NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

---

1. Urban Waste Expertise Programme (UWEP)

*WASTE is seeking a bilingual author (French/English) to write a publication on community participation in waste management.

UWEP has already published 8 case studies on community participation in West African and Asian cities. The programme animators wish to analyse and interpret these studies from the following perspectives: typology, forms and intensity of community participation in waste management, relations between grassroots organisations, micro-entrepreneurs, and local authorities, respective roles of women and men in the organisation of community activities; what integration in the municipal waste management system? What conditions render community participation efficient?

UWEP is seeking an author competent in social dynamics and the issue of waste in Southern cities.
Contact : Maria Muller (mmuller@waste.nl).

---

2. Best Practices and Local Leadership Programme (BLLP)

The World Habitat Day 1998 will be held in Dubai, on October 5th. The BLLP steering committee will meet in Dubai from June 20 - 23 to prepare this important event.

This preparatory meeting will allow the committee to evaluate the advancement of the programme for 1998. The provisional agenda foresees a series of presentations by partners, the presentation of several Best Practice networks, and a series of workshops on:

• Lessons Learned from the Dubai International Award
• Constitution of the Committee and the Network
• The definition a format for the Case Study Series
• The transfer tool for the Best Practices
• Financing and Funding research for the programme
• Action plan for 1998-1999

For more information:

• Best Practices: http://www.bestpractices.org
• UNCHS: http://www.unhabitat.org/blp
• Dubai Municipality: http://www.dm.gov.ae

3. URBANET Programme
UMP - Latin America and the Caribbean

URBANET is an international database whose objective is the promotion of the use and exchange of information on the theme of urban management

The database is particularly oriented towards international organisations, NGOs, professionals in urban management, researchers, but is also open to the public. As of June 1998, an interactive research on the URBANET database will possible through internet.

The fundamental objective is to develop and manage a database which will serve as an institutional and sectorial memory, and will allow debates between various aid or assistance organisations, to share experiences at an international level.

The main sections of the database will be:

1. Teachings
2. Manuals and guides
3. Institutions
4. Projects
5. Articles
6. Professionals and experts
7. Consulting organisations

The 7 sections contain information on projects, bibliographies, contacts and lessons learned taken from evaluations and reports. The information will be classified by theme / technical and inter-sectorial field, geographic area or field of intervention.

For more information on URRBANET, please contact:

URBANET UMP/GTZ
Garcia Moreno 1201 y Mejia
Casilla 17-01-2505, Quito, Ecuador
Tel/fax: (593-2) 583 961 - 282 361 - 282 364
e-mail: urbanet@pgu.ecuanex.net.ec

UMP/GTZ (Antje Bergmann-Reutter or Dr. Janos Zimmermann)
P.O. 5180 65726 Eschborn Germany
Telephone: +49-6196-791341
Fax: +49-6196-797153
e-mail: janos.zimmermann@gtz.de

---

4. UNCHS Global Urban Observatory

The issue presents the Global Urban Observatory, an international network aimed at helping cities and populations in the decision making process, and choices for investment to improve their environment. Its mandate to facilitate the implementation of the Habitat II Agenda and the localisation of Agenda 21.

The Urban Observatory also seeks to assist its partners in measuring their own improvement in actions aiming to make cities safer, healthier, more equitable and more sustainable.

For more information, please visit the website at:

<http://www.unhabitat.org/guo>