Press Release
HAB/IST/24
Conference on Human Settlements HAB/IST/24
17th Plenary Meeting (AM) 14 June 1996
THE 'CITY SUMMIT' CONCLUDES HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
The Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) concluded its high-level segment this morning
after hearing more than 120 statements. The three-day meeting
was addressed by Heads of State and Government, Ministers and
representatives of local authorities and youth.
During the segment, speakers addressed the major national
and global issues of human settlements. They pledged their
commitment to implement the Conference's global plan of action
at the national and international levels in cooperation with
all the partners who were integrated in the Habitat process --
local authorities, non-governmental organizations, the private
sector and youth.
Statements were made this morning by the President of
Cuba and the First Vice President of Peru.
The Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan and the Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Environmental Protection and
Development of Latvia also spoke.
Also addressing the meeting were the Minister for Living
and Urbanism of Chile; the Secretary for Health and
Environment of the Marshall Islands; Minister for Cities and
Integration of France; the Minister for Municipal and Rural
Affairs of Saudi Arabia; the Federal Minister for Regional
Planning, Building and Urban Development of Germany; the
Minister for Equipment, Planning and Territory Administration
of Portugal; the Minister for Housing, Construction and Public
Utilities of Sri Lanka; and the Minister for Habitat of
Morocco.
A statement was also made by the Vice Minister for
Housing, Land Management and Environment of Uruguay.
The representative of the Czech Republic also spoke.
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The meeting also heard the Mayor of Accra and a
representative of the Youth Caucus.
The Plenary will reconvene this afternoon to consider the
reports of its two committees. It is also expected to adopt
the draft Habitat Agenda and a political declaration.
Statements
APAS DJ.L DJUMAGULOV, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan : The
problem of the lack of housing, the natural growth of the
population, the lack of financial resources and the poverty of
large sections of the population should be addressed. The
State is in an earthquake-prone area, requiring the
construction of strong and expensive houses. The Government
has been creating jobs and providing amenities in smaller and
satellite cities in order to check the migration of people
into the larger towns. It has adopted fundamental laws to
provide the legal basis for addressing its urban housing
problems. New planning and architectural ideas and non-
traditional sources of energy and heat are being sought and
used.
The State is ready to pursue all forms of cooperation at
the bilateral and multilateral levels. Kyrgyzstan supports
the ideas set out in the Habitat Agenda and the draft global
plan of action.
EDMUNDO HERMOSILLA HERMOSILLA, Minister for Housing and
Urban Development of Chile: With its high-level of housing
production -- 8.6 houses started for every 1,000 inhabitants
in 1996 and 85,000 new homes built annually -- Chile has
reduced its housing shortage. It has introduced some
mechanisms to provide access to housing through innovative
forms of public financing and increases in private sector
resources. The savings of applicant families are a
fundamental part of this financing. There is one savings
account for every three households, mobilizing resources
equivalent to the annual public-sector investment in shelter.
The housing programme includes various forms of loans, savings
and subsidies, which, among other things, assures access to
social housing for the most deprived groups. Since housing
deficiencies persist, policies towards the provision of
housing, amenities, transport, infrastructure, the promotion
of neighbourhoods and popular participation are part of the
national and regional policies on settlements to which Chile
is committed. The Government, the municipalities, developers,
real-estate agents, financial entities and communities should
work together to provide decent shelter.
DONALD CAPPELLE, Secretary for Health and Environment of
the Marshall Islands: The Marshall Islands is approximately
70 square miles and comprises of more than 2,100 low-lying
islets and islands. The population was estimated at 43,380 in
1988, with a growth rate of 4.2 per cent. The islands have
been subjected to nuclear weapons testing by the United States
in the 1940s and 1950s, which has left a sizable portion of
the land mass uninhabitable due to the long-lasting effects of
radiation. Inhabitants of four islands had to be relocated
from their homelands as a result of this testing. The lack of
land suitable for sustainable human habitation also influences
the population's characteristics. The largest concentration
of population is in the capital, Majuro.
The Government is committed to ensuring that communities
are healthy and safe and continues to invest considerable
resources in them. Attempts have been made to decrease the
birth rate. The Government is negotiating with the United
States to ensure that atolls are cleared of radiation-related
danger before the owners of the land are resettled. Habitable
outer islands are being used to settle some communities.
RICARDO MARQUEZ FLORES, First Vice President of Peru:
Fifty per cent of the urban population lives in low-income
settlements. During the past 20 years, those citizens have
invested more than $20 billion of savings and other resources
in building homes. In spite of the amounts invested, more
than 50 per cent of those homes had no registered title and,
therefore, no market or collateral value. They represent
"sleeping resources" that can be turned into active capital.
The Government has acted to establish property rights and
titles for such assets and end that discriminatory situation.
