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A. Opening of the session
5. The session was opened by Mr. D. Johansson (Finland),
Chairman of the Commission at its fourteenth session. A summary of his statement is given
in annex III, section A.
6. The Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) delivered a message from the Secretary-General
marking the session; the text is reproduced in annex IV. The Assistant Secretary-General
also made a statement on the state of human settlements; a summary appears in annex III,
section B. A statement was made on behalf of the Executive Director of the United Nations
Environment Programme; a summary appears in annex II, section C.
B. Attendance
7. The following States members of the Commission were
represented:
Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Botwana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China,
Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran
(Islamic Republic of), Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagaskar,
Malawi, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Russian
Federation, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, Venezuela, Zimbabwe
8. The following States not members of the Commission
participated as observers:
Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia,
Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire,
Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Guinea, Israel, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Maldives,
Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Poland,
Portugal, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Thailand, Togo,
Ukraine, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia.
9. The Holy See was represented by an observer.
10. The observer of Palestine to the United Nations
participated.
11. The following United Nations bodies were represented:
United Nations Children's Fund
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations International Drug Control Programme
United Nations Population Fund
United Nations Volunteers
World Food Programme
Economic Commission for Africa
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
12. The following specialized agencies were represented:
International Labour Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
World Bank
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
13. The following intergovernmental organizations were
represented:
League of Arab States
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Organization of African Unity
Shelter-Afrique
14. The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania was also
represented.
15. In addition, 49 non-governmental organizations were
present as observers.
C. Election of officers
16. At the 1st plenary meeting, on 25 April 1995, Mr.
Boris G. Maiorski (Russian Federation) was elected Chairman.
17. At the 1st plenary meeting, the following other
officers of the Bureau were elected:
Vice-Chairmen: Mr. B. S. Rachmadi (Indonesia)
Mr. J. Zetter (United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland)
Mr. A. Lizarralde (Venezuela)
Rapporteur: Mr. A. Zanga (Cameroon)
D. Credentials
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18. Under rule 11, paragraph 2, of the rules of procedure
of the Commission, the Bureau examines the credentials submitted by delegations and
reports thereon to the Commission.
19. Pursuant to the above-mentioned rule, the Bureau
reported to the Commission at its 3rd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, that it had examined
the credentials submitted by delegations attending the fifteenth session of the Commission
and had found them to be in order. The Commission approved the report of the Bureau on
credentials at the same meeting.
E. Adoption of the agenda
20. At its 1st plenary meeting, on 25 April 1995, the
Commission adopted the provisional agenda for the fifteenth session, as contained in
document HS/C/15/1, as follows:
1. Election of officers.
2. Credentials.
3. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.
4. Activities of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat): progress report of the Executive Director.
5. Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000.
6. Preparations for the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II).
7. Special themes:
(a) Review of national action to provide housing for all
since Habitat: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, held at Vancouver, Canada,
in 1976;
(b) Sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world,
including issues related to land policies and mitigation of natural disasters in human
settlements.
8. Work programme of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 1996-1997.
9. Proposed budget of the United Nations Habitat and Human
Settlements Foundation for the biennium 1996-1997.
10. Coordination matters:
(a) Cooperation between the United Nations Centre for
Human Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme;
(b) Cooperation with agencies and organizations within the
United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations system
and non-governmental organizations;
(c) Matters arising out of the resolutions of major
legislative organs of the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies which are
brought to the attention of the Commission.
11. Themes for the sixteenth and future sessions of the
Commission.
12. Other matters.
13. Provisional agenda and other arrangements for the
sixteenth session of the Commission.
14. Adoption of the report of the session.
15. Closure of the session.
F. Organization of work
21. At its 1st plenary meeting, on 25 April 1995, the
Commission established two sessional committees of the whole and allocated agenda items to
them as follows:
Committee I: Agenda items 5, 6 and 7 (a) and (b);
Committee II: Agenda items 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
22. Committee I held six meetings, from 25 to 28 April,
and Committee II held seven meetings, from 25 to 29 April 1995. The recommendations of
both committees have been incorporated in the present report.
G. Adoption of the report of the Commission
23. The present report was adopted by the Commission at
its 3rd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995.
24. At its 3rd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, the
Commission decided that its sixteenth session would be held from 28 April to 7 May 1997 at
the headquarters of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), Nairobi.
25. At the same meeting, the Commission adopted the
following provisional agenda for its sixteenth session:
1. Election of officers.
2. Credentials.
3. Adoption of the agenda and organization of work.
4. Activities of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat): progress report of the Executive Director.
5. Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000.
6. Follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II).
7. Special themes:
(a) Contribution of the private and non-governmental
sectors to shelter delivery to low-income groups;
(b) Management of natural resources in the context of
sustainable human settlements.
8. The right of the child, particularly with respect to
shelter and related services.
9. Medium-term plan for the period 1998-2003.
10. Work programme of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 1998-1999.
11. Proposed budget of the United Nations Habitat and
Human Settlements Foundation for the biennium 1998-1999.
12. Coordination matters:
(a) Cooperation between the United Nations Centre for
Human Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme;
(b) Cooperation with agencies and organizations within the
United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations system
and non-governmental organizations;
(c) Matters arising out of the resolutions of major
legislative organs of the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies which are
brought to the attention of the Commission.
13. Themes for the seventeenth and future sessions of the
Commission.
14. Other matters.
15. Provisional agenda and other arrangements for the
seventeenth session of the Commission.
16. Adoption of the report of the session.
17. Closure of the session.
26. In his closing remarks, the Assistant
Secretary-General congratulated the delegations on their work at the fifteenth session,
the last before the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul in 1996. A new phase of the work of
the Commission therefore lay ahead after Istanbul, and the challenge lay in creating a new
role for the Centre after Habitat II, for on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the
United Nations, the work of the Commission and the Centre had never been more urgent. It
was, therefore, the right moment for a commitment to fundamental principles, the paramount
one of which was "adequate shelter for all", the bedrock on which Habitat II
must build. Shelter was not only central to human development and societal equality, but
also a primary engine of economic growth and development. Further, the Assistant
Secretary-General noted that the problems produced by rapid urbanization could not be
solved by a single level of government; it required close collaboration between all levels
of government and the entire spectrum of civil society. Of special importance were local
authorities, and in that connection, the Assistant Secretary-General made reference to the
recently signed "Protocol of Lisbon" between the Centre and prominent
international local-government associations. The Assistant Secretary-General referred to
the active collaboration between the secretariats of the Habitat II Conference and the
Fourth World Conference on Women, to be held in Beijing later in 1995, for the problems of
human settlements would not be solved until women and men stood together as equal
partners. In fact, the engagement of all members of "our global village" would
be the key to success of the action programme to be approved in Istanbul, as would be an
urban Agenda 21, which would activate and involve everyone at the local level and be
Istanbul's legacy from Rio de Janeiro. The same was true of the other United Nations
conferences of the decade: their aims were to be integrated with what will be accomplished
at the Habitat II Conference. In that connection, the Assistant Secretary-General also
referred to other initiatives, in particular the conference to be held in Dubai in a few
months time on best practices to improve the living environment and quality of life of
people. That conference would be a valuable contribution to the Habitat II preparatory
process and to the implementation of Agenda 21, and the Assistant Secretary-General
thanked the Municipality of Dubai for the initiative. Finally, the Assistant
Secretary-General reminded the Commission of its role as a catalyst for change. Looking at
future challenges, they required new sources of funding, changes in structures and new
partnerships. Habitat II could only set the stage; the members of the Commission must play
the lead roles. In conclusion, the Assistant Secretary-General referred to ongoing
conflicts and destruction of settlements, in particular in Africa, and called on members
of the Commission to speak out on that matter in order to change the course of events. The
mission of the Commission was to build and to work for the well-being of humankind.
