Daily report for 25 April 1995

The opening Plenary of the 15th Session of the United Nations Commission onHuman Settlements met Tuesday morning. In the afternoon, the Habitat II PrepCom IIPlenary resumed general debate and the informal group of Working Group II startedwork on the Draft Statement of Principles and Global Plan of Action. The Commissioncontinued its meetings into the afternoon.

PLENARY

International Union of Local Authorities: Colonel Maximo M.M.Ng'andwe stated this Conference marked the first time that local governmentauthorities are participating in the UN process distinct from NGOs. Localgovernments are not an instrument of international authorities, but full players becausethey are closest to the people. He also requested a panel of distinguished mayors fromaround the world for Istanbul.

Kenya: Hon. Jonathan Ng'eno, Minister for Public Works and Housing, re-emphasized the crucial role of the UNCHS and reiterated the need to keep UNEP andUNCHS management separate. While urbanization is irreversible, it is also importantto improve the living conditions in rural areas and establish linkages between the two.The PrepCom needs specific mechanisms to facilitate its goals, including theelimination of poverty.

Gabon: Mr. Ntoutoume Emane, Minister of State, said that social andeconomic dwellings are a vital part of social policy. It is important to revise thefinancing mechanisms related to social housing, particularly those linked to the shortterm financing procedures of international financial institutions, which have made itdifficult to implement the Rio recommendations.

Brazil: Mr. G. Holanda Cavalcanti said the Draft Statement of Principles andthe Global Plan of Action provide a sound basis for work, but noted that it needs toindicate the role of the international community, in particular technical assistance andmobilization of resources. The problems of small urban settlements and thedevelopment of adequate technologies and management issues need to be addressed.

China: Vice-Minister Mao Rubai said the Conference should strive toeliminate poverty, promote sustainable economic development, and control excessivepopulation growth. He noted many improvements in China's housing situation inrecent years, but noted the enormous problems impending.

Russian Federation: Amb. Boris Maiorski said that countries witheconomies in transition need new housing policies for a market economy. The Russiangovernment has agreed to set up a national committee. He added that Russia will needfinancial support to continue ongoing reforms.

Australia: Amb. Lawry Herron stated that the sectoral approach has notdelivered economic and social renewal, therefore Australia is developing a cross-sectoral approach that focuses on citizens. Preparations for Habitat II must recognizethe interdependency of social and environmental goals as well as the principlesestablished in other recent UN conferences.

United Arab Emirates: Mr. Ali Alshami, Deputy Minister, said that UAEhas created a national preparatory committee consisting of municipal authorities, localauthorities, academics and NGOs. He also endorsed the need for the internationalcommunity to take coordinated action.

Gambia: Mr. S.K. Sagina, Deputy Permanent Secretary, noted that Gambiahas adopted institutional changes, such as housing projects and urban environmentprojects, and has implemented international housing protocols. Lack of funds is amajor constraint and without financial assistance Gambia will encounter delays inimplementing the outcomes of the Conference.

Bangladesh: Mr. Hasinur Rahman outlined the activities the country hasundertaken on Habitat II: the right to housing has been recognized; a 66-membernational preparatory committee has been set up; a national plan of action has beenprepared; urban and housing indicators are being worked out in line with the Habitat IIguidelines; and a national housing authority is under consideration.

Ghana: Deputy Minister Alex B. Akuffo underscored the need to givepriority to disaster mitigation and rehabilitation and then elaborated on the shelter andhousing activities Ghana has undertaken based on the country's 2020 Vision.

Tunisia: General Director Medini elaborated on the success of two housingprogrammes: the first targets the poorest in urban areas; and the second, the IntegratedRural Programme, targets the rural areas. He stressed that overcoming problems thatimpede development in rural areas requires local and international solidarity, whichHabitat II should demonstrate.

The Philippines: Under Secretary Aniceto M. Sobrepana said the GlobalPlan of Action should adequately reflect the responsibility of the internationalcommunity, in particular in the technical and financial aspects. Habitat II should focuson sustainable urban development and provide the link between Rio and Istanbul.

