UNOFFIClAL TRANSLATION ADRESS BY H.E. SÜLEYMAN DEMiREL, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY, TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS (LÜTFÜ KIRDAR CONVENTION CENTER, MONDAY, 3 JUNE 1996, 10.00) YOUR EXCELLENCIES, MR. SECRETARY-GENERAL, DISTINGUISHED DELEGATES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN MY ADDRESS BY EXPRESSING HOW DEEPLY HONOURED I AM TO PRESIDE OVER THIS AUGUST CONFERENCE. IT WAS A DISTINCT PERSONAL PLEASURE FOR ME TO OFFER TO HOST THIS CONFERENCE, DURING THE EARTH SUMMIT HELD IN RI0 IN 1992, WHEN I WAS PRIME MINISTER. IT IS GRATIFYING TO WITNESS ITS REALIZATION NOW. ON BEHALF OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY, I EXTEND TO YOU A WARM WELCOME. THE PEOPLE OF TURKEY WELCOME YOU HERE, IN ISTANBUL, OUR BELOVED ETERNAL CITY, A CITY GEARING UP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. INDEED, I FIND IT PARTICULARLY INSPIRING AND EXCITING THAT HABITAT-II IS BEING HELD IN ISTANBUL. THIS CITY HAS BEEN THE CAPITAL OF EMPIRES, EMBRACING AN EXCITING RICHNESS IN CULTURAL DIVERSITY. MOREOVER, A CITY OF MESMERIZING HISTORY, ISTANBUL OFFERS ALL THE EXAMPLES OF THE URBANIZATION PROCESS, WITH ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS WELL AS SHORTCOMINGS. ONE OF THE BIGGEST AND DENSELY POPULATED MEGACITIES OF THE WORLD, ISTANBUL IS IN MANY WAYS THE MIRROR IMAGE OF THE CITIES OF THE WORLD. WITH ITS UNIQUE GEOGRAPHY SPANNING TWO CONTINENTS, IT lS A CULTURAL CROSSROADS BETWEEN THE EAST AND THE WEST, THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH. THIS IS WHY, IT HAS SERVED THROUGHOUT HISTORY AS A CENTER FOR TRADE AND CULTURAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE CARDINAL POINTS OF THE GLOBE. WHAT, THEN, COULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD, BUT TO MEET IN THIS CITY TO UNITE THEIR EFFORTS lN ORDER TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDING ADEQUATE SHELTER FOR ALL? OUR DELIBERATIONS TODAY, AT THE THRESHOLD OF THE SECOND MILLENNIUM, TO TACKLE THE PRESSING AND CRITICAL PROBLEMS FACED BY THE INHABITANTS OF THE WORLD WILL MARK A MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. SO WILL OUR DETERMINATION TO FIND SOLUTIONS THAT WILL RESPOND TO THEIR NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS IN THE NEXT CENTURY. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, HIS EXCELLENCY MR. BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI FOR HIS STRONG SUPPORT FOR THE REALIZATION OF THE HABITAT-II CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL. I ALSO WISH TO THANK THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE CONFERENCE, HIS EXCELLENCY DR. WALLY N'DOW FOR HIS TIRELESS EFFORTS AND PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE PREPARATORY PROCESS OF THIS CONFERENCE. I SHOULD LIKE TO ADD A WORD OF APPRECIATION FOR THE IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE FORMER SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE CONFERENCE MS. ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE ARE LIVING THROUGH TIMES WHEN OUR PLANET IS IN A FAST SHRINKING PROCESS. INDEED GLOBALIZATION AND INTERDEPENDENCE SEEM TO DEFINE THIS ERA. I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THE VITAL GOAL OF THIS VERY TIMELY INITIATIVE AT A JUNCTURE IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND, WHEN DEMOCRATIZATION, SOLIDARITY, COOPERATION AND SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL BREAKTHROUGHS CONSTITUTE THE KEY ELEMENTS OF A NEW ROAD MAP TO A BETTER INTERNATIONAL ORDER. INDEED, THE ISTANBUL CONFERENCE PROVIDES A CRUCIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR WORLD LEADERS TO COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THE URGENT CAUSE OF MAKING THE WORLD'S CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES, HEALTHY, SECURE AND SUSTAINABLE. TODAY, WHETHER LARGE OR SMALL, DEVELOPED OR DEVELOPING, ALL COUNTRIES ARE FACED, THOUGH IN VARYING DEGREES, WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS IN SO FAR AS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS IS CONCERNED. WE LIVE IN TIMES WHEN NO SINGLE NATION CAN REMAIN INDIFFERENT TO THE PROBLEMS FACED BY OTHERS. NO SINGLE NATION CAN BE LEFT TO ITS OWN DESTINY IN TRYING TO COPE WITH THE IMMENSE BURDEN POSED BY THE PROBLEMS OF THIS AGE. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE SEEK A GLOBAL APPROACH, SOLIDARITY AND CONSENSUS ON THE WAYS TO BRING REMEDIES TO THE PROBLEMS THAT ACCOMPANY RAPID URBANIZATION THE WORLD OVER. WE MUST SEIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY FULLY, NOT ONLY BY ADOPTING THE HABITAT AGENDA AND THE ISTANBUL DECLARATION, WHICH WILL GUIDE OUR ENDEAVOURS IN THIS RESPECT, BUT ALSO BY RESOLVING TO IMPLEMENT WITHOUT DELAY THE COMMITMENTS CONTAINED THEREIN. THIS CONFERENCE WILL SERVE TO FULFILL ONE OF THE MAIN PURPOSES OF THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER, WHICH IS TO ACHIEVE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN SOLVING INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMS OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND HUMANITARIAN CHARACTER, AND COOPERATION IN PROMOTING RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS FOR ALL. AS A NATURAL CONSEQUENCE OF THE GENERAL TREND OF DEMOCRATIZATION IN THE WORLD, THE NEED FOR INCREASED PARTICIPATIVE DEMOCRACY IS GATHERING GREATER IMPORTANCE. THUS, THE FULFILLMENT OF THE ASPIRATIONS AND GOALS IN THE FIELD OF SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS DEVELOPMENT, REQUIRES NOT ONLY THE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, BUT ALSO THE PARLIAMENTARY BODIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, THE PRIVATE SECTOR, RESEARCH AND ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS AND INTELLECTUALS WHO FEEL RESPONSIBLE TOWARDS SOCIETY. HABITAT-II, OFFERS A UNIQUE AND INVALUABLE OCCASION FOR ALL OF THESE PARTNERS TO UNDERTAKE COMMON COMMITMENTS FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IT IS NOW THE TIME FOR CIVIL SOCIETY, AND, IN PARTICULAR, THE THIRD SECTOR, TO ADD ITS VOICE AND RESOURCES TO SOLVING GLOBAL, NATIONAL AND LOCAL PROBLEMS. IT IS TIME FOR CIVIL SOCIETY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE HABITAT-PROCESS, TO ENGAGE ITSELF IN THIS DIALOGUE. WE BELIEVE THAT THIS INNOVATIVE CONCEPT OF PARTNERSHIP WHICH EMERGED AT THE EARTH SUMMIT IN RIO WILL REACH ITS PEAK, IN CONCRETE TERMS, AT THE ISTANBUL CONFERENCE. THE WORLD HAS CHANGED PROFOUNDLY SINCE THE FIRST UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON HUMAN SETTLEMENTS HELD IN VANCOUVER BACK IN 1976, WHEN WE ADOPTED A MORE SECTORAL AND TECHNICAL APPROACH TO THE PROBLEMS OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT. WE HAD ASSUMED THEN, THAT RAPID URBANIZATION COULD SOMEHOW BE SLOWN DOWN AND ITS EFFECTS MITIGATED, AND THAT THE GOVERNMENTS WERE TO REMAIN THE SOLE RESPONSIBLE ACTORS IN ACHIEVING THIS. HOWEVER, OUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN QUITE THE