27. In their closing statements, the representatives of
the regional groups expressed their appreciation to the Government and people of Kenya for
the hospitality they had extended to all participants and for the excellent support they
had given the Commission at its fifteenth session. Remarks were also made on behalf of the
States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Group of 77 and China.
28. In his concluding remarks, the Chairman thanked the
other members of the Bureau, the Chairmen of the regional groups, and all representatives
for their contributions to the successful completion of the work of the fifteenth session
of the Commission.
29. The Chairman then declared the fifteenth session of
the Commission on Human Settlements closed.
Resolutions and decisions adopted by the Commission at
its fifteenth session
1. Resolution requiring action by the General Assembly
Recalling General Assembly resolutions 43/181 of 20
December 1988, 46/163 of 19 December 1991 and 48/178 of 21 December 1993 on the Global
Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000,
Recalling also Commission resolutions 12/1 of 3 May
1989, 13/1 of 8 May 1991 and 14/1 of 5 May 1993 on the Global Strategy,
Bearing in mind the relevant aspects of Agenda
21, a/ adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, the Programme of Action b/ adopted at the International
Conference on Population and Development and the Copenhagen Declaration on Social
Development c/ and the Programme of Action, d/ adopted at the
World Summit for Social Development,
Recognizing that the operational focus of the
Global Strategy is on action taken at the local, national and international levels and
that regular monitoring of the impact of the national shelter strategy on the shelter
situation in Member States is a crucial aspect of the implementation of the Strategy,
Having considered the report of the Executive
Director on the mid-term review of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, e/
which concludes that, whereas a large number of Member States have adopted enabling
policies in the shelter sector, further action is required to create the enabling
institutional and legislative frameworks for successful enabling strategies,
1. Adopts the fourth report of the Commission on
Human Settlements to the General Assembly on the implementation of the Global Strategy for
Shelter to the Year 2000 f/ and the proposed plan of action and timetable for
1996-1997, g/ and requests the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre
for Human Settlements (Habitat) to transmit them through the Economic and Social Council
to the General Assembly in accordance with Assembly resolution 43/181;
2. Takes note with satisfaction that many
Governments have taken steps to enhance their existing national shelter strategies or to
formulate new strategies based on the principles of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the
Year 2000;
3. Reiterates its invitation to Governments to
integrate the review of their national shelter strategies into the preparations of the
national plans of action for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) and to intensify their efforts towards the implementation of these
strategies using the Guidelines for National Action contained in section III of the Global
Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000 h/ and the Plan of Action for 1996-1997,
with particular emphasis on improving the institutional and legal frameworks in the
shelter sector;
4. Recommends that Governments adopt a system for
monitoring the impact of national shelter strategies on the supply of housing and on the
development of living conditions by applying appropriate housing indicators as a means of
assessing the performance of the national shelter sector, taking into account local
conditions and sensitivity to gender considerations;
5. Urges Governments to use these indicators when
preparing their national report for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II), as well as apply them in order to prepare annual progress reports which
indicate in quantitative terms the impact of the new strategies, and to publicize them
within their countries, particularly on World Habitat Day, and also to submit them
annually to the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat);
6. Invites Governments to continue to implement the
recommendations contained in chapters 7 and 28 of Agenda 21 a/ adopted by the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development;
7. Requests the Executive Director to continue and
enhance the support given to the efforts of member countries by collecting and
disseminating information on successful country experiences in various aspects of the
human settlements sector;
8. Also requests the Executive Director to provide
within available resources technical assistance and training on economically, socially and
environmentally sustainable enabling policies and strategies and on practical ways and
means of formulating, adopting and implementing them;
9. Further requests the Executive Director to
contribute within available resources to the system-wide implementation of the
shelter-related recommendations of the International Conference on Population and
Development and the World Summit on Social Development as well as collaborate with
relevant capacity-building and other programmes executed by other agencies, both within
and outside the United Nations system, such as the Capacity 21 Programme of the United
Nations Development Programme, in order to provide specific assistance to developing
countries in adopting and implementing enabling strategies;
10. Requests the Executive Director to submit a
report to the Commission at its sixteenth session on the implementation of the next phase
of the Global Strategy;
11. Urges the Preparatory Committee for the United
Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), to take into account the
conclusions of the mid-term review of the Strategy in preparing the Global Strategy Plan
of Action;
12. Recommends to the General Assembly, through the
Economic and Social Council, the adoption, at its fiftieth session, of the following draft
resolution:
"The General Assembly,
"Recalling its resolution 43/181 of 20
December 1988, in which it adopted the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000 and
designated the Commission on Human Settlements as the United Nations intergovernmental
body responsible for coordinating, evaluating and monitoring the Strategy,
"Recalling also its resolution 47/180 of 22
December 1992 on the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), in
which it affirmed that a mid-term review of the implementation of the Global Strategy
should be conducted at the Conference,
"Recalling further that the objective of the
Strategy is to facilitate adequate shelter for all by the year 2000 through the
implementation of enabling strategies in the shelter sector,
"Noting that the Commission on Human
Settlements at its fifteenth session considered the mid-term review of the Strategy,
"Noting with satisfaction the renewed
commitment to the Global Strategy expressed in Agenda 21, a/ adopted at the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and in the Programme of
Action i/ adopted at the World Summit for Social Development, as well as the
priority given in the Programme of Action b/ adopted by the International
Conference on Population and Development to measures for improving the living environment,
"Bearing in mind the high potential of
enabling shelter strategies, which rely on labour-intensive and locally based
technologies, to generate employment, demand for local products and savings, and thereby
promote economic development and poverty reduction,
"Bearing in mind also that enabling strategies
typically include activities such as institutional reform, revision of building codes and
regulations, and steps aimed at facilitating the access of the poor to critical resources,
especially land and finance, which can best be implemented through partnership
arrangements among the public, private and community sectors and the empowerment of the
poor and of women,
"Noting that the concept of enabling
strategies is an important lesson learned in the development of living conditions since
Habitat: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, held at Vancouver from 31 May to
11 June 1976, and that broad commitment to the implementation of such strategies
represents a viable way of reversing the trend towards deterioration of those conditions,
"Recognizing that, since the adoption of the
Global Strategy, additional weight has been given to and further insights have been
reached into several essential aspects of enabling shelter strategies, such as the
requirement for sensitivity to gender considerations, and their potential for contributing
to environmentally sustainable development,
"Aware that adequate information plays a
pivotal role in the proper analysis of the outcome, opportunities and constraints of
current housing processes, and in assessing the impact of policies, strategies and
programmes thereon,
"Having considered the fourth report of the
Commission on Human Settlements on the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter
to the Year 2000, f/
"Noting with satisfaction that a number of
