PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR HABITAT II TO CONVENE THIRD AND FINAL SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 5 TO 16 FEBRUARY
Background ReleaseCommittee to Finalize Draft Statement of Principles, Global Plan of Action to Be Submitted to Istanbul Conference in June
The central challenge of the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) is to defuse the threat to international peace and security caused by the crisis of shelter faced both in cities and in the vast stretches of remaining rural areas, according to Wally N'Dow, Secretary- General of the Conference, whose Preparatory Committee will hold its third and final session at Headquarters from 5 to 16 February.
The Conference is to take place in Istanbul, from 3 to 14 June -- the twentieth anniversary of the first Habitat Conference, which took place in Vancouver, Canada. United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali has urged the Conference to take the form of a "city summit", the main themes of which will be "adequate shelter for all" and "sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world".
The task of the Preparatory Committee's third session is to finalize a draft statement of principles and global plan of action to be submitted to the Conference for adoption. The proposed final document, entitled "The Habitat Agenda", aims to guide efforts towards achieving the sustainable development of the world's cities, towns and villages at all levels and into the first two decades of the next century.
The "Habitat Agenda" comprises a preamble, a nine-part statement of goals and principles, and set of six commitments to be undertaken by governments in support of the objectives of Habitat II. Intended as a global call to action, it offers a positive vision of human settlements, where all women and men have adequate shelter, productive and freely chosen employment, a healthy and safe environment and access to basic services.
The draft was largely approved following its first reading at the second session of the Preparatory Committee (Nairobi, 24 April - 5 May 1995), although there are still several provisions in square brackets, indicating lack of agreement. They include references to the right of citizens to expect their governments to be concerned about their shelter needs; the availability of financial resources to developing countries for the implementation of the Conference's outcome; the transfer of technology; the alleviation of undesired impacts of structural adjustment; the creation of an enabling international context to promote development; and the various forms of the family in different cultural, political and social systems.
In addition to its drafting work on the outcome of the Conference, the Committee will examine the current status of preparations for the event, including documentation, the public information programme, trust funds, parallel events and the Conference's rules of procedure. The accreditation of non-governmental organizations and local authorities is also to be considered.
Other reports before the Committee address issues such as the objectives, role and place of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) in the follow-up to the Conference. The Centre, which is headquarted in Nairobi, assists member States in their human settlements development efforts and in the implementation of such global policy instruments as the General Assembly's 1988 Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000. The role of the 58-member Commission on Human Settlements and how it will effectively execute new responsibilities given to it by the upcoming Conference is also to be discussed. Habitat II has been described as a "partners' conference". Its secretariat has provided a series of guidelines for non-governmental, community-based and international organizations, as well as local authorities, the private sector, and others, to initiate activities that will contribute both to the understanding of human settlements issues and to national and global plans of action. The Habitat II is the last in a series of global conferences convened by the United Nations during the 1990s on development- related issues, including the environment, human rights, population, social development and women's empowerment. The outcome of the Conference is intended to be interpreted in conjunction with the results of those conferences.
Martti Lujanen (Finland) is the Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for Habitat II. The provisional agenda for the session is contained in documents A/CONF.165/PC.3 and Add.1.
A summary of the draft final document before the Preparatory Committee for the Conference follows.
Draft Habitat Agenda
The preamble of the draft "Habitat Agenda" (document A/CONF.165/PC.3/4), while calling cities "engines of growth and incubators of civilization", describes the serious problems with which they are confronted, including unemployment, homelessness and the expansion of squatter settlements, increased poverty, widening income disparity, insecurity, deteriorating infrastructure, improper land use, pollution and increased vulnerability to natural disaster. Because of increasing urban migration, half of all people will live and work in urban areas by the turn of the century, fully two thirds by 2025, according to the text.
Rural settlements represent areas of great challenge and opportunity for renewed developmental efforts, the preamble continues. New technologies can help to improve the linkage between rural settlements with the mainstream of life in a globalized world and allow their populations access to services, trade and employment opportunities.