CONTRARY IN THE TWENTY YEARS THAT HAVE ELAPSED SINCE THEN. IN MOST PARTS Of THE WORLD, MASS EXODUS TO ClTIES HAVE ALREADY LED TO GREATER URBAN POVERTY AND MISERY, MORE HOMELESSNESS, INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES CRUSHED TO MEET INCREASED DEMANDS, HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATES, ACCELERATED SOCIAL DISINTEGRATION AND INCREASED CRIME. IN THIS RESPECT, GOVERNMENTS ARE APPARENTLY OVERWHELMED BY THE IMMENSE AND EVER-INCREASING CHALLENGES THEY ARE FACED WITH. IT IS AGAINST THIS BACKGROUND THAT HABITAT-II WILL SEARCH FOR IMAGINATIVE, PRACTICAL AND EFFECTIVE MEASURES. IT ALSO CONSTITUTES A STRATEGIC INITIATIVE THAT WILL GUIDE US TO SETTLEMENTS AND URBAN POLICIES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY, WHICH SHOULD BE INCLUSIVE AND INNOVATIVE, CAPABLE Of GENERATING SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH ALLEVIATING POVERTY AND IMPROVING THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT. EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, - - HABITAT-II WILL BE THE CULMINATION OF ALL THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCES THAT HAVE PRECEDED IT. IT WILL DEAL WITH EVERY DIMENSION OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, INCLUDING CHILDREN, THE ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS, POPULATION, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND WOMEN. IN SHORT, IT WILL BE AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING AND COMPREHENSIVE CONFERENCE ON HUMANKIND AND THE CHALLENGES WE FACE IN THIS RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. IT WILL REINFORCE THE COMPONENTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. IT WILL REAFFIRM THAT THE HUMAN BEING, AS CONFIRMED BY THE 50TH YEAR DECLARATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, IS THE LET SUBJECT OF OUR EFFORTS FOR DEVELOPMENT, AROUND WHICH ALL OUR ACTIONS MUST REVOLVE. WE HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH THE FACT THAT WE INHABIT TOGETHER MOTHER EARTH. WE ALL SHARE EQUALLY THE RESPONSIBILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH OUR PLANET. FAILURE IN ONE PART OF THIS EARTH SHOULD BE UNDERSTOOD AS COLLECTIVE FAILURE. WE CANNOT AFFORD TO LET THE REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PREVIOUS UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCES FAIL AS A RESULT OF A LACK OF WILLINGNESS TO FULFILL THE SOLEMN PLEDGES MADE, BECAUSE OF PERCEIVED SHORT TERM BENEFITS. THE STAKES FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN, AND THEIR CHILDREN TO COME, ARE TOO HIGH. IT WOULD BE A GRAVE INJUSTICE TO FUTURE GENERATIONS TO LEAVE THEM A WORLD WITH ALL ITS CURRENT PROBLEMS. WE OWE THEM MORE AND IT IS INCUMBENT ON US TO OFFER THEM A BETTER AND BRIGHTER FUTURE. I BELIEVE THIS IS THE COMMON CAUSE THAT HAS REUNITED US ALL HERE IN ISTANBUL. EXCELLENCIES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TURKEY, IN THIS RESPECT, IS READY TO SHOULDER HER SHARE OF BURDEN AND RESPONSIBILITY. FURTHERMORE, AS THE HOST COUNTRY, WE HAVE REASON ENOUGH TO WORK ENTHUSIASTICALLY AND CONSTRUCTIVELY TOWARD A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME FOR THE CONFERENCE. WITH THE FIRM CONVICTION THAT HABITAT-II WILL MAKE AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION TO BRINGING MANKIND'S HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS FOR A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY, l WISH YOU A VERY SUCCESSFUL CONFERENCE. THANK YOU.