A delegation from India visited the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasilia in May to learn more about the slum upgrading programmes there.
The visit was facilitated by the Cities Alliance and the World Bank within the framework of India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA) trilateral agreement on cooperation in various sectors, including human settlements.
Ajay Suri, the Regional Advisor for the Cities Alliance, accompanied the delegation from India which included representatives of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Ministry of Finance, and the Planning Commission, Government of India; the state governments of Maharashtra and Kerala; and the Municipal Corporation of Surat.
They were met by Brazilian officials from the Ministry of Cities, the State Institute for Urban Development, and the Municipality of São Paulo.
Discussions among the delegations mainly revolved around various issues of slum upgrading in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Of particular interest to the Indian delegation was a demonstration of Habisp, an information system to map housing in São Paulo that was supported by the Cities Alliance.
Other aspects related to slum upgrading such as planning, implementation, monitoring, funding, and community engagement were also discussed.
The Indian delegates concluded their trip by visiting several settlements and also meeting with the Cities Alliance Programme Manager William Cobbett and representatives of the World Bank.
