Romi Khosla
Romi Khosla is an architect and urban planner based in Delhi. He graduated in Economics from Cambridge University, worked with Price Waterhouse in London and then graduated at the Architectural Association, London... As a principal International consultant to the UNDP, UNESCO, UNOPS and WTO, he has spent considerable time initiating development projects linked to urban renewal in the Balkans, Palestine, Tibet, Central Asia, Cyprus, and China. Romi Khosla's writings have been extensively published in India and abroad; they include Buddhist Monasteries in the Western Himalayas, (Ratna Pustak Nepal 1979), Future Schools in Palestine (UNESCO, Paris 2000) The Loneliness of a Long Distant Future, (Tulika, New Delhi 2002) and The Idea of Delhi (Marg Mumbai 2006). Romi Khosla is an author of Removing Unfreedoms Expanding Development Frameworks 21st Urban Scenario presented to UN World Habitat day 2002 and published on this website.

Jane Samuels
Jane Samuels is an architectural consultant in the United Kingdom. She graduated in literature and Criminal Justice from the University of Berkeley, attending the Prince of Wales's School of Architecture and East London School of Architecture. She has been a visiting practioner to the Centre for Development and Emergency Practice at Oxford School of Architecture and lectured widely. Her professional work has always encompassed concerns to revitalise local culture, participation and social economic development in architecture and the built environment. Jane has a specialist interest in relationships between formal and informal urban institutions; a freedom-based approach to governance, planning and localising the provision of services. Jane co-advised and organised the UN-Habitat/ DFID policy with Amartya Sen. Her writings have been published widely and is an author of Removing Unfreedoms Expanding Development Frameworks, Freedom Culture and Urban Revitalisation- presented to UN World Habitat day 2002, UIA Bursa 2003; Removing Unfreedoms Citizens as Agents of Change In Urban Development at Barcelona World Urban Forum 2004 (ITDG UK 2005) She is the director of Removing Unfreedoms Design Associates consulting for UNDP, UK DFID, SWISS SIDA, UN-Habitat, UK ODPM/DCLG regeneration.

Antonio Vigilante (UNDP)
Antonio Vigilante has been the UNDP Resident Representative and UN Resident Coordinator for operational activities in Bulgaria, Egypt and currently Brussels. He is also currently the Chair of the Donor Assistance Group. Antonio was a key speaker at the July 7th Colloquium in 2003 and presented crucial questions to professor Amartya Sen and Lord Meghnad Desai. Antonio has taken an active interest with the Removing Unfreedoms project since it began and engaged the UNDP Removing Unfreedoms Pilot in Egypt. Throughout the process he has provided constructive advice and support.

Michael Mutter (UN-Habitat)
Michael Mutter was the Senior Architectural advisor to DFID, Senior Urban advisor at the Development Planning Unit, University College London, and DFID advisor in Iraq and currently the director of the UN-HABITAT leading Slum Up-Grading Facility-SUF. Michael's extensive experience in urban development, research and vision provided the enthusiasm and determination in directing the success of the Removing Unfreedoms project. Under his direction, asDFID senior Architectural advisor, his programme of activities engaged UN-World Habitat Day. With his direction the project received substantial support and vision to disseminate the ideas and hold an international colloquiumat the London School of Economics with Amartya Sen and Lord Desai. Funding included inviting the Slum dwellers Federation from India and many consultants internationally. In his role at DFID Michael supported the Urban Management series of books for ITDG and funded the Removing Unfreedoms publication and launch at the World Urban Forum. During his posting at DFID his support with research and academic institutions had a leading role in crystallising the urban vision and supporting the diverse and meaningful contribution to urban development internationally.

Nick Hall (WSP)
Nick Hall specialises in urban management primarily in developing countries. Recent work includes a review of Oxfam's urban programme and the management of DFID's C3 city challenge fund pilot programme in Zambia, in conjunction with Care. He coordinated a Kenyan Government task force which recently revised that country's building and planning regulations. Nick was the author of the global NGO statement to the UN Habitat ll conference in 1996. He is the urban management series editor for ITDG publishing. Nick coordinated the Mumbai workshop and LSE colloquium. He took part in both the Mumbai workshop and LSE colloquium providing valuable assistance and references throughout the project.

Professor Nabeel Hamdi (CENDEP)
Professor Nabeel Hamdi is Co-Director of CENDEP, Director, Housing and Urban Development, Founder MSc in Development Practice Architect to award-winning community-based PSSHAK housing projects in London in the 1970s. Principal investigator on sponsored research into low-income housing in UK, USA and in numerous developing countries. Consultant to governments, development agencies and banks in countries world-wide. Author of many articles, and four books: Housing Without Houses, (van Nostrand Reinhold, New York 1991); Making Micro Plans: A Community Based Process in Programme Making and Development (IT Publications, London 1988); Educating for Real : The Training of Professionals for Development Practices (ed) (IT Publications, London 1996), Action Planning for Cities (Wiley, 1997). Winner of UN Habitat's Scroll of Honour 1997 for his outstanding contribution to community action planning in cities. Winner of Queen's Anniversary Prize 2001, awarded to CENDEP for its MSc in Development Practice. Nabeel was a key advisor to the research of the Removing Unfreedoms project and tool part in the planning and presentation of material. He facilitated the session of speakers to the July 7th Colloquium at London School of Architecture.