The draft statement of goals and principles outlines nine key points relating to equality, poverty eradication, sustainable development, livability, family, civic engagement and government responsibility, partnerships, solidarity, and international cooperation and coordination.
The draft document recommends that men, women and children have equal access to basic housing, infrastructure, health care, green and open spaces, education and a chosen livelihood. Human settlements should ensure sustainable development, biological and cultural diversity and the preservation of spiritual, historic and culturally significant buildings.
The draft calls for a renewed sense of citizenship and identity, a spirit of volunteerism and civic engagement. It urges that all people have equal opportunity to participate in decision-making and development and recommends that government policies adopt transparent procedures to help people exercise their rights and responsibilities.
A call in the text for families to receive comprehensive protection and support, adequate shelter and access to basic services contains a disputed provision, which remains in brackets in the draft. Here, the Conference would recognize that "in different cultural, political and social systems, various forms of the family exist". Reference to the need for an increased flow of new and additional financial resources to developing countries in order to cover the costs of dealing with their human settlements problems also remains in brackets.
In a section of the draft on commitments, governments would pledge to improve living and working conditions on an equitable basis to enable all people to enjoy adequate shelter and affordable basic services. They would also pledge to establish sustainable human settlements within the carrying capacity of natural ecosystems.
In addition, governments would commit themselves to enable both private and public actors to play an active role in human settlements, to strengthen existing financial mechanisms and to develop new ones for implementing the "Habitat Agenda". They would also commit to strengthening the institutional capacity of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat).
A provision calling for the fulfilment of the target of 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) for official development assistance (ODA), with an increase in the proportion of those funds dedicated to human settlements and shelter development, remains in brackets.
The introduction to the draft global plan of action stresses that while Habitat II is a conference of States, those responsible for determining success or failure in improving the human settlements condition were found mostly at the community level in both public and private sectors. Progress would depend, to a large degree, on local authorities, civic engagement, and the forging of partnerships among all levels of government with the private sector, the cooperative sector, with workers and employers and the civic society at large.
Adequate shelter for all is the first area of focus in the global plan. Its provision that "All citizens of all States have a right to expect their governments to be concerned about their shelter needs and to accept a fundamental obligation to enable people to obtain adequate shelter and to protect and improve dwellings and neighbourhoods" is in brackets. Also controversial is a call in the draft for States to develop mechanisms aimed at mobilizing lands with diverse juridical status.
The draft recommends that States encourage the development of environmentally sound and affordable construction activities, analyse housing supply and demand, and encourage the media and the private sector to do the same. In order to ensure access to land, governments are urged to consider measures to prevent the hoarding of vacant land for speculative purposes, thus increasing the supply of land for shelter development. States are asked to address the cultural, ethnic and religious causes of segregation and exclusion, and provide mechanisms for the protection of women who risk losing their homes and properties when their husbands die.
The section on mobilizing sources of finance deals with the supply of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, access to affordable public transport, access to energy sources, equitable allocation of social services and the provision of adequate roads, streets, parks and open spaces. A draft provision stating that those basic services must be ensured by governments is in brackets, indicating lack of agreement.
The text calls on governments to ensure safe and sound ethical practices in financial transactions through support by legal and regulatory frameworks. Community mortgage programmes that are accessible to poor women should be encouraged. Governments are called on to work with the private sector, cooperatives and local communities and other stakeholders to raise awareness of the need to eliminate social exclusion, prejudice and discrimination in housing transactions and the provision of services.
"The sustainability of planet Earth will not be achieved unless human settlements, and especially cities, are made economically buoyant, socially vibrant and environmentally sound, with full respect for cultural heritage and diversity", states a section of the draft Habitat Agenda addressing sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world. Among the actions recommended are that governments strengthen lawful community-based land-resource protection practices in existing urban settlements, and take steps to stimulate productive employment opportunities for the urban poor, particularly women.
To combat violence, governments are urged to use open public spaces for constructive leisure so that physical spaces which lend themselves to criminal activities are minimized. The establishment of programmes for youth and street children in recreation, job training and counselling with private- sector support is also recommended. States are called on to adopt measures to prevent and control pollution-related diseases, and work to improve shelter conditions to mitigate health risks.