Governments have initiated or reformulated national shelter strategies based on the
principle of enabling all actors in the shelter sector, that many other Governments have
initiated action on particular components of a national shelter strategy and, further,
that a number of Governments have commenced a process for applying selected indicators for
monitoring the progress and efficiency of their national shelter strategies,
"Noting also with satisfaction the support
given to the implementation of the Global Strategy by donor Governments, international
bodies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations,
"Cognizant of the importance of maintaining
the momentum already generated at the national and international levels for the
implementation of the Global Strategy,
"1. Commends Governments that are already
revising, consolidating, formulating or implementing their national shelter strategies
based on the enabling principles of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000;
"2. Urges Governments, in connection with the
preparation of their national plans of action for the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II), as and when appropriate, to adopt and/or strengthen
integrated national shelter strategies based on the enabling approach and principles of
social, economic and environmental sustainability, and to review them regularly with a
view to ensuring the improvement of living conditions, particularly of the rural and urban
poor, women and the homeless;
"3. Recommends that Governments adopt a system
for monitoring the progress of their national shelter strategy and, when assessing the
performance of the shelter sector, also adopt, as far as is feasible, taking into account
local conditions and sensitivity to gender considerations, guidelines for monitoring
national shelter strategies and the application of indicators, and publicize the
guidelines within their countries, particularly on World Habitat Day;
"4. Recommends also that Governments submit
the above-mentioned reports to the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for
Human Settlements (Habitat), in order to facilitate the preparation of the reports on the
implementation of the Global Strategy for consideration by the Commission on Human
Settlements;
"5. Also urges Governments to integrate fully
the environmental dimension in the formulation and implementation of national shelter
strategies, taking into account the relevant components of Agenda 21;
"6. Invites Governments to make voluntary
contributions to the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation in order to
facilitate the implementation and monitoring of the Global Strategy;
"7. Urges the international community to
strengthen its support for national efforts to formulate and implement enabling shelter
strategies in developing countries, as recommended in Agenda 21;
"8. Urges the organizations of the United
Nations system, particularly the United Nations Development Programme, and other
multilateral and bilateral agencies, to provide, on the basis of an approach consistent
with the Global Strategy, increased financial and other support to Governments for the
implementation of the Global Strategy Plan of Action;
"9. Adopts the Global Strategy Plan of Action
for 1996-1997, and urges Governments, relevant United Nations and private sector
organizations and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to prepare and
implement their specific plans of action;
"10. Requests the Preparatory Committee for
the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to take into account
the conclusions of the mid-term review of the Strategy, as well as the Plan of Action for
1996-1997, in the preparation of the Global Strategy Plan of Action."
2. Other resolutions
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its resolution 14/6 of 5 May 1993 on the
human right to adequate housing,
1. Takes note of the report of the Executive
Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), entitled
"Towards a housing rights strategy: practical contributions by UNCHS (Habitat) on
promoting, ensuring and protecting the full realization of the human right to adequate
housing"; j/
2. Requests the Executive Director to undertake, in
consultation with other relevant United Nations bodies, a further examination and update
of the report mentioned in paragraph 1, taking into consideration the legal, social,
economic, political and practical aspects of the subject and the views and concerns
expressed by some Member States, including those regarding the existence and/or legal
status of the right to adequate housing;
3. Also requests the Executive Director to report
to the Commission at its sixteenth session on this matter.
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling Economic and Social Council resolution
1990/15 of 24 May 1990 on recommendations and conclusions arising from the first review
and appraisal of the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the
Advancement of Women to the Year 2000,
Recognizing the role of women in human settlements
development as a key component in the planning, implementation and monitoring of the
Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000 k/ and the importance of
empowering women to participate in this process and making their participation visible,
Recalling also its resolution 14/4 of 5 May 1993,
in which it urged all Governments to implement measures in the development of a shelter
strategy which strengthen the participation and empowerment of women in settlement
development and management at local, regional and national levels,
Deeply concerned about the continued increase of
widespread poverty in a large number of developing countries and the trend towards the
"feminization of poverty" in the world's human settlements,
Also concerned that, in many societies, women still
do not have legal rights to housing, land and access to credit, which constitute essential
prerequisites for the realization of the full participation and empowerment of women,
Emphasizing the important role of women in
contributing to sustainable consumption and production in human settlements development,
1. Urges all Governments to implement measures in
the human settlements development sector that strengthen the participation and empowerment
of women in human settlements development and management at local, regional and national
levels, and to develop programmes that ensure women the right to land and house-ownership
and tenure and access to credit, with special emphasis on women living in poverty;
2. Also urges Governments to review and, if
necessary, repeal any gender-discriminatory legislation in the field of human settlements
development;
3. Further urges Governments to utilize women's
knowledge of and contribution to sustainable consumption and production in human
settlements by including women as decision makers and managers in human settlements
development projects and programmes;
4. Requests Governments to include gender-impact
analyses as an essential step in the development and monitoring of human settlements
programmes and policies;
5. Invites Governments and the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to strengthen their collaboration with relevant
non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations in facilitating the
participation of women in sustainable human settlements development;
6. Commends the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) for the efforts to strengthen the role and
competence of the Centre in gender-sensitive shelter-strategy development, as described in
the reports on women's participation in the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year
2000 l/ and promoting the advancement of women in human settlements, m/
through its Women in Human Settlements Development Programme;
7. Requests the Executive Director to continue to
strengthen the role and competence of the Centre in gender-sensitive human settlements
development;
8. Also requests the Executive Director to include
in the guidelines on legal rights to housing and land tenure and access to credit for
women the issue of gender-impact analysis on human settlements programmes and policies;
9. Further requests the Executive Director, in his
substantive contribution to the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality,
Development and Peace, to be held in Beijing in September 1995, to emphasize the issues
highlighted in the paragraphs above;
10. Further requests the Executive Director to
incorporate the above- mentioned measures in all relevant parts of the work programme of
the Centre for the biennium 1996-1997;
11. Invites the Preparatory Committee for the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to include the
above-mentioned issues in the preparations for the Conference;
12. Invites Governments to continue and, if
possible, increase their support through the various financial mechanisms of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to this programme area and, in this
connection, consider the potential of new and innovative methods of financing;
13. Further requests the Executive Director to
report to the Commission at its sixteenth session on the implementation of the
recommendations contained in the present resolution.