Thousands of titles have already been granted and 8 million
Peruvians would eventually benefit. The Government is also
increasing access to credit for those citizens. Basic
services and infrastructure are also being provided to improve
urban settlements. Resettling internally displaced persons is
also a priority.
Peru's development strategy cannot be confined to
building houses alone. "The citizen must be placed at the
heart of the policy". Productive habitats will be promoted,
inclusive of practical employment opportunities. Practical
action is being taken to improve the indigenous settlements.
FIDEL CASTRO RUZ, President of Cuba: "The so-called
consumption societies which are but an insult to the four-
fifths of the hungry and destitute inhabitants that we are,
were built with the sweat and blood of the exploited".
What use is a global economy and technological progress
if they do not solve man's problems -- if the rich countries
become richer and the poor are poorer? How will the Caribbean
and Latin America cope with the alarming problems of
urbanization that have been forecast? Can the State be free
of responsibility in solving these problems? Cuba associates
itself with Conference participants who have defended the most
correct positions, such as on the right to adequate housing.
"It cannot be said that funds are not enough. How is it
possible that the so-called post cold-war millions of dollars
are spent on weapons and military activities and that the arms
trade continues to increase"? Every family should have decent
housing and that should be considered a universal right. All
people are entitled to live with honour and to be allowed to
work. Criminal and unjust economic blockades should not be
accepted. The world does not yield to masters nor to suicidal
policies. The world does not tolerate that a minority of
selfish, insane and irresponsible people lead it to
annihilation.
ERIC RAOULT, Minister for Cities and Integration of
France:
The Conference has stressed the importance of housing as part
of social and economic development, an important achievement
as far as France is concerned. The Conference should affirm
the right to adequate housing for all as a fundamental human
right. State laws should endeavour to facilitate that right.
Partnerships, formed to suit particular circumstances, should
be encouraged to construct decent cities in a balanced manner.
Immense energy should be devoted to the implementation of the
Conference's results. Intensive mobilization is necessary
from all sides to ensure solidarity and produce concrete
results at each decision-making level. At the national level,
the State should create the opportunities for the economic and
social actors and the private sector should help in the
sustainable development of settlements.
Decentralized cooperation between the cities of the
industrialized world and those in the developing countries
should be encouraged.
JAN WAGNER (Czech Republic): Among the primary aims of
the country's housing policy are the creation of a basic legal
framework and transfer of State-owned homes to municipalities
and the privatization of houses. It plans programmes of
financial and other support for housing construction, of
allowances for socially weaker households and of the
transformation of present housing cooperatives into
cooperatives of tenants. The years 1994-1995 mark the
beginning of a new housing policy of support for building and
saving schemes, mortgages and subsidies for heating and for
pensioners. The allocation in the 1995 State budget for these
activities are about 3 per cent of spending and 1.3 per cent
of the gross domestic product. Increased attention will be
paid to such non-financial measures as land policy, the
removal of legal and administrative obstacles, the improvement
of urban management and support for various civic initiatives.
International cooperation will be necessary.
MUHAMMAD AL-JARALLAH, Minister for Municipal and Rural
Affairs of Saudi Arabia: Since the Vancouver Conference,
Saudi Arabia has witnessed rapid economic growth and
modernization and unprecedented urban growth. As a result,
those living in cities have increased from 48 per cent of the
population in 1970 to 79 per cent last year. In the same
period, the number of cities has grown from 70 to over 175.
Comprehensive urban-like services have also been provided in
230 small townships, in addition to facilities in thousands of
villages. The Government has spent $187 billion on
infrastructure and services in the last 20 years, during which
nearly 3 million housing units were built.
Saudi Arabia has been allocating more than 5.5 per cent
of its annual national income to international financial
assistance since the 1970s. By the end of 1995, its grants
and easy-term loans to 72 developing countries had reached
$70.6 billion. Financial aid of $15.7 billion has been
granted to 29 low-income countries.
KLAUS TOPFER, Federal Minister for Regional Planning
Building and Urban Development of Germany: International
cooperation and support is essential as the developing
countries and States in transition face the task of creating
healthy living conditions in their cities. Important steps
must be taken in the industrialized nations since their
patterns of production and consumption and urban structures
are unsustainable. It is there that innovations must be
developed and technologies invented to take account of the
scarcity of energy, water and air. New labour-intensive and
energy-saving technologies must take their place alongside
traditional capital-intensive systems. Urban development must
return to the concept of the "short-distance city," where
home, work and education are grouped in the same
neighbourhoods.
Local authorities should have greater say in, for
instance, shaping the Commission for Human Settlements and
the review of the United Nations system as a whole. The
strengthened mandate for sustainable urban development must be
implemented at local and national levels.
