General Assembly Plenary

Twenty-fifth Special Session

3^rd Meeting (AM)

CONTINUING SPECIAL SESSION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF HABITAT AGENDA,

ASSEMBLY STRESSES SHELTER FOR ALL, SUSTAINABLE SETTLEMENTS

CORRECTION

The statement by Turkey’s Minister of State to the twenty-fifth special session of the General Assembly on implementation of the outcome of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, which appeared in Press Release GA/9871 of 7 June, on page six, should have read as follows:

FARUK BAL, Minister of State of Turkey:  It was a great honour for my country to host Habitat II five years ago.  Thanks to the Agenda adopted there, we are witnessing many positive initiatives in the field of housing and greater efforts directed at sustainable development of human settlements.  In recognition of the key concept of partnership, people from the Government and municipalities, from the private sector and NGOs, have come together in nearly 50 provinces of Turkey to develop and put into practice this Agenda.

The Turkish Constitution states that every person has the right to live in a healthy environment.  It is, therefore, incumbent upon the State to take the necessary measures and meet the housing needs of its citizens.  Given the high rate of urbanization in Turkey, providing housing along with the necessary infrastructure and services remains a top priority.  I am sure this is a situation we share with other countries with high rates of urbanization.

Ensuring greater access and providing affordable houses is another priority.  Unfortunately, we have had to follow these priorities against the background of major natural disasters.  We have had to build nearly 42,000 prefabricated shelters and as many permanent ones.  We are grateful for the solidarity shown by the international community, governments and NGOs, which contributed greatly to our relief work.  In an increasingly interdependent world, achieving the goal of adequate shelter for all is a noble aim.  This means we have to provide our cities with better infrastructure and social services.

Given the importance of regional and international cooperation, the decision of Habitat to establish a regional office in Istanbul is a very significant step.  Turkey will be proud of hosting this regional office and looks forward to the finalization of the preparatory work.

* *** *