CENTRE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS NEEDS FINANCIAL SUPPORT, ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/EF/2738

CENTRE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS NEEDS FINANCIAL SUPPORT, ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE TOLD

Necessary to Meet Human Settlements Conference Responsibilities; Assistant Secretary-General Introduces Istanbul Conference Report

The Centre for Human Settlements should be endowed with the financial and human resources to carry out its work in conformity with the decisions of the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June this year, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) was told this afternoon.

Speaking as the Committee began its consideration of human settlements questions, the representative of Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, called for strengthening the Centre as well as the Commission on Human Settlements. Moreover, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector must be involved in the follow-up to the Conference, she said.

Several other speakers also focused on support for the Centre and Commission. The Minister for Public Works and Housing of Kenya, Jonathan Ng'Eno said a strengthened Centre and the Commission could effectively carry out their mandates at the international, regional and national levels. The representative for Benin called for an increase in the contributions to the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation, and said the partnership between the Centre and the private sector should be enlarged and enforced.

Addressing the Habitat Agenda adopted in Istanbul -- the goals and principles, commitments and global plan of action -- the representative for Turkey stressed that progress in attaining the goals of Habitat II would depend on the full mobilization of civil society, empowerment of people and the creation of effective participatory institutions. The representative for China added, however, that specific conditions in individual countries should be fully respected in the implementation of the Agenda. There could be no uniform standard or model for the solution of human settlement problems.

The representative for Germany emphasized that the Habitat II process was a vital element of peace-making. Only when individuals lived together in humane conditions could problems resulting from distribution conflicts be solved, he said.

Statements were also made by the representatives for Ireland (on behalf of the European Union and associated states), Bangladesh, Russian Federation, Cuba, United States, Ghana, Bolivia (on behalf of the Rio Group), Indonesia, Slovenia and Uganda. A representative for the International Labour Organization (ILO) also spoke.

The Executive Director of United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), Wally N'Dow introduced the provisional report of the Conference. The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 30 October, to continue its deliberations.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to begin consideration of the question of human settlements, under its agenda item on sustainable development and international economic cooperation. (For background information on sustainable development and international economic cooperation see Press Release GA/EF/2735 of 28 October.)

The Committee has before it a preliminary version of the report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (document A/CONF.165/14), which was held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 3 to 14 June 1996, as well as a Secretary-General's report on implementation of and follow-up to the Conference.

As described in the preliminary report, at the two-week "City Summit", world leaders made commitments to better standards of living for their people, a progressive realization of the right to adequate housing, and the mobilization of new financial resources, as they adopted the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda -- the Conference goals, principles and global plan of action.

In the Declaration, the heads of State and government and delegations of countries at Habitat II committed themselves to the recommendations in the Agenda and reaffirmed their commitment to better standards of living. They agreed to address unsustainable consumption and production patterns, particularly in industrialized countries; unsustainable population changes; homelessness; unemployment; inadequate resources; lack of basic infrastructure and services; growing insecurity and violence; and increased vulnerability to disasters.

The leaders recognized the need to intensify cooperation to improve living conditions throughout the world. They acknowledged that the goals of the Agenda would be promoted by positive actions on financing of development, external debt, international trade and transfer of technology. The statesmen committed themselves to intensifying efforts to eradicate poverty and discrimination and to provide for such basic needs as adequate shelter. Equal participation of all women and men in all spheres of life will be ensured.

The final document of the Conference, the Habitat Agenda, is intended as a global call to action at all levels and a guide towards the achievement of sustainable development of the world's cities, towns and villages into the first two decades of the next century. The Agenda offers a positive vision of sustainable human settlements -- where all have adequate shelter, a healthy and safe environment, basic services and productive and freely chosen employment.

The four-part Agenda contains 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. The fourth part contains strategies for implementation of the global plan of action. In the Agenda, Member States reached consensus on the issue of the right to adequate housing. They reaffirmed their commitment to progressively realize that right and recognized the governments' obligation to enable people to obtain shelter and to protect and improve dwellings. The commitment to promote international cooperation to achieve Habitat goals calls on States to strive to fulfil the target of 0.7 per cent of developed countries' gross national product (GNP) for official development assistance (ODA) and to increase the share of funding for the Habitat II objectives.

