Parallel Event

Consultations of Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH)
Organized by UNCHS (Habitat)
Conference Room C
11:30 - 2:00

Parliamentarians Support Habitat Agenda

The Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH) has expressed strong support for the Habitat Agenda on Human Settlements. The group, which is made up of representatives of parliamentarians from around the world, pledged their effective contributions to the Declaration on Cities and other Human Settlement debate to its successful implementation, especially the campaigns on Good Urban Governance, Secure Tenure and World Charter on Local Self-Government.

The GPH made the pledge on 5 June 2001 at an event organized by United Nations Centre for Human Settlements UNCHS (Habitat) at the ongoing United Nations Special Session on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. The members also expressed their strong support for Habitat's biennium programme and pledged to put pressure on their governments to ensure increased international cooperation on this important Habitat Agenda issue.

The GPH also pledged to seek common position on difficult issues and to send their members to all committees of UNGASS to ensure that parliamentarians' points of view were reflected in decisions.

The members stressed the need for Habitat to set up a solid legal unit to develop "legislative facility on human settlements" with the current biennium programme, similar to that of the Environment Programme

The GPH also commended the new Executive Director of Habitat, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, on her well-deserved appointment, and expressed the wish to have a formal meeting with the Executive Director if her schedule would permit.

Delegates at the meeting included those from Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, Sweden, Switzerland and Finland. Others were from Turkey, Philippines, Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and Tunisia.