PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR ISTANBUL HUMAN SETTLEMENTS CONFERENCE BEGINS TWO-WEEK SESSION
Secretary-General Tells Committee Habitat II Will Motivate World to Make Sustainable Human Settlements Rule, Not Exception
The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) will be the culminating United Nations global conference of the century and will "motivate the world to make sustainable human settlements the rule and not the exception in the coming century", Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali said this morning, as the third and final session of the Conference Preparatory Committee began its two-week meeting. The Habitat II Conference will take place in Istanbul from 3 to 14 June.
One had repeatedly heard about global "conference fatigue", the Secretary-General said, but the participation of more than 150 countries in the preparations for Habitat II were actively demonstrating that they did not know the meaning of that term. Those participants possessed the foresight and political will to give shape to a new urban world.
The Preparatory Committee Chairman, Martti Lujanen (Finland), said that many present development trends were damaging urban environments. More than 1 billion persons were inadequately housed, fresh water was diminishing, air pollution and traffic congestion were increasing. While many trend lines were bleak, he was confident that the Conference would produce enormous positive impact.
The Secretary-General of the Conference and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), Wally N'Dow, said that the Conference would affect nothing less than the major issues of the world today -- jobs, housing, security, services, the quality of the living environment and the right of ordinary people to have a say in the decisions affecting their lives.
Also addressing the Preparatory Committee this morning were the Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rafeeuddin Ahmed; and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA), Nafis Sadik. Statements on the Conference draft statement of principles and commitments and global plan of action were made by the representatives of Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Italy (on behalf of the European Union) and Turkey.
The Preparatory Committee also adopted its agenda and programme of work and established two working groups. Working group I will focus on the status of preparations for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II); working group II will discuss the draft statement of principles and commitments and global plan of action. The Committee also accredited non-governmental organizations and approved the participation of a list of local authorities.
The Preparatory Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today.
Preparatory Committee Work Programme
The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) begins its third session this morning. At the current session, which will meet from 5 to 17 February, the Committee will focus on the draft statement of principles and commitments and the global plan of action which will be presented at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), to take place from 3 to 14 June in Istanbul, Turkey.
This "Habitat Agenda" comprises a preamble, a nine-part statement of goals and principles, and a set of six commitments to be undertaken by governments in support of the objectives of Habitat II. Intended as a global plan of action, it offers a positive vision of human settlements, in which all men and women have adequate shelter, productive and freely chosen employment, a healthy and safe environment and access to basic services.
The main themes of the Conference, termed by United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali a "city summit", are "adequate shelter for all" and "sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world".
(For detailed background, see Press Release HAB/102 of 2 February 1996.)
Statement by Chairman
MARTTI LUJANEN (Finland), Chairman of the Preparatory Committee, said that many present development trends were damaging urban development environments. More than 1 billion persons were inadequately housed, many in "shantytowns". Fresh water was diminishing and being polluted, air pollution was increasing, and traffic congestion was increasing.
He was confident, he said, that the upcoming Conference would produce enormous positive impact. While many trend lines were bleak, there were many examples of urban revitalization in the face of negative prospects. The international community had given the Preparatory Committee the daunting task of outlining the international agenda in favour of sustainable human developments in an urbanizing world. Time was limited.
Statement by Secretary-General
Secretary-General BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI told the Committee that Habitat II would complete the cycle of global conferences and would be the culminating United Nations global conference of the century. One repeatedly heard about a global "conference fatigue", but more than 150 countries, vigorously preparing for Habitat II, were actively demonstrating that they did not know the meaning of that term. The Conference would pioneer a ground-breaking rules change, which could set a new pattern in the ways that the international community did business. By inviting all relevant partners, including local authorities, to take part, the participation of Member States in United Nations meetings would be broadened.
The draft commitments before the Committee demonstrated the seriousness with which the international community considered the upcoming "city summit" in Istanbul, he continued. The one crucial step yet to be taken was to arrive at a consensus for the Habitat agenda, the Global Plan of Action. That would be the Conference's legacy for the future -- a legacy of sustainable human, social, economic and environmental development. The first session of the preparatory committee had identified the issues. The second saw the evolution of a conference of partners and of a more open participatory process. The third session would reflect the importance of concerted action and broad-based planning. The document carried to Istanbul must provide realistic and attainable goals to which all nations could subscribe, and which all cities could implement. But, it should not stop there. "I look to the Habitat Summit to carry forward the agenda for global human action."
