Social exclusion >> Urbanization


SDDirect promotes inclusive and socially just cities. We encourage the international development community to 'think urban' and to consider how the 'right to the city' might be achieved for all. While some of this work has a specific urban focus, we also apply an 'urban lens' to other assignments, highlighting the need for different policy and programme responses in urban and rural areas.


SDDirect's work responds to the following critical areas of urban poverty, development and governance:

  • Human rights
    Urban poverty and inequality are issues of rights: the poor and displaced living in growing urban centres face a set of specific discriminations that undermine their fundamental human rights
  • Voice and Accountability
    Promoting citizen voice and accountability in cities involves ensuring that as many perspectives as possible have an influence over city development. It also means ensuring that governments at municipal or metropolitan level can be held accountable. We work with both civil society and representatives of the state to strengthen the supply and demand sides of governance
  • Gender
    Women and girls in cities face a series of gender-specific challenges, including safety and security, the double burdens of work both inside and outside the home, and secure access to land and housing. We draw on our gender expertise to ensure that women and girls are able to benefit from all that city life has to offer
  • Exclusion
    Cities over the centuries have served as 'melting pots' for different ethnic groups, but minority ethnic and religious groups are also often marginalised through the formation of ghettos, exclusion from public life and sectarian violence. We offer analysis and policy advice on how to reach these extreme poor and particularly marginalised groups
  • Conflict
    Cities are potential areas of conflict, where ethnic and communal violence can fester or flare up suddenly. They are also the principal sites of gang violence. At SDDirect, we have extensive expertise and skills in conflict issues and wide-ranging experience in conflict-affected environments. We offer conflict analysis, conflict-sensitive policy and programme development and conflict prevention and mitigation strategies

Contact

Lucy Earle lucy@sddirect.org.uk
Sue Phillips : sue@sddirect.org.uk

Knowledge Module for UN Women documents Parivartan initiative

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Social assessment of General Education Quality Improvement Programme in Ethiopia

The aims of the assessment were to understand the factors that exclude children from school, to review the social context for the provision of education, and to suggest how negative social impact could be reduced. ... more