UN-HABITAT AND ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

JOINT PROGRAMME IN ACEH-NIAS

Working to Re-Build Homes in Nias and Simeulue

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and UN-HABITAT are working together to help local communities rebuilding the areas, which were devastated by the December 2004 Tsunami and the March 2005 earthquake that hit Aceh and Nias. ADB has signed a collaboration agreement with UN-HABITAT for the reconstruction of 945 houses, on Nias island 486 and 459 on Simeulue island. These houses will be rebuilt in nine villages and are expected to be completed by early December 2007. The project will cost an estimated $$9.2 million.

Implementing this project UN-HABITAT will work very closely with the communities, including village planning, selection of beneficiaries and coordination of housing construction activities. This people-centered approach fosters innovation in dealing with local problems. It encourages people to resolve land disputes, to determine village priorities, to share common resources like water and timber and assures the production and procurement of building materials. The affected families will collectively take decisions in all critical aspects, which concern the reconstruction of their settlements.

Mr. Pieter Smidt, who oversees ADB’s reconstruction efforts in Aceh and Nias, has noted the cross the board adoption of a community-lead approach for the housing programme by BRR, NGOs and international agencies. He further observed that land ownership issues and the involvment of women take an important position in the housing programme.

The housing programme encourages the direct involvement of the community in design and implementation. “The end product of our assistance” according to Rehan Kausar, ADB’s Housing Advisor, “will reflect the aspirations of the local communities. We are going one step further by providing essential community infrastructure to fulfil the goal of building back better”.

“This programme strategy ensures that affected families are at the centre of the recovery process. The People’s Process will lead to greater transparency in managing the grants, which the programme provides to the affected families” remarked Binod Shrestha, Programme Manager for UN-HABITAT for Aceh and Nias. ”We are pleased that UN-HABITAT has been selected as an implementation partner by BRR and ADB to assist in the reconstruction programme on Nias” added Shrestha.

UN-HABITAT in cooperation with UNDP has already provided support to 3,446 beneficiary families to rebuild their houses. It also delivered basic infrastructure, as prioritized by the communities. What has been demonstrated so far is that, with propere facilitation, the beneficiaries of a housing project can contribute with design decisions, select material and labour, manage construction phases, and administer funds. This form of total user participation has increased beneficiary satisfaction. In the end people feel that they have rebuilt their own homes.

The Map of  UN-Habitat Projects in Nias (download zip 1,492 KB)