15/4.
Role of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) in providing
assistance to refugees, returnees and displaced persons and their families in Africa
within the framework of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the
1990s
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The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling General Assembly resolutions 48/214 of 23
December 1993 and 49/142 of 23 December 1994 on the United Nations New Agenda for the
Development of Africa in the 1990s, in the latter of which the Assembly urged all organs,
organizations and programmes of the United Nations system to incorporate the priorities of
the New Agenda in their mandates,
Recalling also General Assembly resolutions 48/25
of 29 November 1993 and 49/64 of 15 December 1994 on cooperation between the United
Nations and the Organization of African Unity,
Recalling further General Assembly resolutions
48/118 of 20 December 1993 and 49/174 of 23 December 1994 on assistance to refugees,
returnees and displaced persons in Africa,
Deeply concerned about the enormous burden that the
massive pressure of refugees and returnees places on the meagre resources of affected
countries, especially on infrastructure and services,
Deeply concerned also about the grave situation
that affected Governments face in grappling with the resulting unemployment and economic
dislocation,
Alarmed by the fact that there are currently
sixteen million refugees and twenty million internally displaced people in Africa in need
of international assistance for the provision of shelter, and the necessary infrastructure
for shelter,
Alarmed especially by the grave consequences that
the massive displacement of populations would have on the economic recovery and
development of the African region, with specific reference to the United Nations New
Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, n/
Noting the decision of the United Nations
Inter-Agency Task Force on African Economic Recovery and Development to designate the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) as the associate lead agency for the
continuum from relief to development, that is, relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and
development,
Noting also that the Centre's worldwide experience
in this field would be greatly enhanced by this regional focus, thereby facilitating
interregional exchange in seeking solutions globally,
Recognizing the need for cooperation between the
Governments concerned and the international community to mobilize the necessary
international resources, including financial, technical and managerial resources, to
implement programmes of human settlements for refugees, returnees and displaced persons;
Recognizing also the importance of assistance to
host countries, in particular those countries that have been hosting long-term refugees,
to remedy environmental deterioration and the negative impact on human settlements
infrastructure and services as well as the overall economic development process,
Bearing in mind that the majority of refugees and
displaced persons are women and children,
Bearing in mind also that most of the affected
countries are least developed countries,
1. Notes with appreciation the concern felt by the
international community for the plight of refugees, returnees and internally displaced
persons and their families in Africa and the efforts and assistance so far rendered to
relieve this plight;
2. Welcomes the decision of the United Nations
Inter-Agency Task Force on African Economic Recovery and Development to designate the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) as the associate lead agency for the
continuum from relief to development and requests the Executive Director of the Centre to
take appropriate steps to facilitate the implementation of that decision;
3. Requests the Executive Director to develop a
strategy in support of refugees, returnees and displaced persons and their families in
Africa in line with the System-wide Plan of Action for the Implementation of the United
Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s;
4. Invites Governments of affected countries to
give necessary assistance to the Executive Director in developing this human settlements
strategy in support of refugees, returnees and displaced persons and their families in
Africa;
5. Urges Governments to evolve human settlements
strategies that prevent stress on refugees, returnees and displaced persons and their
families;
6. Requests the Executive Director to complement
the efforts of other relevant United Nations bodies, in particular the Department of
Humanitarian Affairs of the Secretariat and the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees, as well as relevant regional institutions, including regional
banks, to develop well-coordinated support programmes designed to catalyse the
mobilization of resources for the provision of assistance in addressing the human
settlements concerns of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons and their
families, with special focus on vulnerable groups, in particular women and children;
7. Requests the international community and
development agencies to provide assistance to affected countries to remedy environmental
deterioration and the negative impact arising from the situation of refugees on
infrastructure and services as well as on the overall economic development process;
8. Further requests the Executive Director to
report to the Commission at its sixteenth session on the implementation of the present
resolution.
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling resolutions of the General Assembly on
countries with economies in transition,
Recalling, in particular, General Assembly
resolution 49/106 of 19 December 1994, in which the Assembly invited the United
Nations system to continue its support for the efforts of countries with economies in
transition as they transform their economies and integrate them in the world economy,
Reaffirming that the full integration of countries
with economies in transition as well as all other countries into the world economy is
essential to sustainable development,
Recognizing the need for promotion of reforms in
housing and urban management and development in countries with economies in transition,
Taking note of the progress achieved so far in
assisting countries with economies in transition with their human settlements problems,
1. Requests the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to continue to provide policy advice and
technical assistance to countries with economies in transition, tailored to each country's
respective economic and social problems, in the field of housing and human settlements;
2. Invites the Executive Director to consider
inclusion in the Global Plan of Action and the work programme of the United Nations Centre
for Human Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 1996-1997 subsections specifically
reflecting the problems and needs of countries with economies in transition;
3. Also requests the Executive Director to report
to the Commission at its sixteenth session on the implementation of the present
resolution.
