Slums are the products of failed policies, bad governance, corruption, inappropriate regulation, dysfunctional land markets, unresponsive financial systems, and a fundamental lack of political will. Each of these failures adds to the toll on people already deeply burdened by poverty and constrains the enormous opportunity for human development that urban life offers. This Action Plan would improve the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Its success will rest on the assumption that the international development community is prepared to create a new coherence of effort focused on improving the living conditions and livelihoods of the urban poor. It builds upon successful community-based upgrading programs while addressing the broader policy and institutional issues which have often constrained their sustainability. By supporting those national and local authorities that are prepared to develop city-wide and nationwide upgrading programs, the Plan promises to set in motion a global movement that would transform the lives of the most vulnerable and marginalized urban residents.