Brasília - The Minister of Cities, Olívio Dutra, wants Brazil to revise its relationship with international organizations, especially financial institutions. According to the Minister, without this change it will be impossible to fulfill the so-called goals of the millenium, determined by the United Nations (UN). He points out that Brazil, as one of the signatory countries to these international conventions, which have to do with access to decent housing in a clean environment, pledged to reduce its basic sanitation deficit at least 10% by 2015 and diminish 10% of its housing inequalities by 2020.

"The way they lend money does not make it possible for poor or developing countries effectively to reduce at least 10% - which is still very little - of the basic sanitation deficit by 2015, as well as removing a minimum of 100 million people from these indecent housing conditions of substandard settlements," the Minister underscored.

Dutra plans to take the debate to the World Urban Forum, which will be held in Barcelona from September 13-17. He will represent Brazil at the event, as well as being co-president of the Forum, which is being organized by the UN. "The financial agencies cannot continue blocking funds from the domestic savings of poor and developing countries themselves, in order for these agencies to guarantee that debtors will continue to pay, even if it is in detriment to social progress and attention to basic rights in the debtor countries," he complains.

From the Minister's perspective, the agencies should not consider investments in housing and sanitation as part of the debt of borrowing countries. "The lenders, the financial agencies, should consider investments in housing and sanitation not as debt but as investment in human beings, which will improve the lives of thousand of individuals. It thus has yields in the quality of life of these people, their self-esteem, and the possibility that new small, medium, and even large-scale enterprises will arise in connection with basic sanitation, the construction of decent housing, and solidary use of urban space."

Dutra also wants there to be greater integration among poor and developing countries as a way to meet the challenges and fulfill international commitments in the area of housing and sanitation.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Juliana Andrade
Translator: David Silberstein
09/08/2004