The Agenda's preamble recognizes the "imperative need to improve the quality of human settlements" which profoundly affects people's daily lives and well-being. Although the social and economic progress associated with urbanization is acknowledged, the preamble stresses that Habitat II deals with all settlements -- large, medium and small -- and reaffirms the need for universal improvements in living and working conditions. It affirms that "everyone has the right to an adequate standard of living for themselves and their families, including adequate food, clothing, housing, water and sanitation, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions".

The 10 goals and principles include: a discussion on equitable human settlements; poverty eradication; sustainable development; physical conditions; spatial characteristics of settlements; the need to strengthen the family as the basic unit of society; citizen rights and responsibilities; partnerships among all countries and among all actors within countries; solidarity with disadvantaged and vulnerable groups; financial resources; and human health care -- including reproductive health care and services to improve the quality of life.

Chapter III of the draft Agenda contains six "commitments" covering the following areas: adequate shelter for all, sustainable human settlements, enablement and participation and gender quality, financing shelter and human settlements, international cooperation and assessing progress.

The Conference's five-part "global plan of action: strategies for implementation" is contained in chapter IV. The plan describes: actions to be taken to achieve adequate shelter for all; sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world; capacity-building and institutional development; international cooperation and coordination; and implementation and follow-up of the global plan of action. It also describes ways to promote efficient land markets and sustainable land use, mobilize sources of financing and facilitate access to land and security of tenure. It also proposes actions that governments can take to integrate shelter policies with macroeconomic, social and environmental policies, and to improve shelter delivery systems.

The Secretary-General's report on implementation of and follow-up to the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (document A/51/384) states that the timing of Habitat II, meant that the Conference became the last in a series of United Nations conferences dealing with global issues important to human welfare.

Regarding implementation and follow-up, the report recommends that the Assembly at its current session consider including the following elements, among others, in its resolution on follow-up to Habitat II: inviting local authorities and elements of civil society to contribute to implementation of the Habitat Agenda; deciding to give due attention to the issue of human settlements in the context of sustainable development at its 1997 special session on review of Agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED); deciding to conduct in the year 2001, an overall appraisal of the outcome of Habitat II; and inviting the Economic and Social Council to review the follow-up of the Habitat Agenda at its 1997 substantive session.

The report states that, in preparation for Habitat II, the Assembly had asked that national plans of action be based on an enabling strategy and that issues of human settlement development be addressed by involving the full participation of all relevant actors. The 124 national reports received by the Habitat II secretariat confirmed that national planning had adhered to that pattern. The main follow-up activity of Habitat II would be the implementation and further development of those national plans of action.

The Habitat Agenda had recommended that the Assembly at its fifty-second session review the effectiveness of steps taken to implement the Conference outcome, the report says. In addition, the Economic and Social Council was asked to consider dedicating one high-level segment before 2001 to human settlements. In that regard, the Council at its 1995 substantive session, had decided that it would carry out a review of themes common to major international conferences, within the framework of its coordination segment.

The Agenda had also invited the Assembly and the Council to review and strengthen the mandate of the Commission for Human Settlements, the report says. Moreover, it had recommended that United Nations system organizations and Bretton Woods institutions strengthen their support at the national level to Habitat II. In that regard, the Administrative Committee on Coordination would ensure that there was an effective inter-agency response to the Habitat Agenda.

Relevant technical cooperation activities undertaken by organizations of the United Nations system in support of sectoral components of national plans would be harmonized at the country level, through the resident coordinator system, the report says. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and regional and subregional banks would seek to integrate further adequate shelter for all and sustainable goals in their programmes.

Also, the Agenda had requested the Secretary-General to provide sufficient human and financial resources to the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements within the regular budget of the United Nations, says the report. To that end, ways to enhance the Centre would be pursued in the context of overall revitalization of the economic and social sectors of the Organization currently under way. In addition, possibilities of funding from non-traditional sources such as the private sector, local and municipal authorities would be actively pursued by the Centre.

The report states that by the terms of a resolution adopted at its meeting in Istanbul from 3 to 14 June 1996, the Conference adopted the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda. In addition, it recommended that the General Assembly, at its fifty-first session, endorse that Declaration and the Agenda.

Statements

WALLY N'DOW, Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), introduced the report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of and follow-up to the Conference.

The series of global conferences held under the umbrella of the United Nations over the course of the decade were the Organization's response to the challenge of human social development, he said. Out of that series, a creative and comprehensive agenda had emerged to help guide the approach to human social development internationally, nationally and locally.