15/6. Urban and housing
performance indicators
[ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its resolution 13/9 of 8 May 1991, in
which it requested the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) to complete the design of and test the internationally comparable
set of policy-sensitive shelter sector indicators under development by the Centre and the
World Bank, as part of the assessment procedure for monitoring the Global Strategy for
Shelter to the Year 2000,
Recalling also its resolution 14/13 of 5 May 1993,
in which it decided to urge the acceleration of a plan for nationwide coverage and
globalization of the Shelter Sector Indicators Programme, as set out in the report of the
Executive Director on Shelter Sector Performance Indicators, o/
Recognizing the importance of many vital issues
relating to human settlements, including poverty, productivity, infrastructure, transport,
the environment, local government and urban sustainability issues, as well as housing
issues which are the subject of the shelter sector indicators,
Taking note of the report of the Expert Group
Meeting on Urban Indicators for Country Reporting, p/ submitted to the
Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) at its first session, which considered the development of a set of urban
indicators to extend and complement the shelter sector indicators,
Aware of the decision of the Preparatory Committee
to strengthen the capacity of institutions at all levels to monitor shelter conditions and
urbanization processes using a minimum set of substantially uniform and consistent
indicators, q/ and to encourage participating countries to produce a factual
description and analysis of the quality, quantity, availability, accessibility and
affordability of shelter and diagnose human settlements conditions through these
indicators, r/
Having considered the report of the Executive
Director on urban and housing indicators, s/ and the supplementary report on
developments in urban and housing indicators, t/ which describe the
development of a complete system of urban and housing indicators, including a minimal set
of key indicators, their uses as an analytical and monitoring tool on behalf of all
stakeholders involved in the urban and shelter sectors, and progress towards collecting
the indicators worldwide,
1. Commends the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) for its efforts in developing a complete system of internationally
comparable policy-sensitive urban and housing indicators designed as an analytical tool to
assist all stakeholders in monitoring progress towards achieving urban and shelter sector
objectives;
2. Welcomes the establishment of an Indicators
Programme within the Centre which aims at encouraging all countries and cities to utilize
and further develop urban and housing indicators as a tool for monitoring progress towards
meeting national and city objectives, and to make use of the system of indicators
developed by the Centre as the basis for monitoring systems of performance indicators;
3. Endorses the list of key indicators contained in
the supplementary report on developments in urban and housing indicators and in the report
to the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) on guidelines for national preparations, u/ being nine key
background data indicators, twenty-seven key urban indicators and ten key housing
indicators, as the minimal set of indicators to be collected as part of the preparations
for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), and urges
Governments, as part of their preparations for the Conference, to collect at least the key
indicators from the indicators system for one or more cities and at the national level,
and to use these and other indicators as the quantitative basis for country reporting on
the status of human settlements for the Conference;
4. Recommends that actors at all levels, including
non-governmental organizations, the private sector and, in particular, local and regional
governments, be involved in the development and collection of indicators to meet local
needs and monitor local conditions, and that national Governments maintain an enabling and
coordinating role to permit the full utilization of local capacity in the process of
developing, maintaining and using indicators as part of policy monitoring and evaluation;
5. Recommends that countries in a position to do so
provide a financial contribution to the Centre so that requesting Governments can be
supported in indicators collection as part of the preparations for the Conference and as a
long-term capacity-building strategy for monitoring the urban and housing sectors;
6. Requests the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to establish a global housing and urban
observatory that would permit comparative international evaluation of progress in meeting
the aims of the Global Action Plan which is to be adopted by the United Nations Conference
on Human Settlements (Habitat II), and which would draw attention to and provide
information on human settlements conditions worldwide;
7. Also requests the Executive Director to initiate
action to introduce urban and housing indicators into global reports and international
indicator systems, specifically the Global Report on Human Settlements, the World
Development Report, the Indicators for Sustainable Development system coordinated by
the Commission for Sustainable Development as part of the implementation of Agenda
21, v/ and any other reports or indicator systems published or collected on a
regular basis, to focus attention on human settlements and their importance for the
sustainable development of national economies;
8. Further requests the Executive Director to
report to the Commission at its sixteenth session on the implementation of the
recommendations of the present resolution.
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its resolution 14/7 of 5 May 1993 on
strengthening of regional activities, in which it requested the Executive Director of the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to give high priority to regional
activities within the framework of the Centre's development-oriented efforts,
Noting that the Executive Office of the Centre sent
a letter, dated 16 December 1994, to all Permanent Missions of the countries in the
region, stating the intention to establish an office of the Centre for Latin America and
the Caribbean and inviting Governments to indicate their interest in hosting the office,
Taking into consideration the report of the
Executive Director on strengthening of regional activities, w/ in which it is
emphasized that the way to improve the level of efficiency of the operational activities
of the Centre is through the selective opening of regional offices,
Emphasizing that the Group of Latin American and
Caribbean States has taken up the debate, once again, on the urgent need for the Centre to
have a stronger institutional presence in the region,
1. Supports the activities embarked upon by the
Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), in
consultation with Governments, to establish regional offices of the Centre as a way of
strengthening its presence and activities in the regions;
2. Requests the Executive Director to hasten steps
and activities for the creation of an office of the Centre for Latin America and the
Caribbean, in the shortest time possible, to support the region's national activities in
the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II),
as well as to increase the volume and efficiency of the Centre's operational activities in
the region;
3. Also requests the Executive Director to
establish that regional office based on the following criteria:
(a) That it should possess an adequate and efficient
structural and functional design and that the personnel who will be transferred to the
office are those who are already supporting operational activities, and that it should be
financed by resources generated through the execution of projects in the region;
(b) That it should have the potential to expand its
activities in the region, on the basis of greater proximity and efficiency;
(c) That its establishment should not affect the resources
assigned to the Centre's global programmes;
(d) That, in determining its location, account will be
taken of economic, social and geographic aspects;
4. Further requests the Executive Director to
submit a report to the Commission at its sixteenth session on the implementation of the
present resolution.
15/8. Cooperation between
the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations
Environment Programme on the urban environment
[ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its resolutions 8/14 of 8 May 1985 and
10/3 of 16 April 1987 concerning cooperation between the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme in the area of urban
environment,
Recalling also recommendations of Agenda 21 x/
regarding capacity-building in urban environmental management and inter-agency
cooperation,
1. Takes note with appreciation of the joint
progress report of the Executive Directors of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme, y/
including the report on expanded joint activities in urban environmental management,
2. Commends the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment Programme on their decision to
join forces in the Sustainable Cities Programme, and thus translate into concrete and
practical action the repeated calls of the Commission on Human Settlements and the
Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme for more effective
collaboration between the two Nairobi-based United Nations agencies,
3. Supports the agreement between the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the United Nations Environment
Programme for mobilizing the scientific and technical resources that the two agencies
could contribute to the joint Sustainable Cities Programme facility and for developing a
strategy, work programme and budget for a joint Sustainable Cities Programme project
portfolio and associated programme-level support,
4. Requests the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), within available resources, to extend
Sustainable Cities Programme support to additional cities, based on the lessons of
operational experience in past and ongoing Sustainable Cities Programme demonstrations and
as a means for implementing Agenda 21 recommendations related to urban environment,
5. Requests the Executive Director, within
available resources, to accelerate Sustainable Cities Programme operations in order to
provide substantive input on sustainable development to the preparatory process for the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) that is based on specific
local operational experiences;
6. Calls upon the international donor community to
extend the technical and financial support needed for an effective joint United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)/United Nations Environment Programme Sustainable
Cities Programme facility.
15/9. Progress report
of the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) on
the activities of the Centre
[ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Having reviewed the report of the Executive
Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) on the activities of
the Centre, z/
Aware of the new problems and challenges in human
settlements that create new opportunities for the Centre in their environmental, physical,
economic and social context,
1. Welcomes with appreciation the new format of the
report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat), pursuant to its resolution 14/2 of 5 May 1993, and commends the Executive
Director on the quality of the report;
2. Requests the Executive Director, in consultation
with Governments through the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), to review all previous instructions by the
Commission with a view to streamlining and reducing the extent of documentation for
reporting to the Commission by, inter alia, reducing the length of all documents,
except the theme paper and financial documents of a special nature, to a maximum of four
pages, and reducing the number of reports by at least a quarter by avoiding duplication;
3. Invites Member States in a position to do so to
increase their support to the Centre to enable it to carry out its mandated activities,
including the provision of policy advice to Member States.
