PUBLIC SECTOR SHOULD SUPPORT RIGHTS TO WORK, HOUSING, EDUCATION, SWEDEN TELLS PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR HABITAT II

5 February 1996

Press Release
HAB/105

PUBLIC SECTOR SHOULD SUPPORT RIGHTS TO WORK, HOUSING, EDUCATION, SWEDEN TELLS PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR HABITAT II

19960205 Minimum Standard Rules on Tenancy Submitted; Committee Continues Discussion of 'City Summit' Agenda

The public sector should support the rights to work, housing and education, the representative of Sweden told the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) this afternoon. To that end, Sweden had submitted to the Conference Secretary-General a set of minimum standard rules on tenancy that would further the right of individuals to a home.

The Preparatory Committee is discussing the agenda, Habitat II -- the "City Summit" -- that will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June.

The representative of Chile told the Preparatory Committee that the biggest urban problem in the Latin American and Caribbean region was poverty. Regional governments would stress increasing the productivity of urban populations and improving the environment of human settlements.

The representative of China said the Istanbul Conference would give added impetus to the sustainable development of human settlements. He hoped that all parties concerned in the Conference would express sincere political will and would be guided by the need to seek consensus.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Malaysia, India, Jordan, Nepal, Sudan, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Volunteers, and the United Nations Centre for Human Rights.

The Preparatory Committee will meet tomorrow in its two working groups. Its next plenary meeting is expected on Wednesday, 7 February.

Preparatory Committee Work Programme

The Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) continues its third session this afternoon with additional statements on the Habitat agenda, which is comprised of 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.

At the current session, which will meet from 5 to 17 February, the Committee will focus on the agenda, which will be presented at Habitat II, in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June.

(For details, see Press Release HAB/102 of 2 February.)

Statements

EDMUNDO HERMOSILLA (Chile) said that governments should seek to achieve sustainable development of their cities by coordinating macroeconomic indicators and the work of various actors. Cities could be better managed through well-coordinated investments and popular participation. National policies should endeavour to reflect the contents of the action plan that would be adopted at the Istanbul Conference.

The Istanbul plan of action should be divided into five sections -- one for each geographical region, he said. The plan of the Latin American and Caribbean region had recognized that the biggest urban problem was poverty. Governments would place added stress on increasing the productivity of urban populations. The plan would also focus on improving the environment of human settlements, increasing participation of citizens in their government, and implementing coordinated development plans.

JORGEN ANDERSSON (Sweden) said that housing policies were fundamentally a national concern. The public sector must support the right to work, housing and education, and should promote social care and security in a good living environment. The Habitat II Conference was the place for political commitments regarding shelter and human settlements, and such commitments were needed by homeless and vulnerable groups. He had personally presented to the Secretary-General of the Conference a set of minimum standard rules on tenancy that would further the rights of individuals to a home.

Sweden had contributed to the preparations for Istanbul to the best of their ability, he said. But he was concerned over the lack of public interest and the critical financial situation of the Secretariat. Sweden had pledged 1 million Swedish krona towards the cost of local representatives from countries which otherwise could not afford to attend the Conference.

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LI ZHENDONG (China) said that Habitat II would be the last United Nations global conference of the century. The Conference Preparatory Committee had always done a large amount of work and had aroused the attention of governments and the interest of non-governmental organizations and individuals. The Conference would give added impetus to the sustainable development of human settlements. In the years 1996 to 2000, China would concentrate on housing as a priority. In the last year, 10 million units of housing had been constructed. He hoped that all parties concerned in the Conference would express sincere political will and would be guided by the need to seek consensus.

STEPHEN LEWIS, Deputy Executive Director (External Relations) of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that poverty had become an implacable and increasingly urban phenomenon, and children were the first and foremost victims. That was why UNICEF had to reiterate that children must be granted the space they were due in the draft statement of principles and commitments and global plan of action making up the Habitat agenda - not as a charitable afterthought, but as an essential and substantive part of the Conference agenda. The survival, protection and development of children were the prerequisite for the future development of humanity. The well being of children was the ultimate indicator of social progress and good governance.

He said that, for many children, the rights contained in the Convention on the Rights of the Child were being compromised, limited or flagrantly violated as a result of prevailing conditions of urban life and the decisions of the adult world. That demanded urgent action at every level. "As long as millions of children are condemned to live -- and so often, die of easily preventable causes -- in slums proliferating in the shadow of luxury high- rises, cities cannot be called the modern 'land of opportunity' nor can humankind enter the twenty-first century with genuine self-respect", he said.

