Danish International Human Settlement Services               

DIB Vision

Mission

The Danish International Settlement Service's mission is to promote sustainable settlements in the third world. 'Settlement' encompasses daily life in the home and all that happens in connection with homes, "life between the homes" as well as the administrative and political level, all of which have significance for homes. For our purposes 'sustainability' is defined as the weaving together of economic, environmental, technological, socio-cultural and organisational elements.

Vision

It is DIB's overall vision to be the Danish forum for sustainable settlement in developing countries. This is achieved by:

• being a working partner and sounding board for public sector organisations, private businesses and non-governmental organisations,
• being visible and influencing both the academic and social debates, in relation to issues of sustainable settlement in the third world,
• being on the the political agenda in the formulation and follow-through of Danish development assistance.

Our Work Focus

A central point in DIB's work is to support local partners in the development and carrying out of newly established settlement projects involving poor and marginalised citizens in the third world. In Denmark, our focus is on communication, anchoring and academic and political work.

DIBs systematic approach to sustainable settlement

In the development and implementation of settlement projects, we use the following systematic approach.

Economical Sustainability

• Projects must be self financing after our involvement ends.
• Credit options must be prepared through the establishment of micro-lending schemes.
• Job creation activities must be widely integrated into the project.

Environmental Sustainability

• Negative environmental effects on the area must be minimised.
• Environmentally sensitive materials must always be used.
• Sensitive landscapes, as well as places of cultural and historical importance must be protected. Appropriate energy use must be considered at all phases.

Technological Sustainability

• Appropriate technology is fundamental - climatic and cultural considerations must be respected.
• Building design must minimise possibilities for construction errors and include easy maintenance.

Socio-cultural Sustainability

• 'Settlement' is not simply a reference to the home as a building, but includes daily life in and around buildings.
• Issues of gender must be integrated appropriately. Religious and ceremonial traditions must be respected.
• Correspondence must be kept with local engineers and archivists.

Organisational Sustainability

• Building an organisation during and after the initial project is very important for the sustained success of each project.
• All effected must be involved - the private and public sector as well as civil society.
• Networks must be established as part of capacity building.