1. The Settlements Approach and Urban Response
6 July 2018
Urban Settlements Working Group

2. The Settlements Approach, also known as the Area-Based Approach, is an approach to response and recovery that is characterised as
socially based geographically bound,
inclusive and
multi-sectoral
It is not new:
Area Based Approaches builds on experiences of urban and regional planners working on community renewal through geographically-based, multi-sectoral initiatives in poor and vulnerable locations since the 1960s and 1970s
It is Gaining momentum, Policy context:
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s call in 2010 for a “paradigm shift in humanitarian assistance in urban areas, based on a community-based - rather than - an individual beneficiary approach.
The Habitat III Summit, the Global Alliance for Urban Crises and strategy papers by OFDA, ECHO, and UNHCR have acknowledged and promoted their application
What is it?
Urban Settlements Working Group

3. A growing evidence base: Much more to go…
Urban Settlements Working Group

4. A growing evidence base: Much more to go…29 20
Urban Settlements Working Group

5. Assessments & Profiling; Coordination; Programming
Settlement Based Assessments
Settlement Based Coordination
Settlement Based Programming

6. What are we seeing…
Promoting alignment of humanitarian and development priorities
Promotes multi-stakeholder engagement: Who represents the community / settlement?
A settlements approach in relation to a predominantly sector-led system: Complementary or conflicting?
Scale: Breadth vs. Depth; tensions; heterogeneous governments
Durable solutions for those without tenure security
Resource intensive: It takes time and costs money…
General good practice vs. settlement based approaches specificity
Urban Settlements Working Group

7. One of many… IASC WG ED Urban working group
Area based and remote management WG
IASC Reference group on meeting humanitarian challenges in Urban areas
Urban Settlements Working Group

8. Work so far by US WG members
Definitions paper: Area/settlement/neighbourhood based approaches.
Championed Area Based Approach into Sphere revision 2018:
Settlement case studies compendium: 30 case studies in total and macro analysis
Developing Area Based Coordination Piloting: Funding received from GSC to pilot in an agreed urban crisis in 2018
Continued working group sessions: every 6weeks, participation by 20 organisations from other cluster too.
5 year work plan
Urban advocacy / guidance
Area based coordination
“The terms explored in this paper are all linked to humanitarian interventions based on geographic rather than sector-based criteria. Area-based, settlements, and neighborhoods can be thought of as largest to the smallest interventions” definitions paper
Urban Settlements Working Group

9. Applying Settlement Approaches in humanitarian crises: learning from experience
9h45 – 10h30
What are recent experiences and lessons identified from applying settlement based initiatives in both rural contexts and cities in crises?
What opportunities exist in these approaches to contribute to the humanitarian-development nexus?
Urban Settlements Working Group

10. Informal Discussion Groups
11h00 – 11h30
Group One:
How does talking a settlement based-approach change the way you operate/implement? (Sandra)
Group Two:
What opportunities exist in these approaches to contribute to the humanitarian-development nexus?
(Filiep)
Group Three:
What is the relationship between settlement-based approaches and traditional humanitarian sectoral interventions? Are these approaches complementary?
(Seki)
Group Four:
What is the way forward with these approaches? How to influence system change whilst remaining contextually driven, adaptable and innovative?
(James)
Group Five:
What are we missing?... What do you need?
Urban Settlements Working Group

11. Settlement Approaches: Are they compatible with the current humanitarian system? What is the way forward?
11h45 – 12h30
What is the relationship between settlement-based approaches and traditional humanitarian sectoral interventions? Are these approaches complementary?
What is the way forward with these approaches? How to influence system change whilst remaining contextually driven, adaptable and innovative?
Urban Settlements Working Group

12. The Settlements Approach and Urban Response
6 July 2018
Urban Settlements Working Group