KHOR SIEW KEE (Malaysia) suggested that the focus be directed to a means to implement some of the more complex elements of the proposed global plan of action. That would include the planning and implementation of housing programmes, establishing a housing information system for developing shelter databases, and the application of shelter-sector performance indicators. In addition, the effort would include: undertaking studies and research on sustainable approaches and methods concerning building materials and construction technology; planning and implementation of environmental conservation programmes; promotion of environmental awareness; and identifying and securing appropriate financial assistance for the Habitat programmes.

K.S. SHARMA (India) said that as part of preparations for Habitat II, his country had constituted a broad-based National Steering Committee representing various interest groups, such as human settlement managers, non- governmental and community-based organizations, and the business, academic and scientific communities. The Committee had established guidelines and a work

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programme for country-level preparations. A core group within the Committee had been monitoring the implementation of the work programme. A national draft report was presently being prepared, based on the recommendations from wide-ranging consultations held with relevant interest groups. That draft would soon be placed before a National Human Settlements Forum for consideration.

LARS E. OLSSON, World Meteorological Organization, said that the Habitat II draft plan of action should more clearly formulate how various aspects of the physical environment impacted on rapidly increasing urban populations. Human health was influenced by changing urban infrastructures. The weather in a city was often different from the adjacent countryside, and that local climate change was manifested in urban heat islands and changes in wind, precipitation and solar radiation patterns.

He said that the construction of buildings and paved surfaces exacerbated flooding patterns. Even small streams could turn into raging torrents when accelerated runoff caused by urbanization tried to escape through inadequate drainage channels. Proper planning and urban design could minimize those effects. Regarding the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, he said that urban populations should be more sensitized to the potential impact of regional and global climate change. Increased crowding, especially in coastal areas and on marginal land, would likely lead to serious disasters.

YOUSEF HYASAT (Jordan) said that much work had to be done before the international community was ready to enter the next century. An Arab Declaration on Habitat had emerged from meetings of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). He hoped that it would contribute to the efforts of the Conference.

Social and environmental problems were increasing all over the world, he continued. Urban youths were impoverished by a lack of productive employment. In the next century, two thirds of the world's population would live in cities. That would likely exacerbate gaps between rich and poor and increase social tensions. He hoped that governments could reduce spending on armaments and refocus their investment on sustainable development. Reductions in arms spending could be dedicated to an international fund for development.

He believed that the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements had a fundamental mission in promoting sustainable development programmes in the framework of the new political order. He hoped that Habitat II would continue to raise public awareness of human settlement issues.

STEVE MILLER, International Labour Organisation (ILO), said that the ILO was involved in the organization of pre-conference activities connected with Habitat II. It hoped that those forums would bring home the message that

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cities were not only living places, but also workplaces. Employment was the key to making basic services available in cities. The ILO would, therefore, continue to fight for a wording which would put employment creation at the centre of the Habitat agenda.

SHANTI SHUMSHER RANA (Nepal) said that, as stated by the Secretary- General, Habitat II should be a conference of commitment. His country's National Committee for Habitat II was going ahead with preparations for the Conference, and all the relevant bodies were taking active part in those preparations. In initiating a broad-based participatory process, the National Committee was composed of members from a wide spectrum of Nepal's national life. Several studies related to the overall theme of the Conference were already being undertaken in order to provide input to the country's plan of action. There was urgent need for international commitment at the global level to make Habitat II a success.

Ms. GORDON, of the United Nations Volunteers, said that the importance of volunteer contributions should be clearly reflected in the Habitat agenda.

MARIA VASSILIOU, of the United Nations Centre for Human Rights, said that the Conference presented the international community with the opportunity to address the human rights of adequate housing. Adherence by Habitat II to existing human rights standards would enhance its effect. It was a matter of concern that the agenda for the Conference failed to describe adequate housing as a human right. It contained no mention of any of the human rights instruments, and the term human rights did not appear in the text. The agenda must reflect the human rights aspect of adequate housing.

She said that the effective implementation of the Habitat II agenda would require a United Nations system-wide effort. The strengthening of cooperation between the Centre for Human Rights and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements should, therefore, be emphasized in the agenda.

MOHAMED AHMED TAHA (Sudan) said that the development of human settlements was a global process. His Government had established a 104-member preparatory committee for the upcoming Habitat II Conference, with representatives from a wide range of public and private sector organizations. The Sudan had developed a plan of action for human settlements which had been sent to the Habitat Secretariat in Nairobi and would be distributed to the Preparatory Committee next week. The Sudan had established a national office for coordinating information on the basic statistical indicators for human settlements. The Government had also participated in regional preparatory meetings.

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