Brazil official: Informal settlements can become drivers of urban development

Informal settlements can be viewed not only as problem areas, but also as potential centers of social, economic, and environmental development for cities, Samia Nascimento Sulaiman, General Coordinator of the Department for Risk Prevention and Mitigation at the Ministry of Cities of Brazil, said during discussions held within the framework of World Urban Forum 13 in Baku.

Report quotes her as saying Brazil is implementing the Periferia Viva program, aimed at the comprehensive urbanization of peripheral areas while taking into account residents" needs and involving both local and national authorities.

"We discuss with communities what infrastructure solutions are needed and how they should be implemented in specific districts," she said.

Samia Nascimento Sulaiman emphasized that the effective development of such territories is possible only through coordination among different levels of government and by integrating urban, environmental, cultural, and social programs into a unified policy.