In the vast majority of countries, Governments are inviting non-governmental representatives to join the national committees preparing those reports. The process of preparing the reports and the Habitat II action plan is conducted in the spirit of fostering civic engagement and partnerships through transparency, accountability and dissemination of useful information to all groups. These include success stories on local efforts to tackle problems of governance. By showcasing such models and using them to inform debates over the future and opportunities of cities, the Habitat II process will help participants learn how governance has already been improved. In Brazil, the Government has launched the Mutirao programme, which provides funding for the purchase of building materials.
Money is supplied to a fund managed by the community.
Members of the community use the money to construct new houses, which are then allocated. A monthly charge, set at a few per cent of the minimum monthly wage, is then paid by the dwellers, for a fixed period, back to the community fund. Because the labour is free and monthly charges repay about 50 per cent of the value of their subsidy back to the community fund, the cost of this government-subsidized housing project is extremely low. The programme focused on assisting the poorest 30 per cent of households, especially those living illegally on land. Loans are provided through the programme to allow community associations to acquire land on behalf of their members, improve the site, develop individual titling of the land and provide individual housing loans for home improvement or house construction.