The Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities Project (LIUPCP) under the National Urban Poverty Reduction Programme (NUPRP) of UNDP builds on the work of the Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction (UPPR) project which has illustrated the progress that can be made with enhancing  the status of women through targeting and taking deliberate efforts to include them in the community  development work, not just as participants, but also in positions of leadership.  These strengths will be built on and the programme includes provision for additional work in particular to  address the growing problem of violence against women and girls in informal and low-income settlements,  and to prevent early marriage. Recognising the distinct exacerbated disadvantage encountered by people  with disabilities that cut across vulnerable groups, a third cross-cutting element will ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are addressed.

The LIUPCP develops a genuinely national approach to urban poverty reduction. This will combine the successful elements of the UPPR Project whilst building on the experience of existing urban development projects, both those having a direct impact on poor people, and
those contributing to wider urban development and governance and that have an indirect impact on poor people.The LIUPCP develops a genuinely national approach to urban poverty reduction. This will combine the successful elements of the UPPR Project whilst building on the experience of existing urban development projects, both those having a direct impact on poor people, and those contributing to wider urban development and governance and that have an indirect impact on poor people.

HOW THE CHANGE WILL COME

The overarching theory of change in urban development, and with a specific focus on urban poverty reduction, is relatively complex, contingent on a range of factors, and will vary between countries and cities. But there is an emerging consensus on the foundations for promoting urban development and tackling poverty, internationally and in Bangladesh.

In outline, the theory of change is that:

• If the national policy framework and collaboration between agencies is strengthened, and underscored
  by building the autonomy and the capacity of urban local government (ULG),
• And inclusive governance, coupled with better local government management and planning
  spearheads local sustainable and equitable urban development,
•  And the urban poor are better organised, represented and recognised, and develop greater safety,
  security and well-being,
•  Then towns will be more inclusive of the urban poor and able to target poverty reduction, be better
  planned and more resilient to the impact of climate change, and provide the context for, and support
  of, local economic development.