SAID EL FASSI, Minister for Habitat of Morocco:
Arab countries have made commitments to the development of
sustainable human settlements. Every country has shown its
desire to make commitments at the international level to
tackle the problems of human settlements. Numerous countries
in the South face serious environmental problems which
adversely affect human settlements. The reality of
settlements must be understood before they can be transformed
into sustainable human settlements.
Morocco is very conscious of the social, economic and
cultural reality of its settlements and strive to achieve
their development. Strategies have been initiated to ensure
the desired balance between the rural areas, the deserts and
urban areas and between the ancient and modern cities. Land
management has also been improved. The integration of rural
areas is also a priority in order to limit rural migration.
The Conference should take account of Palestinian settlements
and a just solution to the city of Jerusalem.
MARIS GAILIS, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of
Environmental Protection and Regional Development of Latvia:
Integration into the European community is essential for
Latvia's future development. Fifty years of a totalitarian
system has had a significant impact, including on population
distribution. Overpopulation of the cities -- 69 per cent of
the population -- has caused a depreciation of the housing
stock and a reduction of the historic-ethnographic differences
between regions. Native Latvians made up little more than
half of the total population. The number of Latvians in
Latvia today has not reached the peak amount of the pre-war
period.
Latvia's major priorities of human settlement
development include setting up a counter-balanced, polycentric
human settlement network of medium-sized towns alongside the
remote
rural areas, and extension of the building sector and its use
of resources-saving constructions, technologies and
energy-saving production. Since 1991, denationalization and
privatization of public housing have been initiated.
Financial resources for the development of housing and human
settlements infrastructure are limited.
JOAO CARDONA GOMES CRAVINHO, Minister for Equipment,
Planning and Land Administration of Portugal: The
Conference's conclusions would inspire United Nations reforms
and influence Member States to intensify their developmental
work. Globalization has transformed development strategies
and produced major changes in population distribution and land
management. Cities will continue to be the motor of
development and its citizens must participate in their
development.
Portugal has experienced all the problems of
urbanization, including the growth of the informal urban
sector. To meet those challenges, the country is rethinking
its strategies for land management, strengthening local and
regional bodies' responsibilities for settlement management
and redeveloping deteriorating urban areas.
NIMAL SIRIPALA DE SILVA, Minister for Housing,
Construction and Public Utilities of Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka has
reversed rural-urban migration. However, its rural-biased
programmes have delayed economic development because the
cities were not adequately developed to function as engines of
growth. Rapid urban development is necessary to solve the
problems of unemployment and poverty in both the rural and
urban areas. The country's main challenge is the
rehabilitation and reconstruction of settlements that were
destroyed by civil war. The Government has found a solution
to the ethnic issue, almost eliminated terrorism and is
addressing the issue of resettling displaced persons.
The members of the South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (SAARC) met in Sri Lanka between February and
March this year and adopted the Colombo Declaration on Human
Settlements Development. They agreed that poverty is the
major obstacle to the provision of adequate housing for all.
Since the poor are not properly served by the market, there is
a need for increased investments and participation by the
State through the provision of roads, water and electricity.
The international community should increase its aid to the
region.
JUAN GABITO ZOBOLI, Vice Minister for Housing, Land
Management and Environment of Uruguay: Funding for housing
comes from the savings of various sectors of the population.
Uruguay stresses the importance of the family and gives
priority to education. The Government has learned from the
experiences of other countries during the Conference and
sought technical and financial cooperation to ensure the
implementation of its programmes. It has received support
from Germany and the Inter-American Bank for its programmes.
The Government stresses the role that non-State and other
actors can play in providing shelter. It will provide access
and subsidies to families with low incomes and lend support
to rural settlements. The State will regularize illegal or
squatter settlements and enact land management laws.
NAT NUNO AMARTEIFIO, Mayor of Accra, representing local
authorities: The local authorities welcome the Istanbul
Declaration and are committed to the implementation of the
Habitat Agenda. They are pleased that the Declaration
recognizes the role of local authorities in implementing the
Agenda. The local authorities are ready to take greater
responsibility to carry out the tasks they are being assigned
and should be assured adequate resources. The United Nations
should, in consultation with them, draw up a world-wide
charter on the principles of local government in order to
guide national governments that are engaged in
democratization. The Agenda highlights the need for capacity-
building at the local level and recognizes the need for
decentralization in decision-making. The donor communities
should increase their aid to the cities.
ZEYNEP OZBIL of Turkey, a representative of the Youth
Caucus: All people must work for solutions that are holistic
and rooted in the oneness of humanity. The word 'global' has
an all-encompassing nature, and embraces the entire planet and
all life on it. All homes must be places where basic needs
are met, where housing is a human right necessary for
effective participation in society. The youth for Habitat II
challenge their mentors, partners and advisors -- non-
governmental organizations, the private sector, international
donor agencies and Conference participants to join their
efforts to continue working vigorously on human settlements
issues.
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