UNITED NATIONS	HS
	Commission on Human Settlements	Distr. GENERAL HS/C/16/3 29 November 1996 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Sixteenth session Nairobi, 28 April - 7 May 1997 Item 5 of the provisional agenda*
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR SHELTER TO THE YEAR 2000
Report of the Executive Director

* HS/C/16/1.    [Go back to text]

1. The Commission on Human Settlements, as the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, reviewed reports on the implementation of the Strategy at the global and national levels at its previous four sessions. The current report is the fifth such report and covers the period 1995-1996. This report is brief since progress towards improving shelter provision at the national level was extensively reviewed during the preparatory process of the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). Furthermore, detailed information is contained in the fifth draft report of the Commission on Human Settlements to the General Assembly on the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000 (HS/C/16/3/Add.1).

2. The implementation of the Strategy has three phases: phase one, 1989-1991: establishment of national policies and strategies; phase two, 1992-1994: new institutional arrangements and strengthening of national programmes, and phase three, 1995-2000: full-scale operation of national programmes and progressive strengthening of institutions. This report is based largely on information provided by member States in their Habitat II national reports and national plans of action and at the Habitat II Conference itself. Additional information has been obtained from the Centre's Technical Cooperation Programme and from other partners active in the shelter sector.

I. Action by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)

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3. In its role as the coordinating agency for the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter, the Centre focused its activities on technical cooperation, including the application of the housing indicators, research and development on shelter and related issues, information dissemination and cooperation with non-governmental organizations and other partners. All these activities were intensified in the context of providing assistance to Governments during the preparatory process of Habitat II. One of the major outcomes of this process was the preparation of five year national plans of action by some 127 Governments. These plans now serve as the basis for the Centre's cooperation with member states in the period 1996-2001. Details of the Centre's role during the period 1995-1996 is provided in an addendum to the present document.

II. Action by Member States

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4. At the time of the mid-term review of the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter (1994), some 74 Governments were already implementing their new or revised national shelter strategies. The Habitat II preparatory process gave new impetus to national shelter strategies and, in their national plans of action, almost all Governments stated their intention to take new measures to implement their strategies. Countries which have witnessed an end to civil strife are beginning to formulate their national shelter strategies to include the housing of returnees and refugees, rehabilitation of damaged housing stock and construction of new housing.

5. Many developing countries are implementing national shelter strategies in a climate of liberalization and globalization of markets. A large number of developing and least developed countries, especially those in sub-Saharan Africa which are facing severe economic conditions, have been able to provide only limited inputs to the shelter sector. The Best Practices Programme, initiated during the Habitat II process, has proved to be a source of useful information both to Governments and civil society to develop innovative solutions to different problems in shelter and services provision. Many Governments are transforming their role to be more effective facilitators in both the private sector and communities to increase production of shelter and services. Such a role requires specific actions on the part of the Governments including changes in legislation, strengthening of institutions and financial investment in the housing sector. This review of national action is grouped under the major areas endorsed by the Commission for monitoring national shelter strategies.

A. Political commitment to shelter

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6. During the Habitat II process there was renewed political commitment to the implementation of new or revised national shelter policies based on the enabling approach, as there is growing recognition that better policies not only improve housing conditions but also increase the impact of the housing sector on local and national economies. During the biennium, Member States reached an agreement on efforts towards the implementation of the basic human right to adequate housing. Finland has amended its constitution to promote the right of every person to a dwelling and to support the efforts of persons to provide their own housing.

7. In most industrialized countries the main issue in the shelter sector is qualitative improvements to the existing stock. For example, Japan's seventh five-year programme (1996-2000) aims to induce qualitative improvement of the housing stock for the attainment of the targeted residential standards by 50 per cent of all households by the year 2000. For most developing countries the main issue is that of building new housing in addition to improving existing settlements. Nevertheless, in some developing countries the objective, adequate shelter for all by the year 2000, is within reach. For example, in China, the goal of "one person per room" has been largely met in the rural areas, with nearly half of the rural families now living in new houses. A new programme based on coordinated action among banks and local authorities and launched in 1995 is designed to accelerate production of housing to the needy in cities. In Tunisia, the programme to upgrade all poor settlements has covered 97 per cent of the housing stock in such settlements.

8. Some countries are further elaborating the political commitments made. For example, in India, 13 states and union territories have adopted their state housing policy and strategy, based on the enabling approach of the National Housing Policy adopted by Parliament in 1994. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe have achieved varying levels of success in the implementation of the many legislative and institutional reforms necessary in their housing sectors and related land and credit markets, to function in a free market.