Jo Beall (LSE)
Jo Beall is a reader in Development Studies at the Development Studies Institute (DESTIN) at the London School of Economics (LSE) where she directs the Development Management Programme. A political sociologist, she researches social development and local governance in South Asia and South Africa with a specialist interest in the intersection of formal and informal institutions in urban politics and local governance; rights-based approaches to governance and the management of social change. She is co-author of Uniting a Divided City: Governance and Social Exclusion in Johannesburg, published by Earthscan and editor of A City for All: Valuing Difference and Working with Diversity. She is currently actively involved in research with the Crisis States Programme based in the Development Research Centre at the LSE where she is investigating traditional authorities and local governance in conflict torn situations, with a focus on KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and Meghalaya, India. Jo co-ordinatd the arrangements for LSE Colloquium and Lord Meghnad Desai. She contributed a comparison presentation on Livelihoods to Amartya Sen's Freedom Approach to development.

Jockin (NSDF)
Jockin is the President of National Slum Dwellers Federation of India and President of Slum/Shack Dwellers International, a transnational network of poor people's organizations from 15 countries of Asia and Africa. Jockin inspires and manages the many federations of the NSD to be successful in their own right. He remains committed to the success of the women savings group Mahila Milan and the participation process of everyone in the communities. Although a collective action their achievements are down to each individual's responsibility to save. In this Jockin provides the leadership and support to negotiate entitlements for housing and infrastructure. In addition Jockin received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his contribution to international understanding 2000.

Sheela Patel (SPARC)
Sheela Patel is the Founder-Director of Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) and works towards devising institutional arrangements to promote change from below by building the capacity of people's organizations. Simultaneously, Sheela networks at local, regional, national and international levels with municipalities, States, governments and all manner of international institutions with a view to creating space for the voice of civic society. Sheela advised the approach and in depth discussions for the Removing Unfreedoms workshop with SPARC and NSDF. Sheela cocoordinated the Mumbai workshop in India and was a key speaker at the July 7th Colloquium in discussion with Amartya Sen.

Sundar Burra (SPARC)
Sundar Burra is an administrator of SPARC in Mumbai. A former bureaucrat who saw the light and joined SPARC to support people's movements. Sundar provided valuable accounts in early discussions with Romi Khosla on the Removing Unfreedoms approach to the work of SPARC. See pdf file discussion paper with SPARC. Sundar coordinated and took part in the Mumbai workshop.

Celine D'Cruz (SPARC)
Celine D'Cruz is an administrator of SPARC who is currently on leave to study at Yale University. Celine took part and coordinated the Mumbai workshop with Sundar Burra and Sheela Patel. Celine took part at the LSE Colloquium in discussion with professor Amartya Sen.

Smita Biswas (WSP)
Smita Biswas is a development consultant graduating from LSE and previously worked with SEWA. Smita works with Nick Hall as WSP in the UK and took part and assisted Nick Hall in coordinating the Mumbai workshop and Removing Unfreedoms LSE Colloquium.

Alison Barrett (World Bank)
Alison Barrett is the Regional Coordinator, DFID and Cities Alliance in New Delhi implementing LED local economic development for the World Bank. Alison took part in the Mumbai workshop May 2003.

Sikandar Hasan (DPU)
Sikandar Hasan graduated and obtained his MA from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He has worked in France and Pakistan as well as in the UK and has provided social research consultancy to Homeless International on Poverty and Urban Development Indicators. Sikandar contributed to the UN-Habitat Removing Unfreedoms Discussion Paper. After his success with the UN-Habitat CD-Rom: Removing Unfreedoms, Citizens as the Agent of change he currently has lead the DPU's development of several CD-Rom compilations including over 700 international development research papers, frameworks and films.

Jolly Shah (Oxford Brookes University MSc)
Jolly Shah is presently consultant to Government of Gujarat, India for the second phase of Reproductive and Child Health programme . She is researching the "Integrating Rights Based Approach in the UNDP" for her Master degree dissertation using UNDP Philippines as the case study. After doing her undergraduate in year 2000 from Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), India, she worked with grassroots organisations, Oxfam, Government of Gujarat, WHO and UNFPA. She received the Hodgkinson Postgraduate Award from Oxford Brookes University, and she studied MSc in Development Practices focusing on development and urbanisation, complex emergencies and humanitarian protection, and human rights monitoring and peace practices. She works with human rights-based approach, coordination and implementation of multi-sectoral emergency relief, rehabilitation programmes; programme development, monitoring and evaluation