The rational use of energy, and the use of solar energy, are called for in the text. Also, governments are asked to encourage the use of optimal modes of transport, including walking and cycling, and to discourage the increasing growth of automobile traffic, which is considered damaging and inhibiting to other forms of transport. The text also calls on States to eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies, such as the excessive use of pesticides and price control systems which perpetuate unsustainable agricultural practices.
An as yet unagreed provision states that "the increasing occurrence of transboundary pollution and the transfer across national borders and regions of hazardous technologies also affect seriously the environmental conditions of human settlements and the health of their inhabitants". Governments are called on to develop mechanisms, in line with the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development adopted by the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), regarding "liability and compensation for adverse effects of environmental damage caused by activities within their jurisdiction or control to areas beyond their jurisdiction".
Also lacking agreement are draft recommendations for States aimed at alleviating undesired impacts of structural adjustment and economic transition. They include addressing the impact of reforms on human settlements development, and designing policies to promote more equitable access to income.
In a section of the draft text on capacity-building and institutional development, governments are urged to strengthen measures to eradicate corruption and ensure greater transparency in the management of local resources. Concerning civic engagement, the text calls for protecting the basic right to hold and express opinions and to disseminate ideas and information. States are asked to improve access to judicial and administrative channels for affected groups to challenge or seek redress from socially and environmentally harmful decisions and actions. To improve the capacity of local authorities to exploit technological innovations, the text recommends that States develop methods of sharing experiences through electronic means, such as the Internet.
Much of the draft text on international cooperation and coordination remains in dispute. Contentious provisions include those relating to the promotion of an open, equitable, cooperative and mutually beneficial international economic environment. Proposed debt-equity swapping measures favouring shelter and infrastructure development in human settlements also lack agreement.
Among provisions already agreed upon is a recommendation that the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, develop activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of local authorities; intensify their cooperation with non-governmental organizations in sustainable human settlements development; and support public-private development activities for human settlements.
Addressing implementation and follow-up of the global plan of action, the draft calls for a first major review of the "Habitat Agenda" to take place in the year 2000.
Other Documents
Also before the Preparatory Committee's third session are a progress report of the Secretary-General of the Conference on activities of its secretariat since the Committee's second session (document A/CONF.165/PC.3/3); a report of the informal drafting group of the Preparatory Committee (document A/CONF.165/PC.3/4/Add.1); and a report of the Secretary-General of the Conference on coordination and cooperation within the United Nations system in the implementation of the proposed Habitat Agenda (document A/CONF.165/PC.3/4/Add.2).
Background on Conference
The aim of the 1976 first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat) was to develop strategies to mitigate the effects of rapid urbanization. In the two decades since then, urbanization and the growth of mega-cities have continued relentlessly. Recognition of the urgency of the problem led participants at the 1992 Environment and Development Conference to request the convening of a second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements to address the persisting problems of housing, shelter and urbanization.
In 1992, the General Assembly decided to convene Habitat II in 1996 at the highest possible level of participation (resolution 47/80). It established a Preparatory Committee for the Conference, open to all Member States of the United Nations and the specialized agencies.
At its first substantive session, held in Geneva two years ago, the Preparatory Committee recommended that the Conference aim to increase awareness of the problems and potentials of human settlements, and commit the world's leaders to making cities, towns and villages healthy, safe, just and sustainable. The second session of the Preparatory Committee, which met last year in Nairobi, concentrated on elaborating the draft statement of principles and commitments and the global plan of action. Also during that session, the Preparatory Committee recommended that the Assembly authorize -- as a departure from normal procedure -- representatives of local authorities to participate without the right to vote in the deliberations of the Conference.
During the Assembly's consideration of the report of the Preparatory Committee's second session, the Habitat II Secretary-General, Wally N'Dow, reported that 134 countries were engaged in preparatory activities for the Conference, and that 100 had submitted reports on projects launched in more than 280 cities and towns.
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