Samia Nascimento Sulaiman: Local solutions needed for residents of informal settlements

The transformation of informal settlements should be viewed not through their elimination, but through addressing risks, preserving people's rights to remain in their neighborhoods while providing basic infrastructure, Samia Nascimento Sulaiman, General Coordinator of the Department of Risk Mitigation and Prevention at the Ministry of Cities of Brazil, said during a panel session at WUF13, Report informs.

According to her, the key problem in a number of countries is that, instead of improving living conditions, the state often effectively relocates residents from risk areas without providing sustainable solutions on the ground.

"We are discussing how governments can provide infrastructure, education, and basic services so that people can remain in their neighborhoods safely," she said.

She noted that the development of informal settlements should be built through the participation of local communities and the integration of urban, social, and climate policies, rather than through their exclusion from urban space.