In the last few years, Bolivia has become a
predominantly urban country. According to UN-Habitat data, 67,5% of Bolivia's
population lives in cities and human settlements. This is a relevant fact that
has direct implications on the “rural” country image that persisted and has
changed within the last decade. This urban population remains lower than the
average population (compared to the South American average 80%) and this fact
gives Bolivia the opportunity to take advantage regarding of the urbanization
process in order to create better life conditions for its citizens.
The urbanization process in Bolivia is based on three
metropolitan agglomerations that surround the areas of La Paz-El Alto,
Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The well designed planning processes
create excellent trends and help in the development of small and intermediate
sized cities.
The Bolivian plurinational state has already designed
and owned a Social and Economic Development Plan (PDES 2016 – 2020), guided by
the concept of the Integral development
for the improvement of life quality (Desarrollo
integral para vivir bien). This plan works as a strategic framework to
prioritize the government actions. The PDES articulates the Patriotic Agenda
2025, and based on its 13 pillars, defines: Eradicating extreme poverty,
Universal access to basic and public healthcare services, Guarantee access to
education and sports, among others. Both instruments allow the road map with
which Bolivia will reach the Bicentennial as a transformed country, great in
happiness and harmony, in complementarity and solidarity, in spiritual and
social wealth, without exclusions and with equality, as predicted by the Plan.
Recently, the Vice Ministry of Housing of Bolivia
participated in the XXVI Assembly of Ministers and High Authorities of Urban
Development and Housing in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Buenos
Aires in June 2017. In a bilateral meeting, Vice Minister Javier Delgadillo
presented a formal request to UN-Habitat to support the actions of the New
Urban Agenda of Bolivia and, within this process, the formulation and
implementation of the National Policy for the Integral Development of Cities,
based on the UN-Habitat methodology for the national urban policies and
habitat.
On the other hand, the Swedish International
Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has called and requested UN-Habitat, as a
specialized entity of the United Nations in urban affairs, to exchange with the
Government of Bolivia and local actors and provide global experience related
with the New Urban Agenda. The articulation with SIDA is crucial for the
Government of Bolivia, and not only from the perspective of the financial
viability of the program. SIDA has been a world leader in the promotion of a
particular vision of development that promoted and achieved profound impacts in
reducing poverty. Sweden's cooperation has adopted a multidimensional approach
to poverty that not only addresses basic and material needs, but also the lack
of voice and power that affects the most vulnerable, focusing on the human
rights-based approach, access to Opportunities and human security.
Taking
into account the above, SIDA and UN-Habitat signed an international cooperation
agreement which objective is to advise and guide the Government of Bolivia in
the formulation and implementation of a National Urban Policy for the
Integrated Development of Cities, within the framework of an urban agenda that
contributes to the sustainable development of human settlements in Bolivia,
applying the methodologies and experience developed by UN-Habitat and the
United Nations System, with the aim of contributing to the achievement of the
great purposes of Living Well of the Patriotic Agenda of the Government of
Bolivia, including the fight against poverty.
This
agreement will be implemented through three work packages: i) Formulation of
the National Urban Policy for the integrated development of cities; ii)
Strategy for local implementation through Integrated Urban Projects and
Operations; and iii) Action plans for urban empowerment and inclusion.
For
the development of the aforementioned agenda, UN-Habitat requires the hiring of
a specialized professional with extensive knowledge in urban issues and
international cooperation, to serve as Liaison Officer with the Office of the
National Coordinator of United Nations in Bolivia.