Statement by Conference Secretary-General
WALLY N'DOW, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), said that some 150 countries were participating in the preparatory process for the Conference, the majority of which had formed broad-based national committees. The Conference would affect nothing less than the major issues of the world today -- jobs, housing, security, services, the quality of the living environment, and the right of ordinary people to have a say in the decisions affecting their lives.
At the approach of the new millennium, the world stood at a crossroads, he continued. Urbanization held out both the promise of an unequalled future and the threat of unparalleled disaster. All nations faced such challenges equally and must be equally committed to the task at hand. The identification of "best practices" pointed to a new and valuable tool for international cooperation, aided by the latest advances in information technologies. The Dubai Declaration, adopted at the International Conference on Best Practices in Dubai last November, had been a high point of the preparatory process. A special Best Practice Award would be sponsored by the cities of Dubai and Tokyo at the Istanbul Conference.
It had been a source of pride to the Conference that, at a time in which the United Nations faced serious financial circumstances, more than 95 per cent of resources needed for Habitat II had come from external sources. Also, the changes in the rules of procedure for the Conference, endorsed by the General Assembly, had recognized the important role of local authorities both in the debate and in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. For the first time in United Nations history, a mechanism had been created for the participation in official proceedings of all those who had a stake in the outcome. Because of that, Habitat II would be a "Partners' Conference".
It would be ignoring reality to imply that everyone participating was of one mind on every issue before the Conference, he said. There were divergent points of view. Not all had agreed on the issue of the right to adequate housing. But all had agreed on the need for a political consensus, as opposed to fruitless debates about who was right and who was wrong. He was confident that before the session ended a consensus text would be negotiated. The difference between positions was one of degree, not of principle.
He said the problem of ensuring a safer, healthier, more equitable and more sustainable living environment was a universal challenge that knew no national borders and did not differentiate between rich and poor, North and South, East and West. In the wake of the cold war, the struggle between the old and the new could be clearly perceived in the large cities of the North and South. That was where the forging of a more compassionate, humane solidarity must begin.
Statements
RAFEEUDDIN AHMED, Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said that urbanization was one of the most significant processes affecting developing countries. It was affecting every development-related issue, including housing development. UNDP's emphasis was on sustainable development, which was development that stressed the regeneration of the environment rather than its destruction and development that was "pro-poor, pro-women and pro-people". UNDP's urban development cooperation strategy focused on strengthening national efforts by providing urban infrastructure, as well as improving the urban environment.
He said that the UNDP was also promoting the role of the private sector and civil society organizations. The objective of its activities in support of Habitat II was to incorporate the outcome of the various world conferences into Habitat II. The UNDP had put together an action package in support of the preparatory efforts for Habitat II at the local, national and other levels. It had also asked UNDP resident representatives to take initiatives that would support related national programmes.
Mr. Ahmed said that the UNDP, in cooperation with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), had organized a colloquium of mayors in support of Habitat II. That largest ever gathering of mayors came out with a declaration, and follow-up to that colloquium was continuing. The UNDP was also supporting over 200 human settlement projects demonstrating its commitment to helping developing countries build cities and manage towns.
NAFIS SADIK, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that the issues of population and human settlement were closely linked. Population growth, distribution and urbanization would all affect future human settlement policies. By the year 2005, more than half the world's population would live in cities. Virtually unique to urban growth in the late twentieth century was the emergence of massive urban agglomerations with populations of more than 10 million people. Of the world's 14 such mega- cities, 11 were in the developing world. Thirteen more would emerge in the developing world over the next 20 years.
While rural to urban migration contributed importantly to urban growth, that growth was largely a reflection of the growth of the world's total population, which increased by 1 billion every 11 years, she continued. Over 95 per cent of future population growth would occur in developing countries with three quarters of that occurring in cities and towns. While future population increases were inevitable, the difference between the high and low projections -- a difference of 720 million over 20 years -- had important implications for sustainable urban development.
The International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994, had stressed the importance of those issues, she said. The ICPD Programme of Action had devoted two chapters to population distribution and migration issues and their relationship with other sectors. It was essential that the Habitat Agenda incorporate that Conference's insights into the world-wide process of urbanization, interlinkages between rural development and urban growth and the underlying determinants of migration.