B. Sustainable development policies

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9. More countries are incorporating concepts of sustainable development into settlements planning and management. In Sweden, the previous concepts of urban planning and management are being challenged and a stronger environmental focus is a common denominator for city models. Through recent amendments to the Planning and Building Act, goals for sustainable urban development have been introduced into Swedish planning legislation. The amendments emphasize the need to develop sustainable land-use patterns for urban areas, to reduce travel by private car in cities, to strengthen the position of public transport, to promote urban environmental qualities, to encourage the concept of ecologically-sound cycles in urban infrastructure and to further a broader public participation in urban management and planning. In the United Kingdom, sustainable development indicators have been applied by a large number of local authorities.

C. Macro-economic strategies

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10. In most countries, increased efforts are being made to ensure that the housing sector is fully incorporated into the national economy. In countries with successful experience in economic management, Governments are able to manage the housing sector as a whole and as a major sector in economic development. The potential for employment generation through shelter programmes, including programmes of housing rehabilitation, is now widely recognized.

D. Links between shelter objectives and settlement management

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11. The national plans of action prepared for Habitat II show clearly that all Governments are making efforts to link settlement-management policies and practices with shelter objectives. In Egypt, regional development is striving to reshape the demographic map to achieve a balance between population and local resources. These efforts are based on three major urban strategies to replan the main urban areas, to develop promising regions and to construct new towns. In India, in order to improve land-use planning capabilities at the city level, the central Government has launched an urban mapping scheme which utilizes advanced technologies such as remote sensing and aerial photography to prepare physical and utility maps on appropriate scales. The approach to master plans is being rationalized to take into account new types of land use emerging with the process of urbanization. The Republic of Korea is developing a series of new towns to provide satisfactory housing and living conditions for its growing urban population.

E. Identification of needs and resources

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12. Some Governments have set specific targets by balancing needs and resources. China has assessed that, by the year 2000, every urban household will have one housing unit, 70 per cent of families will have units complete with basic facilities, and per capita living space will reach 12-14 square metres. By 2010, all urban housing units will have all basic facilities; with per-capita living space of 15-18 square metres, and one room for each person. The housing needs of the aged population is being given special attention in a number of countries. Finland and the Netherlands are taking particular measures to discourage the aged from moving away from their homes by making special arrangements to help them to maintain their existing homes.

F. Participation and representation

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13. There is a global trend towards greater participation of civil society in shelter delivery. With the gradual implementation of enabling strategies, in many countries, there is a greater interaction among households, communities, local authorities, central Governments, private-sector developers and financial institutions. A number of Governments have taken specific measures to facilitate greater participation by the civil society and, in particular, by women's groups.

14. In India, the 73rd and 74th Constitution Amendments have introduced major reforms for the devolution of power to different levels of local government and people at the grassroots to participate in the decision-making process. In some countries non-profit housing or building associations are playing a greater role in the production of housing, such as in Austria where non-profit building associations built over 22,000 dwellings in 1995 and their activity is growing.

15. In Thailand, the National Housing Authority has strengthened the operations of the Urban Community Development Office to involve increasing numbers of communities in the improvement of shelter and living conditions in poor settlements. Participatory urban renewal is a new approach adopted in Indonesia and the Republic of Korea to ensure that the inhabitants of degraded and sub-standard inner-city settlements are not evicted during the redevelopment of these inner-city areas.

G. Institutional coordination

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16. A large number of countries have achieved some measure of deregulation, thus easing the process of institutional coordination. A few countries have located the housing policy body within the ministry responsible for economic development. Many others have improved the institutional mechanisms for coordinating shelter policy with overall macro-economic and social policies. Thus, Malta has adopted procedures under which inter-ministerial consultation and cooperation are both encouraged and required in the planning and execution phase of projects.

H. Human-resource development

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17. Training for participation at community level has been the focus of human resource development and many non-governmental organizations have been active in this sphere in cooperation with State and local authorities. The application of the urban and housing indicators has identified the need for human-resource development in several areas in the urban and shelter sectors.

I. Land management

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18. Land supply continues to be one of the major constraints to the shelter delivery strategies in many countries. This is due to a lack of adequate measures to bring sufficient lands on to the market. Inadequate patterns of land ownership continue to persist: in Dhaka, for example, the lower-income group which constitutes 70 per cent of the households owns only 20 per cent of the land. To address this situation, the Bangladesh Ministry of Lands has allocated US$ 25.5 million for a programme to modernize land records. India has launched a major programme of "Guided Land Development" in which public housing and development agencies take up activities in partnership with private developers and builders. In urban areas, land consolidation procedures are being applied with the support of private land owners in order to increase the supply of land. Nepal is undertaking a successful land- pooling exercise involving over 310 land owners in Kathmandu. Tunisia has adopted a new Code of Land Development and Urban Planning, which provides incentives for the acquisition and development of land for building by the private sector for the disadvantaged. In the United Kingdom, special encouragement is being provided to developers for the recycling of urban land and the development of derelict sites in existing urban areas.

