52/192 Follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the future role of the Commission on Human Settlements

The General Assembly,

Welcoming the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), ⁽⁶⁹⁾

Bearing in mind its resolutions 2718 (XXV) of 15 December 1970, 3001 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 and 3327 (XXIX) of 16 December 1974, and in particular its resolution 32/162 (XXXI) of 19 December 1977, by which it decided that the Economic and Social Council should transform the Committee on Housing, Building and Planning into the Commission on Human Settlements,

Taking into account its resolutions 51/177 of 16 December 1996 on the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), and 50/227 of 24 May 1996 on further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields,

Recalling that in its resolution 51/177, the General Assembly reaffirmed that the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and relevant resolutions, including Assembly resolutions 48/162 of 20 December 1993 and 50/227, and together with the Commission on Human Settlements, should constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental mechanism to oversee the coordination of activities for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, ⁽⁷⁰⁾

Convinced that the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) will be undertaken on the basis of an integrated approach to human settlements development and within the framework of coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the results of the major international conferences in the economic, social and related fields,

I

Framework for the functioning of the Commission

1. Reaffirms that the Commission on Human Settlements, as a standing committee of the Economic and Social Council, should have a central role in monitoring, within the United Nations system, the implementation of the Habitat Agenda ⁽⁷¹⁾ and advising the Council thereon;

2. Calls upon all the relevant United Nations organizations and specialized agencies, to identify specific actions that they will undertake, within their mandates, towards the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, and invites them to inform the Administrative Committee on Coordination of their actions;

3. Calls upon the funds and programmes of the United Nations system and the regional commissions, consistent with their respective mandates, to support fully the effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda, particularly at the field level, as appropriate;

4. Invites the Bretton Woods institutions to consider how they might be actively involved in the implementation of and follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), and to enhance their cooperation with the United Nations system for that purpose;

5. Decides, in view of the importance of non-governmental organizations, local authorities, the private sector and research organizations in the promotion of human settlements development, that such organizations should be encouraged to participate in the work of the Commission, in accordance with the relevant provisions of Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996 on the consultative relationship between the United Nations and non-governmental organizations;

II

Terms of reference

6. Reaffirms the existing mandate of the Commission on Human Settlements as set out in General Assembly resolution 32/162 (XXXI) of 19 December 1977, while stressing the normative and catalytic character of the mandate;

7. Reaffirms in particular the responsibility of the Commission to give overall policy guidance to and to supervise the operations of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, including the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation;

8. Takes into account that the Commission should fulfil its mandate in line with paragraphs 222 to 227 of the Habitat Agenda and in harmony with recommendations made by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, particularly chapter 7 of Agenda 21; ⁽⁷²⁾

9. Decides that the Commission, in fulfilling its mandate, shall assist the Economic and Social Council in monitoring, reviewing and assessing the progress made in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, inter alia, through the analysis of relevant inputs from Governments, local authorities and their associations, relevant non-governmental organizations and the private sector;

10. Also decides that the Commission shall identify issues concerning which system-wide coordination needs to be improved and modalities for promoting system-wide coordination in order to assist the Council in its coordination function;

III

Structure of the agenda and work programme
of the Commission

11. Urges the Commission to adopt a multi-year work programme for a focused and thematic approach that would, inter alia, provide a framework to assess the progress achieved in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, and that would be in line with the coordinated follow-up to conferences, culminating in an overall review and appraisal of the Habitat Agenda in the year 2001;

12. Decides that the work of the Commission in relation to the programme of work shall be primarily focused on the relevant provisions of the Habitat Agenda with a view to ensuring the effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

13. Also decides that the agenda of the Commission on Human Settlements at its future sessions shall include the following substantive items derived from the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II):

(a) Consideration of issues identified in the multi-year programme of work;

(b) Review of the relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the themes "Sustainable human settlements development" and "Adequate shelter for all";

(c) issues, trends and new approaches to issues affecting human settlements development;

14. Further decides that at its seventeenth and eighteenth sessions, which will be structured around the following four substantive areas of the Habitat Agenda, the Commission will focus on monitoring the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and assessing its impact:

(a) Adequate shelter for all, also incorporating the monitoring of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000;

(b) Sustainable human settlements in an urbanizing world, also incorporating the monitoring of chapter 7 of Agenda 21;

(c) Capacity-building and institutional development;

(d) International cooperation and coordination;

15. Decides that:

(a) At its seventeenth session, in 1999, the Commission will address the above-mentioned substantive areas;

(b) At its eighteenth session, in 2001, the Commission will focus on preparations for the special session of the General Assembly, if appropriate;

(c) In 1998 and 2000, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements will analyse the progress made on national implementation status, organized around the four above-mentioned substantive areas, and will prepare synthesized reports to be submitted for consideration by the Commission at its seventeenth and eighteenth sessions;

IV

Documentation

16. Requests that all United Nations documentation be kept concise, clear, analytical and timely, with a focus on relevant issues, that to the greatest extent possible use be made of integrated reporting, that reports contain recommendations for action and indicate the actors involved, that reports be made available in all official languages in accordance with the rules of the United Nations, and that the use of other methods of reporting, such as oral reports, also be explored;

V

Methods of work of the Commission

17. Recognizes that the methods of work of the Commission should be revitalized in order to improve the profile of the Commission and attract high-level political participation;

18. Decides that preparation of thematic discussions in the Commission should be broadened by:

(a) Inviting countries to contribute to the preparation of the sessions by, for example, organizing seminars or expert panels on issues directly related to the themes that will be discussed at a particular session, and to report thereon;

(b) Involving local authorities, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and other partners in the preparatory phases of Commission sessions;

19. Also decides that during Commission sessions, dialogues with major groups and panel discussions may be organized, the format of which, as with all other agenda items, should be decided upon at preceding Commission sessions;

20. Further decides to consider organizing interactive high-level segments on key policy issues during future Commission sessions;

VI

Secretariat

21. Urges the Secretary-General to ensure the effective functioning of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements in line with paragraph 232 of the Habitat Agenda so as to enable it to discharge its mandate fully and to serve as an efficient secretariat to the Commission, and also to ensure that clear lines of responsibility are drawn so as to facilitate the implementation of the follow-up to Habitat II and secure close cooperation at the secretariat level among all United Nations entities involved in the follow-up;

22. Requests the Executive Director of the Centre to submit to the Commission on Human Settlements at future sessions a detailed report on the activities of regional offices, paying special attention to the status of implementation of the work programmes elaborated for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda in each region.