15/10. Priorities for
national action to provide housing for all [ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its decision 14/25 of 5 May 1993 on the
themes for consideration by the Commission at its fifteenth session, in which the
Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) was
requested to prepare, inter alia, a theme paper on the review of national
action to provide housing for all since Habitat: United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements, which was held in Vancouver, Canada, from 31 May to 11 June 1976,
Recalling also its resolutions 14/1 on the Global
Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, 14/13 on Shelter Sector Performance Indicators and
14/20 on the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II), all of 5 May 1993, which emphasized the importance of the review of
shelter policies and strategies at the national level in the future work of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), as well as in the preparatory activities
for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), to be held in
Istanbul in 1996,
Recognizing the effects of the changing economic,
social and political conditions, trends and policies in the past two decades which have
moved from a focus on public-sector interventions to an enabling approach, and the impacts
of those changes on the implementation of housing policies,
Recognizing also that substantive progress has been
made in many countries in the formulation of national shelter strategies which are the
basis for coherent, effective and efficient action in the field of human settlements,
Recognizing further the need to take measures for
effective government action to address supply constraints in the housing sector, to
facilitate the liberalization and deregulation of the land and housing markets,
Aware that provision of security of tenure to all
people living in both rental and owner-occupied housing is a fundamental step towards
improving the housing situation in every society,
Aware also of the need to strengthen linkages
between different actors in the housing sector and to promote in national and global
approaches the lessons learned from successful projects and programmes,
Aware further that sustainability must be based on
systems that reward performance, assure more local control over resources and encourage a
process of urban reform at the local level, involving, in particular, those directly
concerned,
1. Commends the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) on the report on national action to provide
housing for all since Habitat: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, 1976, aa/
and takes note of the main findings and recommendations to guide future action at the
national and local levels to provide housing for all;
2. Reconfirms the recommendations for action
already outlined in the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, bb/ as
well as in Agenda 21 cc/ adopted by the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development, all of which are based on full participation of all actors in
the human settlements development and management process and all of which require the
development of operational enabling environments;
3. Recommends that national action to improve
shelter conditions address gaps that exist in many cases between the formulation of
policies and the implementation of programmes, deal with issues of diversity, improve the
capacity for transparent, efficient and just governance in the area of human settlements,
promote the role of partnerships in the shelter sector and facilitate the expansion of
successful, innovative approaches on a large scale;
4. Also recommends that enabling strategies devised
for meeting the shelter needs of the poor, in particular of those in developing countries,
be strengthened by public-sector measures necessary to promote the redistribution of power
and resources to local levels, and by the creation of an institutional framework conducive
to the implementation of such strategies;
5. Further recommends that national action promote
greater choice in the shelter process to enable people to adjust their diverse and
ever-changing shelter needs to different housing submarkets, tenures, costs and standards;
6. Emphasizes that government policies that
facilitate the provision of basic infrastructure, create transparent land regulations and
ensure simplicity, affordability and flexibility in planning and building standards should
be considered as a fundamental step in increasing housing supply and in facilitating an
operational enabling environment in the housing sector;
7. Urges Governments to implement procedures that
could provide every household with security of tenure in order to mobilize the largely
unrecognized self-help potential of the poor;
8. Urges Governments and other agencies to develop
large-scale affordable housing-credit systems, by which low-income households and the
informal building sector can be assisted, with financial support in the housing sphere
being directed towards people rather than towards housing;
9. Encourages Governments to pay greater attention
to research, training, education and the dissemination of information and other vital
elements of capacity-building required to implement the enabling approach to shelter
development;
10. Urges the international community to pay
greater attention to assisting developing countries in alleviating land market
constraints, encouraging shelter development and improving urban management, especially by
concentrating on capacity-building to ensure sustainable progress;
11. Requests the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to intensify the monitoring and evaluation
of progress in national action to improve shelter conditions, to incorporate the findings
of this research into the work programme of the Centre and to report on the results to the
Commission at its sixteenth session;
12. Invites the Preparatory Committee for the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat 11) to take note of the results of
the review of national action to provide housing for all since Habitat: United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements, 1976, and to incorporate them into the Statement of
Principles and Commitments and the Global Plan of Action, in particular for the programmes
related to the theme "Adequate Shelter for All".
15/11. Sustainable human
settlements in an urbanizing world, including issues related to land policies and
mitigation of natural disasters
[ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling chapters 7 and 28 of Agenda 21, dd/
adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the main
objective of which is to improve the social, economic and environmental quality of human
settlements and the living and working environments of all people, in particular the urban
and rural poor,
Recalling General Assembly resolution 47/180 of 22
December 1992 concerning the convening of the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) with a view to arresting the deterioration of global human
settlements conditions and ultimately creating the conditions for achieving improvements
in the living environment of all people on a sustainable basis,
Recalling also the decision taken by the
Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II),
at its first session, at Geneva held from 11 to 22 April 1994, on the preparation of
national reports, ee/
Recalling further its decision 14/25 of 5 May 1993,
in which the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat) was requested to prepare, inter alia, a theme paper on sustainable
human settlements in an urbanizing world, including issues related to land policies and
mitigation of natural disasters for the consideration of the Commission at its fifteenth
session,
Noting with concern that in many countries,
especially developing ones, the pressure of population growth and urbanization is having
adverse implications for the supply of adequate shelter, environmental infrastructure and
services; that, because of their concentrated nature, human settlements are significant
consumers of natural resources and that the development and management of human
settlements may represent a substantial component in unsustainable production and
consumption patterns; and that as urban development occurs it may have severe impacts on
land and water resources and on the atmosphere, unless vigorous action is taken to prevent
such adverse effects,
Recognizing that the call for sustainable
development in Agenda 21 is not simply for environmental protection, but also for a new
concept of economic growth that provides fairness and equal opportunity for all people in
the world without destroying the world's natural resources and without further
compromising the carrying capacity of the globe, and that sustainable development rests on
three pillars, namely, environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social
sustainability,
Recognizing also the importance of cities to
national economic growth, their disproportionate contribution to national productivity and
their role in facilitating cultural advancement and social development,
Noting with concern that, as part of the rapid
increase in urban populations, rural settlements on urban fringes are being absorbed into
the urban domain and agricultural areas and forest resources are being converted to urban
use, often in wasteful and environmentally damaging ways; that land that can be obtained
