The aim of The State of African Cities 2018: The geography of African investment report is to contribute to development policies that can turn African cities into more attractive, competitive and resilient foreign direct investment (FDI) destinations. Attracting global FDI is highly competitive and crosses various geographic scales, therefore regional cooperation by cities and nations is critical. But FDI is not a panacea since it has both positive and negative effects and careful choices need to be made by cities in their pursuit of FDI, if it is to lead to inclusive economic growth. This report aims to provide guidance on these choices and to facilitate understanding of the complexity of global investment in Africa.

When three decades of conflict ended in May 2009 in Sri Lanka, approximately 450,000 people had been displaced, with many having to rebuild their lives after having their houses destroyed, having lost family members and with no proper means of livelihood.

The Post-Conflict Reconstruction Programme in Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces implemented by UN-Habitat, provided numerous opportunities as well as challenges and proved to be a testing ground for many new strategies and technologies. The programme proved to be highly successful, completing the reconstruction of 31,350 homes and 520 infrastructure facilities and bringing fractured communities closer together.

This report looks closely at the three main elements that made the programme a success – the participation of people from the inception to the end, the diverse partnerships – donors, government, community based organizations that brought people together to implement the projects and the new and innovative technologies that were introduced to make the programme cost effective and sustainable.

As a result of the protracted conflict in Sri Lanka, much of the infrastructure in the North and East was either badly damaged or completely destroyed. Upon their eventual return, internally displaced people possessed little financial and other resources and as a consequence, were incapable of rebuilding the damaged facilities.

Implemented by UN-Habitat and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, with funding from the Government of Japan, European Union, Government of Australia, Government of Switzerland and the Coca-Cola Foundation, the post conflict reconstruction programme contributed significantly towards the development of conflict affected villages.

This book is a pictorial testimony of community recovery, highlighting the resilience and spirit of the people in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

In May 2009, three decades of conflict came to end in Sri Lanka. While the entire country had suffered as a result, districts in the North and East were devastated. Families were displaced on multiple occasions, compelled to leave their homes for many years. When people eventually returned to their villages, most of their houses had been either badly damaged or completely destroyed. As the majority of people affected were relatively poor with marginal incomes and little or no savings, they were unable to sustain major financial shocks, especially the loss of livelihoods and housing.

Through a series of photographs taken by UN-Habitat and SDC staff members during the implementation of the project, this publication documents the stories of courage, resilience and recovery of a cross section of the homeowners who have successfully reconstructed their homes.

The LENSS Tool Kit is designed to alleviate the difficulties of shelter and settlement needs assessment in the immediate aftermath of a disaster and before the recovery phase.

In Sri Lanka today, as in many other developing countries, there is a growing urgency to come up with creative and sustainable solutions to tackle the twin pressures of infrastructure needs and the interests of communities who are affected by such projects, often losing their homes, land and livelihood in the process.Rapid industrialization has catapulted Colombo, Sri Lankass commercial capital, into an economic hub. However, this has also severely damaged the environment, especially the cityss peripheral areas abounding in factories. One of the worst victims of industrial wastewater pollution is the Lunawa Lake, south of Colombo. The lake straddles two adjoining Municipal Councils: Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia and Moratuwa. Barely a decade ago, it was surrounded by a thriving fisheries industry. Continued discharge of waste water into its waters over the years played havoc, killing most of the fish. Moreover, the catchment area suffers from frequent flooding, due to an inadequate drainage system.

El segundo Encuentro Iberoamericano de Mejores Practicas Urbanas se centro en el analisis y en la discusion de la relacion entre la ciudad en expanison y la ciudad construida. De esta actividad resultaron valiosos aprotes en la construccion del proceso de recuperacion de la primera centralidad de la ciudad.

Dentro del escenario de las Buenas y Mejores Practicas urbanas y ambientales que contribuyen al desarrollo sostenible de la ciudad, el evento reunio actores con intereses y responsabilidades semehantes en la busqueda de objetivos comunes.

If all estimated 400,000 families currently displaced in Darfur return to their places of origin and reconstruct their destroyed homes utilizing the traditional building practices, with wood as the main structural element, they will need to find and cut an estimated 16 million mature trees.

In light of the ongoing documented deforestation, this would be an environmental, social, and economic disaster that must be avoided” (source: project document, 2009). This books comprises a summary approach, lessons learnt of UN-Habitat and DFID funded project in Sudan; using stabilized soil blocks in building of dwellings and institutions in the first stages of recovery in Darfur.

UN-HABITAT Working in Partnership with Sr Lanka Description/Abstract: After the tsunami hit Sri Lanka in December 2004, UN-Habitat has taken a lead role in the shelter recovery and rehabilitation efforts in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka, a multitude of donor agencies and national partner institutions.

UN-Habitat introduced a community-based approach to recovery and reconstruction of shelter and settlements and promoted an owner-driven approach. This publication aims to take stock of these efforts and analyse the role of UN-Habitat and its partners in the post-tsunami housing recovery and reconstruction process.

This book contains summaries of shelter projects that have been implemented in response to conflicts, complex emergencies, and natural disasters from different parts of the world. The projects highlight issues such as rental support, settlement, site planning and coordination.