INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, PROVISION OF GREATER RESOURCES FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS HIGHLIGHTED AT HABITAT II
Press Release
HAB/124
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, PROVISION OF GREATER RESOURCES FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS HIGHLIGHTED AT HABITAT II
19960605 (Received from a UN Information Officer.)ISTANBUL, 5 June -- International cooperation and the need for new and additional resources to help the developing countries implement housing and sustainable development policies were highlighted this morning as the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) continued its general exchange of views on the status of human settlements.
Several speakers called on the industrialized countries to honour their commitments to the developing nations. The Bretton Woods institutions and other international, regional and bilateral bodies should increase their allocations for the development of settlements. A housing financing agency should be created to provide low-cost loans to low-income and other families.
Speaking at the meeting this morning were the Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development of Uganda; the Minister for Housing and the Environment of Cote d'Ivoire; the Minister for the Environment, Settlements and Urbanization of Benin; Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Renewal of Antigua and Barbuda; and the Deputy Minister for Communications of Bhutan. The Minister of State for Works and Housing of Nigeria; the Minister for Works, Energy, Land and Environment of the United Republic of Tanzania; and the Under Secretary in the Ministry for Municipal Affairs and Agriculture of Qatar also spoke.
Other statements were made by the representatives of Belgium and Oman, as well as by the Acting Minister for Housing of the Palestinian Authority.
The General Secretary of the Latin American Parliament, an intergovernmental body, also spoke. A statement was also made by a representative of the non-governmental organization, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
Statements
TOM BUTIME, Minister for Lands, Housing and Physical Planning of Uganda: Decent shelter is part of the development objectives pursued by the Government, in cooperation with the private sector. The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) should play a more prominent role in implementing and monitoring the "Habitat Agenda". The draft Agenda's chapter on capacity building and institutional development should seek to empower all key sectors in the human settlements field at all levels.
The draft Agenda's section E, on international cooperation, should encourage the transfer of technology and information exchange. Development partners should commit themselves to supporting the implementation of the Agenda with financial resources to support the efforts of developing countries.
ALBERT KAKOU TIAPANI, Minister for Housing and the Environment of Côte d'Ivoire: The public authority has withdrawn from directly providing housing and left that to the private sector. Its role is now mainly to regulate and facilitate housing production. The country intends to engage in large-scale housing development, to decentralize power to local authorities and to design new financing and real estate policies. Efforts will be made to provide housing that will enable middle-income people to acquire homes by giving them zero-interest loans and other support. Laws will be simplified, shanty towns reconstructed and assistance given to the vulnerable groups in society.
Côte d'Ivoire supports the idea that governments must accept the basic obligation of enabling populations to acquire decent housing. It commits itself to mobilizing vast sections of the population to take part in developing viable housing. The international community should establish a housing financing body or agency with the capacity to provide low-cost loans to low-income and other families.
ALI SA'AD A. AL-KAWARI, Under-Secretary-General, Ministry for Municipal Affairs and Agriculture of Qatar: The Conference should produce a blend of recommendations that will enable the international community to cooperate and tackle its common urban problems. Children should be provided adequate and secure shelter and the right to decent housing should be ensured for all. Qatar follows policies and principles that focus attention on man, the environment and on the provision of safe and healthy housing for all.
ABDULLAHI ADAMU, Minister of State for Works and Housing of Nigeria: The Habitat II Conference should ensure that the living conditions of the human race are improved for the rest of the century and beyond. In the human settlements sector, Nigeria has experienced a mix of progress and problems since Habitat I. Its National Plan of Action states its commitment to, among other things, participatory government and management, strengthening human
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settlements information systems, promoting easy access to land, providing infrastructural services, alleviating poverty, creating employment and addressing the needs of the vulnerable groups.
The Centre for Human Settlements should be strengthened to serve as the focal point for follow-up and assessment of the Habitat Agenda. Enormous resources are required to plan and manage urbanization and the environment. International funding agencies at the global, regional and bilateral levels should be called on to substantially increase their resource allocation to developing countries.
SAHIDOU DANGO-NADEY, Minister for the Environment, Housing and Urbanization of Benin: "Let us choose practical solutions so as not to mortgage the future of our children." The right to proper housing is an inalienable and fundamental human right. Development partners must take into account the issue of social housing as a productive sector in providing assistance to governments. The Benin Government has adopted a housing policy which includes the massive production of housing units. However, production has been delayed by lack of resources.