by the poor is often unsuited to settlements; that the lack of security of land tenure for
the poor is a major problem; that the majority of the urban poor in developing countries
reside in areas with grossly inadequate infrastructure; and that the urban poor are often
unable to afford land,
Recognizing further that natural disasters are an
outcome of the interaction between natural hazards and vulnerable conditions which cause
severe losses to people and their environments; that natural disasters require outside
intervention and assistance at national and international levels in addition to individual
and communal responses; and that the challenge of comprehensive disaster-mitigation
programmes in urban areas is to continue general economic development and provide jobs,
shelter and basic amenities while addressing the environmental and equity problems that
are the real causes of vulnerability to natural hazards,
1. Commends the Executive Director of the United Nations
Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) for the report on sustainable human settlements in
an urbanizing world, including issues related to land policies and mitigation of natural
disasters; ff/
2. Recommends that Governments adopt and ensure the
implementation, at the national and local levels, of the following measures for the
sustainable development of human settlements:
(a) Decentralization of decision-making and creation of an
enabling environment to support the initiatives of local authorities and community
organizations;
(b) Formulation and implementation of local Agenda 21
plans and improvement of intersectoral coordination at the local, regional and national
levels;
(c) Establishment of regulatory and incentive structures
to encourage sustainable use of resources;
(d) Promotion of the use of non-polluting appropriate
technologies in human settlements activities, particularly in the areas of energy and
transport, so as to minimize and eliminate, if possible, negative impacts on the
environment;
(e) Increasing financial resources at the level of the
local authority for promoting national sustainable urban development objectives;
3. Calls upon Governments to adopt and facilitate
the implementation of the following measures for sustainable urban land development and
management:
(a) Promotion of access to land and security of tenure for
all urban residents, in particular the poor, through improved land market transparency and
innovative mechanisms to utilize public and private land, including fiscal incentives to
bring unutilized land into use, improved land-delivery and land-tenure systems and, where
appropriate, direct government and municipal landownership;
(b) Decentralization and simplification of land
registration and, where appropriate, privatization of land survey departments, as well as
improvement of urban land-use planning and management methods;
(c) Promotion of land-use planning, taking into account
the density factor in a way that allows adequate social services and sustainable
infrastructure to be provided, including measures to promote utilization of underutilized
plots;
(d) Strengthening of conservation measures at all levels,
both preventive and remedial, aimed at minimizing physical degradation of land and
eliminating pollution, in particular from industrial waste;
(e) Strengthening of the role of land as the cornerstone
of urban municipal finance, including measures for more effective taxation of the value
added on privately owned land resulting from public infrastructure investments, as well as
adoption of land and property taxes designed to encourage more economical use of land and
discourage speculative withholding of land suitable for development;
(f) Compilation of national inventories of land and other
ecological resources and formulation of long-term spatial strategies to guide land
resources development;
4. Urges Governments to promote and facilitate the
implementation of the following measures for the mitigation of natural disasters, taking
into account the outcome of the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, held at
Yokohama, Japan, from 23 to 27 May 1994, and the Yokohama Strategy: gg/
(a) Setting up of institutional structures and
decision-making processes that ensure that mitigation of natural disasters becomes an
integral part of sustainable human settlements development;
(b) Building up of national collective memories of
disasters, their effects, methods used to combat them and means to reduce their impacts;
(c) Improvement and regulation of access to land for
housing the poor in order to limit encroachment of residential settlements onto hazardous
sites;
(d) Encouragement of and assistance to local authorities
to direct human settlements development onto vacant public land in relatively safe
locations through the provision of infrastructure;
(e) Identification of hazardous sites and their conversion
into alternative uses, thereby protecting them from illegal occupation for residential
purposes;
(f) Reduction and elimination, if possible, of the threats
of already identified hazardous sites;
(g) Development and use of housing designs, building
materials and construction methods that can mitigate the effects of natural disasters;
(h) Enhancement of technical assistance to regional and
local institutions and provision of training in the management of natural disasters to
technicians, professionals and administrators;
5. Urges Governments and the Preparatory Committee
for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to pay special
attention to the recommendations of the present resolution in the national and
international preparations for the Conference;
6. Urges the Executive Director to increase efforts
within available means to assist countries and, through them, their local authorities with
the formulation and implementation of Agenda 21 plans at the local level;
7. Requests the Executive Director to review, as
part of the work programme of the Centre, recent trends in the development of urban
informal settlements in developing countries, as well as countries in transition,
including assessment of government policies towards such settlements, with a view to
recommending future policy directions;
8. Also requests the Executive Director to prepare,
as part of the work programme of the Centre, further practical guidelines for sustainable
human settlements planning and management in areas prone to natural disasters, in addition
to current work on flood-prone areas.
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its resolution 10/7 of 16 April 1987 and
other relevant resolutions,
Recalling also General Assembly resolution 34/114
of 14 December 1979 concerning cooperation with intergovernmental organizations outside
the United Nations system,
Bearing in mind that the role and functioning of
the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) in coordinating the activities
of the United Nations system in the field of human settlements will be reviewed at the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II),
Having considered the reports of the Executive
Director on coordination and cooperation with agencies and organizations within the United
Nations system hh/ and cooperation with intergovernmental organizations
outside the United Nations system and with non-governmental organizations, ii/
Noting with satisfaction the increasing efforts of
the Centre in fostering cooperation with the organizations within the United Nations
system, including the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, as well as
with intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations system and
non-governmental organizations,
Noting also that the preparatory process for the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) has provided an impetus
for further cooperation between the Centre and United Nations system organizations,
Noting further the expanded areas of system-wide
cooperation resulting from the leading role the Centre is playing in coordinating the
system's activities in the implementation of Agenda 21 jj/ relating to human
settlements;
1. Welcomes the initiative of the Executive
Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) in pursuing efforts
aimed at achieving higher levels of coordination and cooperation within the present
financial constraints;
2. Requests the Executive Director, within
available resources, to expand further the Centre's coordinating role in the
implementation of the parts of Agenda 21 relating to human settlements and the
system's preparations for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II);
3. Also requests the Executive Director to
intensify efforts aimed at generating collaborative programmes with regional development
banks;
4. Further requests the Executive Director to
continue to pursue efforts for coordination with agencies and organizations within the
United Nations system, including the United Nations Development Programme, the United
Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank, and with intergovernmental organizations
and relevant financial institutions outside the United Nations system for more effective
implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, kk/
relevant action programmes under Agenda 21, and the activities relating to the preparatory
process for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), and to
report the results of such coordination to the Commission at its sixteenth session.