Lesotho: Hon. Lesao Lehohla, Minister of Home Affairs and LocalGovernment, recalled the Kampala Declaration and reaffirmed his commitment toHABITAT II. Lesotho is engaged in a national preparatory process, establishing anational committee and a task force on assistance needed from HABITAT II andsubmitting three best practices to the Secretariat.

Burundi: Mr. Marc Ndayamirije described the special needs of his country,which has lost housing and urban structures from war and disaster. Burundi hasestablished a shelter policy and a ministry in charge of displaced people, but requestedassistance from governments, UNCHS and NGOs to help its reconstruction.

Burkina Faso: Mr. Joseph Guiebo said Habitat II was of great importancebecause of severe economic troubles. Burkina Faso has instituted a Five Year Plan thatwill deliver 225,000 housing units, has held many workshops and initiated populationstudies.

INFORMAL WORKING GROUP ON THE GLOBAL PLAN OF ACTION

The informal working group on document A/CONF.165/ PC.2/3, the Draft Statementof Principles and Global Plan of Action (GPA), met Tuesday afternoon to begin the'hands-on' process of preparing the documents to be adopted in Istanbul. TheSecretariat said the Bureau had decided that to avoid last-minute negotiations atPrepCom III, delegations must begin to engage each other rather than the Secretariat,and that the Secretariat would pull back and act only as a facilitator. A member of theSecretariat outlined the methodology for the development of the draft, the fundamentalpremises used in its elaboration and how changes in the problems of humansettlements argue for a new approach to urbanization. The Secretariat introduceddocument A/CONF.165/PC.2/3/Add.1, which includes the three thematic programmeareas proposed by the Secretariat: sustainable urban and regional development;sustainable shelter and community development; and sustainable settlementsmanagement and governance.

Some delegates pointed out technical problems with the Secretariat's draft, includingits avoidance of the political issue of planning, the responsibilities of nationalgovernments and an implicit anti-rural bias.

Following a brief interval, the group reconvened for an abbreviated session. Delegates,some of whom were sitting on tables or the floor or standing in the hall, expressedconcern that the meeting room was not adequate for the number of participants. Theyalso noted that regional groups needed time to develop their positions on the draftGPA.

The EU circulated its outline for the structure of discussion on the content of the finaldocument. After brief sections describing a preamble and the three principles from theSecretariat draft, the EU outline reorganizes the discussion on commitments intosubject-oriented clusters: shelter for all; sustainable urban development; and cross-sectoral issues. The EU's outline has sections that were written to be as detailed andconcrete as possible regarding shelter for all, sustainable human settlements,institutions, social concerns and implementation.

15TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

The Session was officially opened by the Chair of the 14th Commission on HumanSettlements, David Johannson (Finland), and followed by the election of the newBureau and consideration of procedural matters. In a Plenary session, the Report onthe progress of work was presented. In the afternoon, the Commission broke into twoCommittees.

David Johannson said an outstanding achievement of the 14th Session wasthe formulation of the two objectives of Habitat II. This Commission shall considerproposals for new objectives for the UN Centre for Human Settlement (UNCHS), therole of the Centre within the UN and the proposals on the work programme andbudget for the biennial period 1996-1997. The new objectives shall include thoseanticipated for adoption by the Habitat II Conference.

Wally N'Dow, on behalf of the UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, noted that this session carries a special significance as the last beforeHABITAT II. By the early decades of the next century, the vast majority of the globalpopulation will live in cities, which will increase the demand for jobs and shelter. Therecommendations from this session will be valuable contributions to the 'CitySummit' in Istanbul in 1996.

Wally N'Dow, Secretary-General of HABITAT II, stated that there must berecognition of all actors involved, such as local authorities, the private sector, NGOs,and young people, as part of the solution. He added that future human settlementpolicies cannot be created in ignorance of other development issues and urged theConference to add its voice to the discussion against war as a destroyer of humansettlements.

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Assistant ExecutiveDirector, Jorg Illueca, on behalf of Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell, said afocus on the human environment will draw UNEP and UNCHS together to preventdestruction of environmental resources. Areas of cooperation include a sustainablecities program, task forces on the relief-to-development continuum, small island statesand vector control, and development of sustainable development indicators. UNEP willassist stakeholders in attaining sustainable urban development to understand and solveenvironmental problems in urban communities.