| UN-HABITAT's Governing Council a Success
The 19th Session of UN-HABITAT's Governing Council
held in Nairobi in May 2003 approved a US$44.4 million budget for the
United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation for the 2004-2005
biennium. The Council also passed a record number of resolutions most
of which were committed to strengthening the agency.
The new budget represents an increase of 40 per cent
on the last budget allocated by the 18th Session and almost double the
budget approved by the 17th Session. The Executive Director was also
authorised to commit up to US$50.5 million subject to availability of
resources.
The Governing Council also approved a Work Programme for 2004-2005 which
includes the creation of a fourth division that will work on human settlements
financing.
"The fact that over 800 delegates managed to reach consensus so
quickly is a sure indication that governments from both developing and
developed countries are now fully committed to doing something about
urbanization," said Bo Göransson, the newly elected President
of the 19th Session of the Governing Council.
Mr Göransson, who is also the Swedish ambassador
in Kenya, said: "The resolutions and recommendations that have
been passed today will require the commitment of all Habitat Agenda
partners, governments, local authorities, the private sector, Non-governmental
Organizations and ordinary citizens. We all need to find new ways to
prioritise the funding and financing of shelter strategies for the urban
poor."
Encouraging the financing of pro-poor investments
in human settlements was a priority for the delegates at the Governing
Council and the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation
was called upon to seek seed capital to encourage the mobilisation of
domestic resources for investment in shelter, particularly in developing
countries. The Foundation has also been asked to work with the World
Bank Group and other international financial institutions to develop
a mechanism for increasing the supply of affordable credit for slum
upgrading and other pro-poor human settlements development.
Recognizing UN-HABITAT's leading role in the field of providing clean
water and decent sanitation to the urban poor, the Governing Council
commended UN-HABITAT for forging partnerships with the Asian Development
Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Governments were also
urged to increase their support to the water and sanitation activities
of UN-HABITAT including contributions to the Water and Sanitation Trust
Fund.
"With nearly one billion poor people living in urban slums in developing
countries and with the figure expected to double by 2030, the Governing
Council sent a clear signal that the international community is determined
to make a difference," said UN-HABITAT Executive Director Anna
Tibaijuka.
"The increase in budget is a vote of confidence in UN-HABITAT.
It will enable us to help governments design and implement territorially
balanced urban development strategies," Mrs. Tibaijuka said. "At
the same time, within cities, we can prioritise improving the living
conditions of the urban poor. Together we can make sure that one day
our children will live in cities without slums, where every family will
have adequate shelter with clean water and decent sanitation."
The resolutions tabled at the Governing Council were
designed to improve the capacity of UN-HABITAT to meet the challenges
of urbanization. In particular, the recommendations were aimed at strengthening
UN-HABITAT's ability to help governments implement the Habitat Agenda
and to meet the Millennium Development Goals, especially those concerned
with improving the conditions of slum dwellers and the urban poor in
developing countries. Special emphasis was placed on helping governments
of least developing countries, and on handling the specific problems
of countries with economies in transition, mainly in Eastern Europe
and the former Soviet republics.
The Governing Council commended UN-HABITAT's contribution
to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals through the
Global Campaigns of Urban Governance and Secure Tenure and its programme
for regional and technical cooperation and called for increased support
to these activities. The agency was also asked to explore all avenues
for further funding for slum upgrading. At the same time, UN-HABITAT
was asked to establish an advisory group to monitor, identify and, when
requested, promote alternatives to unlawful evictions.
The Governing Council stressed the need for detailed
knowledge of the extent of poverty and endorsed UN-HABITAT's role in
monitoring the implementation of those goals aimed at improving the
lives of slum dwellers and providing sustainable access to safe drinking
water and decent sanitation.
In a major step forward, a resolution was passed requesting
that gender perspectives should be integrated into all UN-HABITAT's
activities. The agency urged governments to promote the effective participation
of women in human settlements planning and development with an emphasis
on poor women's right to housing, land and need for secure tenure. This
includes access to credit and protection from forced evictions, particularly
for women with HIV/AIDS.
Encouraging the full participation of civil society
partners was also a major theme of many of the resolutions and recommendations.
The rules of procedure for all future governing councils encouraged
the active participation of local authorities, non-governmental organizations
and youth. The Executive Director has also been charged with establishing
a multi-disciplinary, regionally balanced, ad hoc advisory body on decentralization.
Cities talk AIDS
The first city consultations on tackling the scourge
of HIV/AIDS have been launched by UN-HABITAT's Urban Management Programme
in partnership with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Seeking
to bridge the communication gap that exists between municipal, civil
society and community groups that exists in so many countries around
the world, the idea is to develop a new shared vision and joint action
strategy against the disease.
The first two City Consultations held in May 2003
in Blantyre, Malawi, and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, were viewed
as so successful that further such meetings are planned for Mumbai,
India; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Burj el Barajneh, Lebanon; Louga, Senegal;
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire; and Santo Andre, Brazil.
The strategy is aimed at institutional capacity building,
good governance, information, awareness raising, reducing stigma and
re-orienting municipal services to respond more effectively to reduce
the impact of HIV/AIDS.
In Blantyre, Malawi's economic capital, life expectancy
is just 37 years - an alarming figure representative of lower life expectancy
trends in southern Africa where the regional average has dropped from
62 years to 47 years corresponding to the rise in HIV prevalence. The
National Aids Commission of Malawi estimated the number of people living
with HIV/AIDS in Blantyre in 2000 to be 98,435, almost 20 per cent of
the city's population.
In Trinidad and Tobago, the Municipality of Port of
Spain, with the assistance of the UN-HABITAT/UNDP Urban Management Programme,
has formed a partnership with national government, civil society partners
and the private sector. The partnership aims to increase awareness about
HIV/AIDS and its impact across the city and to engage communities and
citizens in envisioning a new HIV/AIDS free future and developing an
innovative and sustained local response.
While the current situation in Trinidad is not as
serious as in Blantyre, the epidemic is currently at a critical phase
where it is spreading from the high-risk population to the general population.
Figures are not available for Port of Spain, but in Trinidad and Tobago,
HIV/AIDS is presently among the leading causes of death among young
people with increasing numbers of young women at risk. According to
the University of the West Indies, the number of people living with
HIV/AIDS may be as high as 39,000.
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