there is a stronger emphasis on Civil Society Participation, Grassroots Governance and Partnerships between Government and Local Communities. One notable shift after Quito is the stronger institutional recognition of 'stakeholders' beyond governments, especially local communities and organised residents in implementing the New Urban Agenda. In the formal outcome documents of Habitat III, the term (RWAs) does not appear explicitly, as the UN generally avoids country-specific administrative terminology. The term 'RWA' is strongly associated with Indian urban governance, whereas UN texts prefer globally transferable categories as civil society, community organizations, neighbourhood groups, local stakeholders, and grassroots participants, homeowner associations, tenants groups, community-based organizations (CBOs), federations of slum dwellers and neighbourhood associations.
The concept, nevertheless is aligned closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: “Sustainable Cities and Communities.” The concept emphasises that all residents, not only property owners or elites, should benefit from urban development. The Sustainable Urban Planning implies Compact City Design, Mixed Land Use, Transit-oriented Development, Reduced Urban Sprawl and Green Infrastructure. The SDG 11 supports affordable housing for all and their Climate Resilience with preparedness in case of floods, heat waves, pollution, resource scarcity and disaster risks. It is participatory governance as it emphasizes Decentralization, Local government empowerment, Citizen participation and Transparency in urban governance.
1. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat): P.O. Box 30030-00100, Nairobi,Kenya.Telephone:+254-20-7621234 :Email: unhabitat-info@un.org Website:UN-Habitat Official Website. India Office: 3rd Floor, HUDCO/HSMI Building, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003. Tel:+91-11- 47884777.unhabitat.india@un.org Website:UNHabitat India
II. How to Relate Yourself to Other UN Frameworks
While UN-Habitat is the primary UN body focused on cities, housing, neighbourhoods, and participatory urban governance, there are several other UN-system entities and affiliated mechanisms that deal with community-based urban governance models like the Resident Welfare Associations.
1. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): In practice, UNDP programs in many countries interact with resident associations, just as the RWAs interact with municipalities in India. It works extensively on local governance, participatory planning, ward committees, community associations, and decentralisation. It often supports neighbourhood participation, local accountability mechanisms, citizen engagement in municipalities and community-based urban development.
Headquarters: One United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.Telephone +1-212-906- 5000.Website:UNDP Official Website. India Office:UNDP India Country Office,55 Lodhi Estate,NewDelhi–110003.Tel:+91-11- 4653 2333. supportsdghub.in@undp.org Website:UNDP India
2. World Health Organisation (WHO): works through its “Healthy Cities” and Urban Governance initiatives. WHO promotes community participation in city governance and neighbourhood-level engagement. Their framing is health-oriented, but operationally, it includes resident participation networks and local urban councils. Headquarters: Avenue Appia 20, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.Tel:+41-22-7912111. Info @ who .int Website: WHO Official Website WHO ContactUs WHO Country Office for India: R.K. Khanna Tennis Stadium,1,Africa Avenue, NewDelhi– 110029.Tel:+91-11-66564800 wrindia@who.int Website: WHO India
3. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF): Especially in informal settlements and childfriendly city programs, UNICEF works with community resident committees, local neighbourhood organisations and urban civic participation groups. Focus is usually on service delivery, sanitation, safety, and inclusion Headquarters: New York, USA. Telephone:+1-212- 3267000 UNICEF Official Website.India Office: UNICEF House,73 Lodi Estate, New Delhi – 110003.Telephone:+91-11-24690401. Email: newdelhi@unicef.org Website:UNICEFIndia
4. United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific: Discusses participatory urban governance, local democracy, and civic engagement in Asia-Pacific cities. It sometimes references community associations and urban citizen groups as governance stakeholders. Headquarters:Bangkok, Thailand.Telephone:+66-2- 2881234.Email:escap-publicinfo@un.org UNESCAP Official Website.India Office: UN ESCAP Subregional Office, C-2 Qutab Institutional Area. New Delhi-110 016. Tel:+91-11-30973700
5. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Through SDG localisation and local governance frameworks, it addresses community participation, local institutional mechanisms and civil society participation in urban management. Headquarters: United Nations Headquarters,New York, USA.Tel:+1-212-9631234.UNDESA OfficialWebsite.desa@un.org
6. United Cities and Local Governments: Though not formally a UN body, but deeply connected to the UN urban governance ecosystem and works closely with UN-Habitat. It frequently discusses neighbourhood governance, citizen assemblies, participatory local governance and resident-led urban management. Headquarters: Avinyó 15, 08002 Barcelona, Spain Tel:+34-933428750. info@uclg.org UCLG OfficialWebsite. India Presence: Works with Indian municipal corporations and local government institutions through partnerships.
7. United Nations Advisory Committee of Local Authorities: It advises the UN system on local governance and decentralisation; Focuses more on municipal governance than RWAs directly, but resident participation structures are part of the municipal governance discourse. Secretariat: Hosted by UN-Habitat, Nairobi, Kenya. Contact through UN-Habitat Email: unhabitatinfo@un.org Website: UNACLA Information Page.
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