Habitat

Press Release

Seldom have I had the opportunity of encouraging a process which holds so much promise as the subject of your meeting today - Implementing the Urban Environment Agenda.”

I need not remind you of the importance of being able to work towards sustainable human settlements - one of the primary objectives of the Habitat Agenda. A key factor in sustainability is sound environmental management, in all its different facets, and I am very pleased that UNCHS and UNEP have been able to join forces in convening this one-day meeting as a first step in developing some specific implementation modalities for an important sector of the Habitat II Global Plan of Action.

We, at UNEP, are clearly interested in the environment - health - habitat nexus. The problems of urbanization and environmental management are global in scope even though the solutions are often highly individual and localized. UNEP’s mandate has always been focussed on the human environment, and I need only mention our environmental assessment, water, regional seas, industry, health, technology emergencies and chemicals programmes to show how the central programmes have relevance to the Urban Environment Agenda. These linkages have now been formalized through the joint UNCHS/UNEP Sustainable Cities Programme which will now spearhead and coordinate the human settlements activities in our two agencies.

I wish to congratulate all present for your cooperation in helping to transform the initial thoughts which started this process into a solid implementation strategy. This will have great importance and significance in carrying the message from the City Summit down to the local level. You now have a statement on the way forward and, most importantly, a consensus on how to coordinate better the many activities and international programmes serving the cities.

As I know from our discussions, Mr. Wally N’Dow, the Secretary-General of Habitat II, said in his opening address that implementation of the urban environment agenda is of crucial importance to the future sustainability of our cities. He also recognised that we have a unique opportunity to present this concrete implementation mechanism to the negotiating committees of this City Summit.

I should like to support and reinforce those sentiments. The implementation mechanism you are proposing incorporates many features which are desirable in a major programme; it is bottom-up”, it engages the major stakeholders in deciding on effective action, it embodies gender equality, it empowers those sectors of the population which, hitherto, have had little say in their future, it is issue-oriented and it promotes greater social equity.

Much of what is incorporated in the Habitat Agenda can be carried out, on the ground, through your city programmes. It is imperative that we now find a way of bringing to the attention of both governments and donors the full potential of your proposals.

I should also like to pledge UNEP’s support to the process. It is the type of activity which the United Nations system does best, bringing together many of the major players in the urban environment arena, facilitating consensus, forging alliances and improving the way in which we work together.

By agreeing to work together, we can assist in the more effective transfer of technologies and best practices. We can create synergy among the different participants, so that the overall impact of the programmes can be enhanced. The process of exchanging views is also extremely important in focussing the inputs from external assistance programmes more closely on the needs of the cities.

This is not a networking exercise merely for its own sake. We are working with critical issues, searching for practical solutions to problems and seeking continuously to disseminate news of what works” and replicate those success stories as effectively as possible.

I am convinced that in proposing a means of implementing the urban environment agenda in a more coherent and mutually supportive manner, we will be able to attract more financial assistance for all the varied initiatives. UNEP and UNCHS are now seeking your full support in carrying this message through to the main Habitat II debate.

In return for your support, our two organisations commit themselves to carry forward the work this meeting has started.

The initiative to move towards greater cooperation and harmonization is the first step in making Implementing the Urban Environment Agenda” a reality. Continuing and improving the partnership among the cities and the participating international organizations will not achieve sustainable settlements by itself. It will, however, enable us all to move forward in a mutually supportive manner and take us further along the road to securing a better quality of life, for all, in the cities of tomorrow.

It is not an easy task. Progress is sometimes slow and the complexity of the problems can often be discouraging. Ensuring the necessary complementarity between top-down” and bottom-up” processes is challenging and frustrating. In the ultimate analysis, however, improving the health and well-being of half of humanity must be given the priority it deserves, and the time is ripe for consolidating the accumulated experience and disseminating it to as wide an audience as possible.

I wish you all the best in your engagement to achieve that goal.