The SCP Source Book Series, Volume 3
Establishing and Supportinga Working Group Process
Prepared and written by staff and consultantsof the Sustainable Cities Programme
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About the SCP Source Book Series
The SCP Source Book Series provides detailed operational guidance for the benefit of people implementing city-level projects within the SustainableCities Programme. Each volume in the Series covers either an important part of the SCP process or an important topic which is central to urbanenvironmental planning and management. The volumes currently being produced (1999) include the following:Volume 1: Preparing an Environmental ProfileVolume 2: Organising, Conducting and Reporting a City ConsultationVolume 3: Establishing and Supporting a Working Group ProcessVolume 4: Formulating Issue-Specific Strategies and Action PlansVolume 5: Institutionalising the EPM ProcessVolume 6: Urban Air Quality Management Handbook Volume 7: Building an Environmental Management Information SystemsVolume 8: Integrating Gender Responsiveness in EPMVolume 9: Measuring Progress in EPM
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The emphasis in this Series is on
relevance
and
realism
These volumesare the
product of experience
- field-level experience gained over the pasteight years in SCP city projects around the world. Precisely because it isdrawn from the lessons of experience in so many different cities, theinformation contained in these volumes is not city-specific but can readily beadapted and applied to the tasks of urban environmental planning andmanagement (EPM) in virtually any city context.The Sustainable Cities Programme (SCP) is a global programme of theUnited Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It is the leading technicalcooperation programme in the field of urban environmental planning andmanagement and is the principal activity of the United Nations system for operationalising sustainable urban development and thus contributing toimplementation of
the
globally-agreed
Agenda 21
and
Habitat Agenda
.The SCP is currently active in the following places:
Africa
: Accra (Ghana), Dakar (Senegal), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Ibadan(Nigeria), Lusaka (Zambia), Maputo (Mozambique), Moshi (Tanzania), Nampulo (Mozambique), Zanzibar (Tanzania)
Asia
: Colombo (Sri Lanka), Madras (India), Cagayan de Oro, Tagbilaran,and Lipa (Philippines), Shenyang (China), Wuhan (China)
Middle East
: Ismailia (Egypt), Tunis (Tunisia)
Latin America
: Concepción (Chile)
Central & Eastern Europe
: Katowice (Poland), Moscow (Russia), StPetersburg (Russia).
Further information about the SCP Source Book Series, or about the Sustainable CitiesProgramme itself, may be obtained from:The Sustainable Cities Programme, UN-HABITATP.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi GPO, Kenya, Tel: 254 - 20 - 623 225 or 623 784Fax: 254 - 20 - 623 715, E-mail: scp@unhabitat.org, web-site: http://www.unhabitat.org/scp
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In general, the SCP Source Books are developed based oncity experiences or aredeveloped as operational toolswhich will then be fine-tuned,adapted and applied in cities. An SCP Source Book can be process-specific (Volumes 1 -5), topic-specific (Volume 6) or of a cross-cutting nature(Volumes 7, 8 and 9)
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User’s Guide
This Document is divided into three Parts, each of which has a different purpose and a different content:
Part AIntroduction and Overview
This describes briefly the Working Groups as they operate in an SCP city project, explaining their role in the over-all SCP process. Part A is a generalover-view which should be read by
everyone
concerned with the SCP project,including policy-makers and political leaders.
Part BThe Guide: Establishing and Supporting a Working GroupProcess
This is the main Part of the document. It gives a careful explanation of what the Working Groups are - and of how they can best be organised,established, and supported throughout the life of the SCP project. Theexplanation is detailed and systematic; it is aimed at the professionals and practitioners who will actually be implementing the SCP project on a day-to-day basis. Thus Part B contains not only explanations and guidelines, butalso special ‘tips’ and good advice based on experience in other SCP cities.Examples are also given, in summary form, to show how things were donein these other cities. Part B is thus intended as a reference ‘guidebook’which the SCP project staff and partners can consult over and over again asthey organise, set up, and work with the project’s Working Groups.
Part CAnnexes and Reference Materials
To further assist those implementing the SCP project, Part C contains annexesand supplementary information which is directly related to the Working Group process. For instance, , there are sample Terms of Reference for consultantsand others who assist with the Working Groups, outlines for case study preparation, etc. The annexes and reference material will be of value atdifferent times during the project implementation process, and will help theSCP project staff save time and energy. Relevant bibliographic resourcesare also noted, as are names and addresses of useful contacts.