When the Centre for Human Settlements, as the secretariat for the Conference, had initiated the preparatory process, the fundamental objective had been to expand global awareness and to make the preparatory process and the Conference itself one of partnership and mutual learning. In addition, the intention had been to go to Istanbul not just to talk of problems, but to find solutions. The Conference had succeeded beyond expectations. He thanked all governments, organizations, foundations and individuals whose contributions had demonstrated their support of Habitat II.

The Centre had begun a process of restructuring so that it could better carry out its role as the focal point for the follow-up and other responsibilities assigned to it by Habitat II, he said. In addition, it was

in contact with its partners to establish new networks and common goals and joint activities to advance the process of implementation at the national and local levels.

LILIANA HERNANDEZ (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77' developing countries and China, welcomed the agreements reached at the Istanbul Conference, which should lead to a more secure, equitable, just and viable human settlements. The challenges faced by developing countries, in the face of migration from their rural areas to urban centres, were particularly serious. Efforts to attain sustainable development and to wipe out poverty were indispensable. It was vital to recognize the needs of women, young people and children for safe settlements and to meet their basic needs, through education, nutrition and right to decent housing.

She said the follow-up to United Nations conferences should be given priority. The Centre for Human Settlements must be strengthened, as well as the work of the Commission on Human Settlements. The Centre should be endowed with the financial and human resources needed to carry out its work in conformity with decisions of the Conference. International cooperation, technology transfer and new and additional resources to help developing countries achieve sustainable development were indispensable. Also, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector must be involved in the follow-up to the Conference to ensure successful implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

HELEN BROWNE (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union and its associated States -- Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- said the Commission on Human Settlements should, at its next session, review its programme of work and its working methods and make recommendations to the Economic and Social Council, in the framework of the Council's review of its subsidiary bodies. The General Assembly and the Council should review the Commission's mandate in light of the outcome of the Istanbul Conference. The Union emphasized the importance it attached to adequate preparation for the next meeting of the Commission. Terms of reference for the assessment of the Centre for Human Settlements should be agreed upon to ensure its early completion in time for consideration at the next session of the Commission. The Union felt that effective implementation of the assessments should be considered together at each step to strengthen the focus, importance and effectiveness of the Commission and the Centre.

HUSEYIN E. CELEM (Turkey) said it had been a pleasure for his country to hold the last major international conference of the century. The Conference had played a vital role in creating awareness of the common challenges of "adequate shelter for all" and "sustainable human settlements" in a rapidly urbanizing and globalizing world. It had introduced an approach of partnership among the United Nations, national representatives, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, private sector and professional organizations.

The main follow-up activity to Habitat II at the national level was the implementation and further development of national plans of action, he said. Therefore, it was essential that national committees acquired a permanent existence in all countries. Turkey had already embarked on that process. The Turkish National Plan of Action had been prepared through a broad-based participatory process and the Turkish National Committee had evolved into an institution for monitoring the implementation of the Plan of Action.

He stressed that progress in attaining the goals of Habitat II would depend on the full mobilization of civil society. It would also involve the empowerment of people and the creation of effective participatory institutions, especially at the local level.

YU QINGTAI (China) said the specific conditions in individual countries should be fully respected in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. There could be no uniform standard or model for the solution of human settlement problems. Each country should implement the Agenda in accordance with its own specific situation and decide on its policies and objectives in light of the Agenda. The implementation of the Agenda depended on enhanced awareness of sustainable human settlement development and effective international cooperation. The international community, and the developed countries in particular, should create a favourable international environment for human settlement development by providing sufficient financial resources and technologies to the developing countries.

Implementation of the Habitat Agenda should be ensured by effective United Nations follow-up mechanisms and actions, he continued. The Conference had clearly set out the role and mandate of the Commission on Human Settlements and the Centre for Human Settlements in carrying out follow-up actions. He hoped the two institutions would function in real earnest in supervising the implementation of the Agenda. Other relevant United Nations institutions should also contribute, in accordance with their respective mandates.

ABUL HASAN CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said almost half the world's people lived in urban areas and by 2025 the cities would host two thirds of the population. That increasing concentration would constitute the most pressing problem facing humanity, particularly in the developing world. The world's cities were growing by 1 million people each week, a testament to the significant role cities played in the development of society. As a result of the increasing migration, living conditions were declining and urban poverty was growing. The cities faced environmental degradation and, particularly, decreasing water resources.

