ENB:11:37 [Next] . [Previous] . [Contents]

---

HEARINGS ON THE ROLE OF PARTNERS

During the two weeks of the Conference, Committee II conducted hearings regarding the role and contribution of local authorities, the private sector, parliamentarians, NGOs and other partners in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. The hearings involved representatives from the following groups: Local Authorities; the World Business Forum; the Foundations Forum; the Parliamentarians Forum; the Academies of Science and Engineering Forum; the Professionals and Researchers Forum; the Labour Unions Forum; the UN system; non-governmental and community-based organizations; Habitat Dialogues for the 21st Century; and the Forum on Human Solidarity.

Committee II met on Thursday, 13 June to consider its report. The report, as contained in A/CONF.165/L.5 and Add. 1-9, contains the Chairperson’s summaries of each of the hearings held in Committee II during the course of the Conference. The Chair, Martti Lujanen (Finland), also presented a Preamble of the Chairperson’s Summary Report.

The Preamble states that the Partners’ Committee was the most exciting feature of Habitat II. It notes that, although NGOs were accustomed to assembling at previous conferences, many other partners assembled for the first time at a UN conference. A significant outcome of the hearings was the determination of partners to contribute to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. In addition to the new relationship with the UN, the partners recognized the need to support each other.