J. Infrastructure management

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19. There is a growing global trend towards privatization of existing infrastructure services or transfer of responsibility to local authorities. In many countries, the collection and disposal of solid wastes is being undertaken by firms or community-based organizations. Improvement of infrastructure services and tenure regularization has been undertaken in large programmes in many countries, through partnerships between the State, local governments and actors from civil society, as was done successfully in Fortaleza, Brazil. Many developing countries have identified the need to improve infrastructure services in poor settlements but are unable to allocate the necessary financial resources.

K. Housing finance

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20. Most Governments are giving specific attention to setting up or improving housing finance institutions but success has been dependent on the economic situation in the country. In India, a policy on differential rates of interest is being implemented to cater to the affordability levels of the people, particularly the lower-income groups. Initiatives are being taken to improve further the housing finance system by introducing instruments of mortgage insurance, foreclosure and fiscal incentives. The Government Housing Bank of Thailand has been able to compete in the finance market by mobilizing savings and has become the major provider of finance for housing development. Many countries are planning to set up secondary mortgage markets in the housing sector to secure access to funds from the domestic investment sector. Finland has achieved new levels of sophistication in housing finance by introducing a system of securities through which the National Housing Fund has been able to enable funds to be obtained from the international market.

L. Building materials and technology

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21. Most developing countries are planning to place new emphasis on local building materials. In India, the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council was established as central inter-ministerial organization to operationalize an integrated system for technology transfer and delivery in the housing and building sector. The new approach enables the promotion of new technologies through entrepreneurial activity supported by credit facilitation and policy back-up, to improve access to low-cost building materials based on local raw material resources. Non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations are being encouraged to develop and utilize alternative building materials using local inputs and to meet local shelter specifications. The National Network of Building Centres established across the country is promoting the use of cost-effective building material technologies through training, demonstration and production at the grassroots level.

M. Targeting of subsidies

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22. Most Governments are limiting the extent of subsidies granted in the housing sector and are attempting to target subsidies more carefully and to make them transparent.

N. Monitoring of the shelter sector

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23. In cooperation with UNCHS (Habitat) some 113 countries applied the urban and housing indicators in a total of 235 cities during the Habitat II preparatory process. The indicators programme has proved to be a cost- effective tool for countries to assess their performance and develop their urban and shelter sector policies and capacity-building priorities. In India, the programme has expanded with state and local government support to 19 cities through a largely self-funded process. In Kampala, the exercise has been promoted and used for capacity-building and to discuss problems of urban governance, monitoring and data-sharing in a number of municipalities. The programme has provided information which can serve as a baseline to measure the impact of the new shelter strategies.

III. Action by the United Nations system

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24. All the regional commissions and a large number of agencies of the United Nations system have taken action that advances the objectives of the Strategy. A brief account of their main activities is provided in the addendum to the present document.

IV. Action by bilateral and multilateral agencies and intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations

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25. A brief account of action by these organizations towards the implementation of the Strategy is provided in the addendum to the present document.

V. Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000: plan of action for 1998-1999

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26. The proposed plan of action 1998-1999 for the Global Strategy for Shelter is closely linked to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and is contained in the addendum to the present document.

VI. Conclusions

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27. From the above review it is clear that countries are at different stages in the implementation of their national shelter strategies. In many countries the decision by the State to withdraw from housing provision and to leave the provision of housing to the market has not been accompanied by the necessary strengthening of the public sector's role as a facilitator. Facilitating actions, such as revised legislation, institutional strengthening, reforms in land policy and new financial mechanisms for infrastructure and housing development, have proved to be difficult policy areas, but there are signs of progress.

28. The wide application of the urban and housing indicators is a positive trend and it has the potential to become an important policy tool. Governments need, however, to adapt them to the specific needs of countries and to increase their national capacity to extend the application of indicators to all major settlements.

29. An increasing number of countries are addressing the key issues of land supply, security of tenure and housing finance but, on a global level, action is still limited.

30. Many developing countries are unable to devote the necessary resources to the provision of infrastructure to improve existing settlements and also to open up new lands for housing development.

31. The increased participation in the housing sector by civil society is a positive development. The growing access to information technology and availability of information on Best Practices will enhance the capacity of civil society to play a more active role.