He said the situation was made worse by the internal displacement of people through natural disasters, river erosion, drought and general loss of livelihood in rural areas. To address those problems, appropriate national efforts supplemented by regional and global cooperation were needed. He stressed the need to find effective mechanisms to ensure that the consensus achieved and the commitments made at Istanbul were implemented. The collective effort of humanity should not be wasted simply through a lack of institutionalized follow-up mechanisms.

NIKOLAI TCHOULKOV (Russian Federation) said the Habitat Agenda must now be effectively implemented. The Istanbul Conference had set out the priority areas for sustainable human settlement and his country had adopted mechanisms for implementing the Agenda. The Centre for Human Settlements should be given the resources to carry out its work. Furthermore, a global partnership in the area of science and technology was needed to implement the Agenda.

The Commission on Science and Technology for Development and the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy should coordinate work in the application of new technologies for human settlements, he said. The Russian Federation was ready to cooperate with the United Nations in that area. The 1997 special session of the General Assembly, which will review implementation of Agenda 21 of UNCED, should also focus on human settlement issues.

MIRTHA HORMILLA CASTRO (Cuba) said she supported the statement by the representative of Costa Rica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. It was crucial for the success of the Habitat Agenda that action plans at the local level be strengthened, and national plans be put in place. The donor community must also be mobilized.

The enormous challenges in the housing sector demanded international cooperation and the United Nations had an important role to play, she said. Moreover, the mandate and functions of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and its secretariat must be strengthened. The next special session of the General Assembly should pay due attention to human settlements in the context of sustainable development.

JONATHAN NG'ENO, Minister for Public Works and Housing of Kenya, commended the Secretary-General of Habitat II for successfully organizing the Conference under very difficult circumstances. Only limited human and financial resources had been available for the preparatory process and the Conference itself. He stressed that rapid population growth and urbanization had given rise to serious global human settlement challenges. The Conference had successfully brought together partners in the shelter sector to focus on providing adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world.

He also emphasized the need for appropriate coordination at both the national and international levels. While the formulation and implementation of human settlement strategies was the responsibility of national governments, the international community had an important role to play in providing new and additional resources to reinforce national efforts, he said.

He urged that the roles of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and the Commission on Human Settlements be strengthened, so that they could effectively carry out their mandates at the international, regional and national levels. He called on all governments to commit themselves to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and encouraged local authorities, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians, and the academic and scientific communities to take their place in the implementation of national plans of action. He also called on the special session of the Assembly to give due attention to the human settlements agenda, as it reviewed Agenda 21 in 1997.

VICTOR MARRERO (United States) said Habitat II could have a lasting impact if sustainable development efforts continued worldwide and governments took seriously their commitments and implemented their national plans of action. A lasting impact would also be felt if all players -- multilateral, national, private sector, non-governmental organizations -- continued active partnership roles. The commitments made in Istanbul could further efforts to solve shelter problems and meet the shelter needs of millions of individuals worldwide.

The active involvement of the diverse spectrum of participants at Habitat II confirmed that the most productive role national governments could play to promote sustainable human settlement development was to empower individuals and local communities to solve their own shelter problems, he said. The international community, however, had a role as well, which should take place in a manner consistent with the agreements reached. Within the United Nations, he referred to the primary role given to the Economic and Social Council.

PETER GOTZ (Germany) called for the strengthening of the Centre for Human Settlements. He said the results of Habitat II should prompt Member States to follow up with concrete political action. Positive urban development would depend largely on the extent to which success was achieved in creating a network that involved all parties, and that also facilitated communication and prepared joint strategies to solve problems.

The Habitat II process had become a vital element of peacemaking, he said. Only when individuals lived together in humane conditions could problems resulting from distribution conflicts be solved and the basis for peaceful coexistence created. To meet that challenge, implementation of strategies should be coordinated at the legislative and administrative levels to prevent unnecessary frictions. Non-governmental organizations had an increasingly more active role to play. The German Conference -- Urban 2000 -- to be hosted by the World Congress for Urban Planning under the motto "Man - Nature - Technology" -- would be an integral part of the EXPO 2000 to be held in the year 2000 in Hanover, Germany. At that Conference, the dialogue initiated at Istanbul should be continued and concrete solutions achieved.

MESSIE AMOAH (Ghana) said by the year 2000, almost half of the world's population would live in cities. By 2025, about 5 billion people, 80 per cent of whom would be in developing countries, would be city dwellers. A good number of those would live in slums and ghettos, in squalor, filth, disease, misery and poverty. The Istanbul Declaration had acknowledged that even though challenges of human settlements were global, countries faced specific problems which required specific solutions.

