Annex 6 to OIC/COMCEC/36-20/REP
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5- THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 15TH MEETING
OF THE POVERTY ALLEVIATION WORKING GROUP
The COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group (PAWG) has successfully held its 15 th
Meeting on September 29 th , 2020, in a virtual-only format, with the theme of “Urban
Poverty in the OIC Member Countries.”
During the Meeting, PAWG made deliberations on reducing urban poverty in the OIC
Member Countries. Room Document, prepared in accordance with the main findings of the
research report conducted specifically for the 15 th Meeting of PAWG and the answers of
the Member Countries to the policy questions were the main input for the discussions.
During the Meeting, the participants agreed on the policy recommendations included in
the Room Document. The existing document includes these policy recommendations
highlighted during the Meeting.
Policy Recommendation 1: Developing comprehensive and effective urban planning
strategies that particularly focus on better management of slums to prevent uncontrolled
growth of existing slums and formation of new ones, and improving the access of slum
dwellers to basic services such as education and health services through strategic
investments.
Rationale:
Slums are the main poverty hubs in urban areas. Developing more effective urban planning
strategies that particularly focus on better management of slums (through
dissolving/depopulating them and preventing formation of new ones) could be a first step
towards eradicating urban poverty. There are numerous good examples of such urban
planning strategies in the Islamic world (e.g., Housing Development Administration
(TOKİ) in Turkey and Purbachal New Town project in Bangladesh). Improving the access
of slum dwellers to education and health services through strategic investments can help
break poverty cycles. Moreover, in developing as well as implementing these strategies,
it is crucial to utilize the relevant ICT tools and techniques more effectively to monitor
slums and accurately identify the urban poor.