REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) appreciated the Indonesian government's target to become slump-free by 2019 through the national program of empowering people for urban development.

Vice General Secretary and Executive Director of UN-Habitat Joan Clos stated during a press release made available to Antara here on Monday that in order to achieve the target, the Indonesian government should develop more inclusive, safer, and sustainable settlements in urban areas.

"Providing inclusive, safe, and sustainable settlements is the main challenge for developing countries, including Indonesia.

So, if Indonesia can develop such settlements for its people, the target to become slump-free by 2019 is visible," Clos noted.

Regarding urbanization, which is considered as one of the factors responsible for the rise in slumps, Clos emphasized that it was not a passive result of development, but should be taken as a source.

"Therefore, it is very important for us to discuss how the post-2015 agenda can meet the challenges in establishing a neat and clean urban spatial distribution of population by pushing sustainable development," he stressed.

According to Clos, Indonesia should also increase its capacity in urban spatial and integrated regions development, so that more people can reside and businesses can flourish.

"I hope that through the implementation of the national program of empowering people for urban development, the local governments and mayors will be able to draw the people's participation in this effort," he remarked.

"The people's participation is very important since the innovative yet participative urban spatial development in Indonesia is challenging," Clos added.

The UN-Habitat supports the Indonesian government to create partnerships with academicians, the business sector, and urban people's groups to elaborate the advanced urban spatial development agenda.

In the last 20 years, UN-Habitat had donated Rp756 billion to support settlements and housing reconstruction in more than ten cities in Indonesia.

In collaboration with the Indonesian government and other United Nations agencies, the overall aim of the UN-Habitat Country Programme is to promote the habitat agenda and play an active role in urban sector policies and pro-poor program development.

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