Asian Coalition for Housing Rights

The Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR) is a network of community organisations in Asia working on issues related to urban poverty, slums and slum upgrading.

ACHR was established in 1989 in response to housing rights and evictions across Asian cities. It focuses on supporting the establishment and development of grassroots organisations of the urban poor, who can effectively advocate on housing and land reform. It also equips these community organisations with technical support, such as architects and urban planners who can help the urban poor to map their living conditions and draw up comprehensive site plans for upgrading or relocation projects.[1]

ACHR champions communities as experts on urban poverty and actors capable of contributing to urban development. By linking residents of informal settlements at the settlement, city, country and regional scale, ACHR provides a channel for the urban poor to influence policy and programmes.[2] It also allows the urban poor to share success stories and lessons learned across Asian cities.[3]

ACHR has been at the forefront of innovations in how development is structured and funded to maximise the value of state and donor funds alongside community resources. Central to this has been the Asian Coalition for Community Action (ACCA), a fund supporting local organisations through professional exchanges and grants/loans in 165 cities and 19 Asian countries.

The Secretariat of the ACHR is based in Bangkok. The Secretary General is Somsook Boonyabancha, who was formerly Director of the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) in Thailand. ACHR has close ties with the Slum Dwellers International movement,[4] having supported SDI to initiate saving schemes, form local slum federations and establish dialogues with municipal and national governments on issues such as sanitation, water and relocation.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Archer D, Luansang C, Boonmahathanakorn S (2012). "Facilitating community mapping and planning for citywide upgrading: the role of community architects". Environment and Urbanization. 24 (1).
  2. ↑ Burris S, Hancock T, Lin V, Herzog A. (2007). "Emerging Strategies for Healthy Urban Governance". Journal of Urban Health. 84 (1): 154–163.
  3. ↑ D’Cruz C, Satterthwaite D. (2006). "The role of urban grassroots organizations and their national federations in reducing poverty and achieving the millennium development goals.". Global Urban Development. 2 (1): 1–17.
  4. ↑ About ACHR Archived August 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
  5. ↑ Patel S, Burra C, D’Cruz C (2001). "Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) - foundations to treetops". Environment and Urbanization. 13 (2).


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