Despite the trend of rapid growth in the urban centres in Benin, a balance between the development of urban and rural settlements must be ensured. The African regional financial agencies should assist in innovative ways in supporting the region's housing policies. The Bretton Woods institutions should grant substantial financial resources to help African countries in implementing their housing and sustainable development policies. That support should include writing off national debts or ensuring better terms for the servicing of such debts.
HENDERSON SIMON, Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Renewal of Antigua and Barbuda: Despite its small size, Antigua and Barbuda has made considerable progress in improving its human settlements. Major initiatives, such as a national physical development plan, a housing policy and strategy and the updating of planning legislation have been undertaken. The Government has been a catalyst as lender and developer and has ensured improved terms for housing loans. It has laid down development standards, stipulated building procedures and integrated land and shelter policies with programmes for reducing poverty, creating jobs and ensuring environment protection. The private sector has also participated actively in easing access to affordable loans for housing and land ownership.
The country's vulnerability to natural disasters underscores the urgent need for international action in the field of natural disaster preparedness and reconstruction. "A single natural disaster can set back our development for a decade or more." Developed countries are urged to honour their commitments to provide adequate resources to assist developing countries to achieve sustainable development and human settlements.
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DASHO LEKI DORJI, Deputy Minister for Communications of Bhutan: The Global Plan of Action should emphasize the urgency of addressing the root causes of poverty and developing measures to eradicate it. The Plan will require the commitment of the international community to provide new and additional resources to make those measures work.
Bhutan's "National Report to Habitat II" was formulated to reflect the Government's commitment to providing shelter for all. Its national plan envisages the adoption of multi-sectoral approaches in resolving the problems confronting human settlements within a framework of governance that ensures transparency and accountability. The problems confronting its national plans include the lack of finance and other resources for developing extensive social and communications infrastructure and the shortage of expertise in settlement planning and management.
KAMAL PANDU, Minister for Water, Works, Energy, Land and Environment of the United Republic of Tanzania: There is a need to strengthen local authorities in terms of resources and democracy. Since communities have shown the penchant to improvise and deal with their problems, the Government intends to enhance their involvement in all issues of urban development. Local authorities' ability to raise revenue should be enhanced. Efforts should be made to ensure access to adequate and affordable shelter and to improve the urban economy in terms of employment generation and poverty reduction.
International cooperation and coordination is necessary to achieve the goals of poverty reduction, sustainable human settlements development and to give meaning to the resolutions of the Conference. The various actors in the urban sector should work together.
F. DE SUTTER (Belgium): Everyone should have the right to adequate, safe and secure shelter. Belgium has regionalized the subject of shelter, marking a strong trend towards decentralization. It has also adopted a decentralized approach to housing by allowing communes and local groups the right to take many decisions at their levels. Non-governmental organizations also take part in the processes of providing housing. Belgian cities have a high level of infrastructure. Attention should be paid to the needs of the handicapped and other vulnerable sectors of society.
The two global themes of the Conference -- "Adequate shelter for all" and "sustainable human settlements developments in an urbanizing world" -- lie at the heart of Belgium's cooperation with the rest of the world. Belgium's actions have been designed to improve the lives of various groups and to strengthen capacity building through the cooperation of non-State actors. Belgium has provided some $260 million in bilateral and multilateral assistance related to settlements. Both the industrialized and the developing countries should show the will to implement the recommendations of the Conference.
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ABDULLAH ABBAS AHMED (Oman): Many of the draft Agenda's commitments and principles have been incorporated into Oman's laws and are being implemented. Oman will accept the cooperation of any regional or international body. The industrially advanced countries should contribute to the implementation of the Conference's outcomes by transferring technology to help developing countries. Appropriate planning and follow-up should be ensured to make the commitments of Istanbul a success.
NEY LOPES, General-Secretary of the Latin American Parliament: Poverty is the result of unfair distribution, rather than a lack of resources. Indicators should be devised to show the extent of social justice in societies. Adequate planning should be ensured for urban centres and systemic and holistic approaches applied in dealing with urban issues. The survival of the earth can be helped by the conservation of resources and the sustainable development of settlements.
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