A Call to Urgent Action
Over one billion people live on the frontlines of climate change in informal settlements. This number is projected to double by 2050.
The urban poor are forced to live in climate-vulnerable settlements, using inadequate building materials and construction methods highly susceptible to climate shocks.
We are not statistics. We are people. We are a movement.
We are resilience in action.
For over 30 years, Slum Dwellers International (SDI) has practised locally-led climate adaptation in informal settlements in over 22 countries. Despite limited institutionalisation or policy support, urban poor communities are imagining their own futures through precedent setting pilots. We upgrade our communities because we cannot afford
to wait.
Cover photograph courtesy of Know Your City Zambia
Slum Upgrading is Climate Action
Despite the growing crisis, world leaders and global institutions are not treating climate action—let alone climate justice—with the urgency it demands. SDG 11, which aims for inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities, remains far from reality for our communities.
From Promises to Working Partnerships
Governments and all stakeholders must urgently honour and fast-track the implementation of the Global Action Plan (GAP) for transforming informal settlements and slums by 2030, using more appropriate and inclusive approaches.
Now is the time to turn promises into partnerships and jointly
design a #DignifiedUrbanLife that leaves no one behind.
Slum Upgrading is Climate Adaptation — from the Ground Up
We live with the problems. We must lead the solutions.
Housing is our first line of defense against climate change, but it’s more than just about four walls. Housing inequalities and injustices are driving climate vulnerability.
Basic rights, such as land tenure security, have not been widely secured. Forced evictions, driven by the commodification of land, are accelerating under climate pressure, further limiting adaptive capacity. Being organised increases our bargaining power to secure tenure and drive incremental, community-led slum upgrading. Organised communities are advocating for secure tenure to unlock resilience capacity.
We don’t wait. We act.
We feel climate risks first.
We adapt to climate changes.
We are the first to respond to climate shocks.
Equitable Financing
We invest in our own adaptation and upgrading.
Over the past 20 years, only 3.5% of global climate finance was allocated to the urban poor. This gap is likely to widen. While informal settlements lack essential infrastructure and basic services, households are forced to spend a significant portion of their already limited income on climate adaptation.
Women-led savings groups are the building blocks of our movement. Members’ savings are pooled and networked into Urban Poor Funds (UPFs), which support housing upgrades, climate adaptation, disaster response, and essential services. Urban Poor Funds (UPFs) are a community-led financing model grounded in solidarity, with a strong track record of direct accountability to their members for every cent spent, despite receiving limited support from international funders.
Community action alone isn’t enough — scaling impact requires sustained investment, institutionalisation and critical infrastructure.
Governments, donors, climate finance agencies, and all stakeholders must move beyond top-down funding mechanisms and support climate action aligned with the principles of Locally Led Adaptation (LLA). Direct investment in community-led adaptation is a high-impact, cost-effective strategy that delivers better value for money in building resilient and inclusive cities.
Know Your City
Community-led Data Collection for Slum Upgrading
Community participation in urban planning must be inclusive to be effective. SDI Federations leverage community-collected data for evidence-based advocacy, making the invisible visible, engaging governments to promote inclusive urban development and policy. This approach helps fill gaps in official data and ensures that local knowledge informs decision-making.
We map our communities. We count our homes.
We document our needs
We collect our own data, we take control of our future.
Information is our Power.
Halala SDI, halala!
SDI at CBA19
SDI is represented at CBA19 by the SDI Secretariat and the following Affiliates:
Kenya: Muungano wa Wanavijiji & SDI Kenya
Philippines: Homeless Peoples’ Federation Philippines & Philippine Action for Community-led Shelter Initiatives
Senegal: Fédération Sénégalaise des Habitants & UrbaSEN
Tanzania: Tanzania Urban Poor Federation & Centre for Community Initiatives
Uganda: National Slum Dwellers Federation of Uganda & ACTogether Uganda
Zambia: Zambian Homeless & Poor People’s Federation & People’s Process on Housing and Poverty in Zambia
Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation & Dialogue on Shelter
Visit SDI at the CBA19 Marketplace Stall #14 on Floor 2 and join us at the following sessions:
MONDAY 12th May 2025
Equitable finance mechanisms by the urban poor
Hosts: Center for Community Initiatives & SDI
Time: 15h30 to 17h00
Location: Sala Moxoto (Floor 3)
Living the LLA principles – women and traditional
communities leading action from the global South
Hosts: Avina Foundation; Tropenbos International; Huairou Commission & SDI
Time: 13h30 to 15h00
Location: Sala Sao Francisco (Floor 2)
THURSDAY, 15 May 2025
Coalitions for inclusive climate action – urban labs and youth-led climate planning
Hosts: IIED; SDI Kenya; World Resources Institute & United Nations University
Time: 13h30 to 15h00
Location: Sala Moxoto (Floor 3)
SDI’s participation at CBA19 forms part of the Generating Ambition for Locally Led Adaptation (GA-LLA) programme, a collaborative initiative led by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and generously supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in the Netherlands.
