Housing development in the OPT – UN-Habitat Governing Council 23rd session – Resolution

Resolution 23/2: Human settlements development in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

The Governing Council,

Recalling its resolution 19/18 of 9 May 2003, in which it endorsed the establishment of the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People and the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund, and its resolution 22/11 of 3 April 2009, in which it called upon member States to provide financial support to the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People and its Trust Fund,

Recognizing that shelter and human settlements remain key elements in improving the living conditions of Palestinians for building their State and in reaching a sustainable peace in the Middle East,

Appreciating and recognizing the important efforts of the Palestinian Authority in building the Palestinian institutions in order to improve the human settlements conditions of the Palestinian people while working towards sustainable urbanization,

Noting the special housing needs of the Palestinian people and the unsustainable urbanization trends leading to further deterioration in the Palestinian human settlements conditions, re-enforced by the existing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,

Conscious of the housing and human settlement needs of the Palestinian people especially in areas where there are acute humanitarian and development needs,

Expressing the hope that the Palestinians and the Israelis will continue to support and facilitate the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People, in particular the ongoing discussions towards a smooth flow of building materials into the Gaza Strip from Israel and the West Bank, with a view to alleviating the housing crisis in Gaza and facilitating economic recovery,

Noting with appreciation the renewed efforts of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), as evident in the report of the Executive Director, to mobilize its core technical expertise on planning, land and housing issues as outlined in the Habitat programme document for the Occupied Palestinian Territory (2010-2011) and the consequent improved focus of the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People in line with the Palestinian priorities and complementary to the efforts of other United Nations and international organizations and member States,

Expressing its appreciation to Governments and other stakeholders for their positive response to the call for financial support included in resolution 22/11,

1. Calls upon the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to further focus its operations on planning, land and housing issues with a view to improving the housing and human settlements conditions of Palestinians, addressing the urbanization challenges, supporting the building of a Palestinian State and fostering humanitarian action and peacebuilding in the areas where there are acute humanitarian and development needs, identified through technical assessments by UN-Habitat in coordination with all concerned parties;

2. Encourages the Palestinian Authority, with the support of UN-Habitat and as part of its State-building effort, to continue its efforts and further enhance its legal and institutional framework, policies and practices related to planning, land and housing so as to prepare the ground for sustainable urbanization;

3. Requests the Executive Director to establish and chair an advisory board to the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People and the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund, comprising representatives to the United Nations of contributing member States, in order to provide policy guidance to the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People, taking into account the evolving context, support fundraising based on identified gaps, review progress and reporting to the Governing Council and prepare the necessary Governing Council resolutions;

4. Calls upon member States and other stakeholders in a position to do so to financially support the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People and its Technical Cooperation Trust Fund so as to ensure the availability of the core expertise of UN-Habitat on planning, land and housing and the implementation of its specific programmes, as outlined in the UN-Habitat programme document for the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

5. Requests the Executive Director to report to the Governing Council at its twenty-fourth session on progress with regard to the Special Human Settlements Programme for the Palestinian People, including progress in the mobilization of financial resources for the Technical Cooperation Trust Fund.

7th plenary meeting
15 April 2011

[Extracted from A/66/8, Official Records of the General Assembly, sixty-sixth session, Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Twenty-third session (11-15 April 2011)


Document symbol: Resolution 23/2
Document Type: Resolution
Document Sources: General Assembly, UN Habitat
Subject: Assistance, Living conditions, Settlements, Shelter, Statehood-related
Publication Date: 15/04/2011
2019-03-11T22:42:36-04:00

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