The Habitat Agenda had recognized the need to enhance international cooperation, she said. Such cooperation should be accompanied by an enabling international environment supportive of the efforts of governments to implement economic reforms. She called for strengthening the financial and other forms of assistance to developing countries and urged the speedy implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

GUSTAVO PEDRAZA (Bolivia), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela), said the provision of decent housing for all and the development of human settlements were important. He stressed the importance of restoring human dignity and providing a safer life for all. The member countries of the Rio Group had set up national committees to that end.

The process of national planning and of creating the right kind of technological management had already begun in the Rio Group, he said. In addition, efforts were being made at South-South cooperation. He stressed the importance of mobilizing external financing and providing new housing. He also highlighted the importance of the role of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Human Settlements in achieving the implementation of the Agenda. Moreover, cooperation in the international community on the basis of recently held conferences must continue to evolve, he said.

ROGATIEN BIAOU (Benin) called for the restructuring and revitalization of the Commission for Human Settlements and an increase in contributions to the United Nations Foundation for Habitat. He also called for an enlargement of the partnership between the Centre on Human Settlements and the private sector. The Habitat Agenda should be fully and effectively implemented, with follow-up and frequent review and assessment of the implementation process.

Meeting the challenges of sustainable human settlement should not detract attention from the specific needs of rural areas, he said. A proper balance should be struck between meeting the needs of urban dwellers and those in rural areas. He urged that substantial financial and other resources be used to meet the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. He said the conclusions and decisions arrived at in Istanbul must not remain "pious promises".

M. SLAMET HIDAYAT (Indonesia) said the Habitat Agenda offered a positive vision of sustainable human settlements. The implementation of the global plan had to be conducted at the national and international levels. The new approach of partnerships, which had its tangible expression in Istanbul, should be faithfully implemented. New and innovative partnerships between governments and non-governmental organizations, which had become a very prominent feature at the Conference, should be continued. Governments should focus more on being enabling partners and facilitators.

It was also important to ensure that the core issues of development, development finance, external debt, international trade and the transfer of technology were vigorously addressed, he said. It was important, therefore, that the international community fulfil its commitments in the areas of financial and technical cooperation. Indonesia had begun the process of implementing the national plan of action. The Government had also established a National Policy and Management Board on Human Settlements to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. In addition, since 1992, the right to housing had been incorporated in Indonesian law.

DAVID H. FREEDMAN, representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) to the United Nations and Director of the ILO Office in New York, said the organization was in a position to play a strong role within the United Nations system in pursuing follow-up to those aspects of the Habitat Agenda falling within its mandate. Such activities would involve active participation in the work of the 1997 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council, which would review the follow-up to the Agenda. In addition, the ILO would continue to participate in the work of the Commission on Human Settlements and to cooperate with and coordinate programmes in the fields of shelter and employment with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements.

He said the ILO anticipated being called upon to help develop national and local capacities, including those of employer and workers' organizations, for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. To that end, it was also incorporating key elements of the Agenda into the work of the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) Task Force on Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods, which the ILO chaired.

EMIL FERJANCIC (Slovenia) said sustainable human settlement policy was an important aspect of sustainable development. In its endeavours to provide the basis for sustainable spatial planning, the Government of Slovenia was searching for partnerships with relevant non-governmental organizations, financial institutions and local authorities in the country. It was in the process of preparing a policy on population settlement development within the framework of the national strategy of spatial development.

The interdependence of the development of urban and rural areas was one of the most important items highlighted in the Habitat II documents, he said. In Slovenia, 80 per cent of the country's inhabitants lived in settlements smaller than 20,000. However, in the recent past, the country had faced disadvantageous population trends, as the number of inhabitants in small settlements had decreased or stagnated. He stressed that the quality of life could be better outside large cities, as it was easier in smaller settlements to provide dwellings, drinking water and management of waste.

HAROLD ACEMAH (Uganda) said the United Nations system must continue to play a central role in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements should remain the focal point within the United Nations system to promote a systematic effort by the international community for human settlement development.

He supported the conclusion of the Habitat Agenda that the function of the Centre for Human Settlements was to provide substantive servicing for the Commission on Human Settlements and other intergovernmental bodies concerned with adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements. The Centre should be strengthened and provided with adequate human and financial resources beyond its present means. In addition, the mandate and functions of the Commission on Human Settlements must be reviewed.

* *** *