She said that Habitat II should incorporate insights on gender issues from both the Cairo and Beijing conferences. The empowerment and autonomy of women was essential to achieving sustainable development. Women had a special relevance to human settlement issues, since they interacted daily with the responsibilities of child-bearing, household work and income-generating activities. UNFPA's 1996 State of the World Population Report had, as its theme, urbanization, population and human resources development. Also the UNFPA, together with the Habitat Secretariat, would co-sponsor a symposium to be held from 31 March to 2 April in San Diego entitled "International Symposium on Human Settlements: From Cairo to Istanbul".
JULIO LONDOÑO-PAREDES (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, said that the Movement attached special importance to Habitat II. It was important that the international community provide financial support for the preparatory process of the Conference, in particular at the national level, and to the implementation of the commitments that would be adopted in Istanbul. The Non-Aligned Movement was optimistic that the Conference would produce an effective plan of action to help developing countries in addressing shelter and human settlement problems.
He said that 20 years after the Habitat Conference in Vancouver, the problems of urbanization and human settlements had increased. Problems of social inequality, homelessness, urban congestion and environmental degradation had deepened. Urban poverty had increased in a greater proportion than rural poverty in the different regions of the developing countries. Action in the human settlements and shelter areas should constitute a fundamental goal for the international community. A central priority should be assigned to the flow of financial resources to confront human settlement problems, implement national and global plans and to reach the objectives of Habitat II. The creation of an adequate international economic environment, the provision of technical assistance, technology transfer and the widespread use of information should constitute key components of international cooperation in that field.
FERNANDO BERROCAL SOTO (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that the globalization process and growing interdependence had presented many challenges to developing countries. The unjust relationships in terms of trade, debt and structural adjustment should not be ignored in the context of the Conference. The Group of 77 hoped that the Conference would bring about a substantial increase in international cooperation for housing, shelter and development.
He said that during the preparatory process, the members of the Group of 77 had agreed on the following: that there was an urgent need to address housing issues from a global perspective, with particular attention to developing countries; that development in urban and rural areas should be balanced, with an effort to offset urban migration; that greater resources were needed for human settlement; that human stable settlements would contribute to international stability; and that the international community should explore new forms of coordination and investment.
The Group of 77 had also agreed that new unilateral, bilateral and multilateral resources were needed, and that imaginative methods for raising those resources should be explored, he said. New technologies should be appropriate to the challenges of human habitation and environmentally sustainable. The Group of 77 had also agreed that sustainable development in human settlements required permanent implementation and follow-up. The necessary technical and financial means to that end should be provided, otherwise, the Conference would have no effective follow-up. The Habitat and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organizations, headquartered in Nairobi, were the appropriate means of executing that follow-up.
FRANCESCO PAOLO FULCI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that the primary task of the Preparatory Committee was to submit to the Conference a document that would reflect the work culminating in Habitat II. It must leave its mark on the international community and build on the work of the previous global Conferences. The final document should be comprised of four parts -- a preamble, principles, commitments and a fourth part that includes operational options. It was important to accurately formulate the concept that the urban world faced a common set of problems, while, at the same time, reflecting the diversity of situations and solutions.
He said that implementation of the follow-up to the Conference should concentrate on the following: the importance of sustainable urban development; better coordination in the United Nations system; and placing the follow-up process in the context of the integrated follow-up of major United Nations Conferences. One issue that had been extensively debated was the definition of the "right to housing". The European Union understood the reasons for proceeding carefully on that point, because of the delicate balance between the responsibility of the community and the expectations of the individual. The Istanbul Conference should recognize and consolidate the work already done by the international community on that subject, within the framework of the United Nations system and in different Conventions and resolutions.
HUSEYIN E. CELEM (Turkey) said that each of the United Nations global conferences had covered a crucial aspect of everyday life, all aimed at bringing into sharper focus the objectives highlighted in Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Istanbul Conference would be unique among those, in the manner in which it would collaborate with a broad cross-section of partners. Although nominally an intergovernmental meeting, it would also be a conference of partners. Numerous paragraphs of the Habitat agenda were still in brackets. In a spirit of mutual understanding and compromise, the Preparatory Committee would be able to formulate commitments to improve the social, economic and environmental quality of human settlements and the living and working environment of all people.
The Conference in Istanbul would take place in a series of facilities -- a "conference valley" -- comprised of a congress centre, concert hall, cultural centre, open air amphitheatre, convention hall and facilities of the Istanbul Technical University. The non-governmental organization forum would be held at the Taskisla building of the University, located some 400 metres from the main Conference venues. Closed circuit television coverage of events taking place at different halls would be provided, and a channel of the Turkish Radio-Television Authority would be allocated to United Nations television, whose broadcasts would be transmitted to the major hotels.
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