The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General has selected an Indian expert, Sheela Patel, to be on the high-level independent panel on urban poverty alleviation and advocacy for slum dwellers.

The independent panel will access and enhance effectiveness of the agency for human settlements and sustainable urban development.

Sheela Patel, is the Founder and Director of the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) and a global expert on urban poverty alleviation and advocacy for slum dwellers. She is also a Padmashree awardee, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.

In 1984, Patel founded SPARC, a Mumbai-based non-governmental organization, mainly focused on the housing and infrastructure rights for the urban poor. During this period, she played a vital role in the expansion of Mahila Milan, a federation of collectives of women living in slums across India, the UN said in a statement.

In addition to SPARC, Patel is also the Chairperson of Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI). SDI is an international network of poor people's organizations and supporting non-governmental organizations active in Asia and Africa.

Patel, also received the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award from the Synergos Institute. The award was presented to her in recognition of her extensive efforts to remove urban poverty. She is part of the eight-member panel that will report directly to the Secretary-General.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, “We live in the century of unprecedented urban growth. For the first time in history, more than half of the world's population is living in cities.”

The other participating states, adopted the New Urban Agenda, as a collective vision and political commitment to promote and realize sustainable urban development, rethinking how cities are planned, managed and inhabited.

The panel will give special significance to the UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), which was held in October 2016 in Ecuador. The Secretary-General, was requested to submit an evidence-based and independent assessment of UN-Habitat to the General Assembly during its 71st session.

The independent assessment, will contain recommendations on enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and oversight of UN Habitat.

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