What have we learnt from the people: report on 3rd LIFE grantee NGOs workshop

This report documents the proceedings of the 3rd LIFE grantee NGOs workshop, held during two days in Faisalabad, Pakistan, 1998. LIFE (Local Initiative Facility for Urban Environment) was launched in Pakistan in 1993 by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). It supports local initiatives carried out by city dwellers in cooperation with municipal governments, NGOs and CBOs (community based organisations) to tackle environmental and social issues facing rapidly growing town and cities. The workshop was arranged with representatives from LIFE grantee NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to compare, analyse and discuss project experiences. Participants also visited one of the nearby LIFE projects. This report contains some brief notes on the proceedings and general discussions held in the workshop. It also gives more detailed account of some of the presentations made. This includes a keynote address concerning lessons learned in community based urban development from low income settlements, drawing from experiences of the Orangi pilot project; a presentation reflecting on the role of UNDP in changing urban patterns in Pakistan; and a session on exchange of key issues of mutual concern for the involved NGOs. Some of the main conclusions were that NGOs need to work together with the government at the policy level and at the field level; they need to seek out community activists, integrate them into the projects and give them training; larger projects should consider paying staff; young people should be encouraged to participate as they are intrinsically idealistic; NGOs need more transparency; information sharing should be improved in order to avoid duplication of work; and the involvement of commercial businesses should be considered. Annexes include statistics on urban growth in Pakistan; summaries of three LIFE projects (Anjuman Samaji Behbood, Lahore Sanitation Programme, and Faisalabad Area Upgrading Project); workshop schedule; and a list of participants.