15/13. Cooperation between
Governments and non-governmental organizations in the field of human settlements
development
[ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling its resolution 14/17 of 5 May 1993, in
which it endorsed the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the
Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) on the
Meeting on Governmental/Non-governmental Cooperation in the Field of Human Settlements,
held at The Hague in November 1992, ll/
Recalling also Agenda 21, mm/ adopted
by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in chapter 27 of which
non-governmental organizations are described as social partners, and also the Programme of
Action of the World Summit for Social Development, nn/ in which
non-governmental organizations are accorded an important role in promoting social
development,
Recalling further General Assembly resolution
43/181 of 20 December 1988, by which the Assembly adopted the Global Strategy for Shelter
to the Year 2000 oo/ and stated that enabling policies, whereby the full
potential and resources of all governmental and non-governmental actors in the field of
human settlements were utilized, were to be at the heart of national and international
efforts,
Having considered the report of the Executive
Director on cooperation with intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations
system and with non-governmental organizations, pp/
Noting that the preparatory process for the United
Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) provides the opportunity for
both governmental and non-governmental organizations to put into practice the
recommendations of the Meeting on Governmental/Non-governmental Cooperation in the Field
of Human Settlements,
Noting also that the Executive Director has held
regular consultations with representatives of non-governmental organizations, and has
facilitated the involvement of non-governmental organizations in the preparatory process
for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to the extent
possible within available resources,
1. Commends Member States that have established
successful mechanisms of cooperation with non-governmental organizations and with
community-based organizations in the field of human settlements, and encourages those
States that have not done so to consider the establishment of such mechanisms;
2. Commends the positive role played by
non-governmental organizations in the improvement of human settlements and in the work of
the Commission;
3. Urges Member States to take further steps to
involve non-governmental organizations fully in the implementation and monitoring of the
Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, in the implementation of the relevant parts
of Agenda 21, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, and
in the national preparatory process for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II);
4. Requests the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to expand the cooperation between the
Centre and non-governmental organizations, to continue to hold regular consultations with
non-governmental organizations and to strengthen, subject to the availability of
resources, the capacity of non-governmental organizations and of community-based
organizations in the areas of research, training, advocacy, information dissemination and
intermediation;
5. Invites Governments to increase the level of
support given to non-governmental organizations to strengthen their role as partners in
the field of human settlements development;
6. Also invites Governments to provide the required
resources to enable the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to expand
its cooperation with non-governmental organizations and to strengthen the networking
efforts of non-governmental organizations so as to increase their potential and
contribution to the monitoring and implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter to
the Year 2000 and of national human settlements policies and strategies;
7. Requests the Executive Director to submit a
report on the implementation of the present resolution to the Commission as part of his
regular reports on cooperation with intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations.
15/14. Concrete measures
towards the full realization of children's housing rights
[ Up ]
The Commission on Human Settlements,
Recalling that the right of the child to an
adequate standard of living, particularly with regard to nutrition, clothing and housing,
as well as the right of the child to water provision, sanitation and privacy, are
recognized by States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, qq/
in articles 16, 24 and 27, and that this Convention has been ratified by 178
countries,
Recalling also resolution 1994/8 of 23 August 1994
on children and the right to adequate housing, adopted by the Subcommission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, in which Governments are reminded to
comply, to the maximum extent of available resources, with all existing obligations
concerning the legally recognized rights of children to an adequate standard of living and
the continuous improvement of living and housing conditions,
Conscious of the fact that the physical, mental,
spiritual, moral and social development of the child, the future generation, depends on a
safe, secure and adequate place to live,
Recognizing that the child, for the full and
harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment,
in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding,
Recognizing also that 40 per cent of the world's
population is made up of children and that among the people living in poor shelter
conditions an even higher percentage are children,
Alarmed by the inevitable fallout of growing
urbanization resulting in increasing numbers of street children, increased sexual abuse of
children, increased child sexual exploitation and child labour, all with tremendous
adverse consequences on the health and education of children, and even of life itself,
Recognizing that the cumulative effects of a lack
of basic services and the survival strategy of poor urban families are especially evident
on the position of the girl child, who must devote a large amount of time to running a
household and covering the gap for missing basic services such as water provision and care
for younger siblings, with, as a consequence, lack of time for play and recreation and
high school drop-out rates, thus violating articles 28, 29 and 31 of the Convention on the
Rights of the Child,
Recognizing also the rights and duties of parents
and, when applicable, legal guardians to provide direction to the child in the exercise of
his or her rights in a manner consistent with the evolving capacity of the child,
Recognizing further that children have the right to
express their views in all matters affecting them in accordance with their age and
maturity, and to receive appropriate information, as specified in articles 12, 13, 14, 15,
17 and 42 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
Acknowledging that children are capable of
expressing their views and have special needs and interests regarding their housing and
living conditions,
1. Requests the Executive Director of the United
Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to place on the agenda for the sixteenth
session of the Commission an item entitled "The rights of the child, in particular
with respect to shelter and related services";
2. Also requests the Executive Director to convene,
within available resources, an expert seminar on the rights of the child in particular
with respect to shelter and related services, prior to the convening of the third session
of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II);
3. Further requests the Executive Director to
cooperate closely with the United Nations Children's Fund, with a view to developing
appropriate mechanisms, including indicators, relating to the relevant provisions
contained in the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
4. Requests the Preparatory Committee for the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to take full account of
the provisions of the present resolution.
15/15. Fourth report of
the Commission on Human Settlements to the General Assembly on the implementation of the
Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000
[ Up ]
At its 2nd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, the Commission
on Human Settlements, having considered the draft of the fourth report of the Commission
on Human Settlements to the General Assembly on the implementation of the Global Strategy
for Shelter to the Year 2000, rr/ prepared by the Executive Director of the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), decided to incorporate into the
draft the additions and amendments submitted by delegations relating to their respective
countries, and to submit the revised report to the General Assembly at its fiftieth
session.
15/16. Preparations for the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)
[ Up ]
At its 2nd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, the Commission
on Human Settlements, having considered the progress report of the Secretary-General of
the Conference on the activities of the conference secretariat, ss/ decided to
request the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat) to bring to the attention of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) the results of the deliberations of the
Commission on this subject at its fifteenth session, in particular the appeal made for
increased resources to be made available by those in a position to do so for in-country
preparatory activities. tt/ It further decided to include in the provisional
agenda for its sixteenth session an item entitled "Follow-up to the United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)".
15/17. Work programme of
the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 1996-1997
[ Up ]
At its 2nd plenary meeting on 1 May 1995, the Commission
on Human Settlements adopted the work programme of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) for the biennium 1996-1997 and instructed the Executive Director of
the Centre to discharge his responsibilities in acting upon element 2 of subprogramme
6, taking fully into account the background of discussions held during the fifteenth
session of the Commission on the issues of the right to housing and its resolution 15/2.
The Commission decided to designate subprogrammes 1, 2 and 4 as high priority, while no
subprogramme was designated low priority.
15/18. Budget of the United
Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation for the biennium 1996-1997
[ Up ]
At its 2nd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, the Commission
on Human Settlements adopted the budget of the United Nations Habitat and Human
Settlements Foundation for the biennium 1996-1997, subject to the following observations:
(a) The United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat) should reduce administrative costs in order to allocate more resources for
substantive activities;
(b) The Centre should intensify its cooperation with
external partners as a way of mobilizing resources for the execution of the work
programme;
(c) The Centre should explore the scope for increasing the
level of inputs from national Governments in the execution of joint programmes and
projects.
(d) The Centre should comply fully with the
recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions in its
report on activities and work programme of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat). uu/
15/19. New objectives, role
and place of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) within the United
Nations system
[ Up ]
At its 3rd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, the Commission
decided to request the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (Habitat) to transmit to the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) the views of Member States on the new
objectives, role and place of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)
within the United Nations system. vv/
15/20. Themes for
consideration by the Commission on Human Settlements at its sixteenth session
[ Up ]
At its 3rd plenary meeting, on 1 May 1995, the Commission
on Human Settlements decided that the two themes for its sixteenth session should be: (a)
the contribution of the private and non-governmental sectors to shelter delivery to
low-income groups; and (b) the management of natural resources in the context of human
settlements.
