Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Report of the Secretary-General
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Summary |
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Governments have continued to increase their support to the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation and to the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund, set up within the framework of the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian people. The United Nations Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) Global Urban Observatory has been strengthened as a worldwide monitoring and learning network, in response to demand-based national and local initiatives, in order to assist countries and cities in collecting, analysing and using urban indicators and statistical data. In its shelter and sustainable human settlements development, disaster mitigation and rehabilitation activities, UN-Habitat has continued to strengthen its cooperation and collaboration within the United Nations system, with women, young people, local authorities and all other Habitat Agenda partners. The activities of UN-Habitat and the World Bank in the Cities Alliance have significantly contributed to improved collaboration between the two organizations and other Alliance members and have also placed the issue of urban poverty and slums on the international agenda. Although a number of Governments have included shelter and urbanization issues in their national development strategies, the link between sustainable urbanization policies and poverty reduction strategies remains to be clarified and strengthened in many developing countries. The report concludes with a set of recommendations. |
* A/59/150.
I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 58/226 of 23 December 2003, entitled “Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)”.
II. Progress made in the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)
A. Funding
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4. In its resolution 2003/62 of 25 July 2003, the Economic and Social Council welcomed resolution 19/18 of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat, 1 in which the Governing Council endorsed the establishment of the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian people and the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund of US$ 5 million for an initial period of two years. The Council also urged the international donor community and all financial institutions to support UN-Habitat in the immediate mobilization of financial resources for the establishment and operation of the Programme and the Fund. The Programme Coordinator assumed his duties on 1 March 2004 and began the implementation of the Programme with a programme definition phase (March 2004 to December 2004), which involves consultations with the Palestinian Authority, bilateral donors and inter-agency consultations, fund-raising for the Fund, assessment of existing conditions in the occupied Palestinian territory and formulation of programme elements. Steps are being taken to appoint a chief technical adviser in Jerusalem and a UN-Habitat programme manager in Gaza to assist the Coordinator in implementing th e Programme. To date, contributions to the fund have been made by the United States of America (US$ 500,000) and Sweden (US$ 275,000).
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III. Conclusions and recommendations…
56. Governments and financial institutions are encouraged to contribute generously to the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund and the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian people to enable UN-Habitat to assist in resolving the long-term deterioration in human settlement conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and in fully realizing the objectives of the Programme.
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Notes
1 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 8 (A/58/8), annex I.
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Document Type: Report, Secretary-General Report
Document Sources: General Assembly, Secretary-General, UN Habitat
Subject: Economic issues, Settlements
Publication Date: 03/08/2004