“The Habitat Agenda is a global call to action at all levels. It offers…a positive vision of sustainable human settlements - where all have adequate shelter, a healthy and safe environment, basic services, and productive and freely chosen employment” (UNHCS – Habitat Agenda). On June 6-8, 2001 the UN gathered to review the implementation of the HABITAT Agenda. Excerpts of their deliberations are presented below:

Kenya Hon. Prop. George Saitoti, Vice President of the Republic of Kenya

Poverty and social development

Mr. President, let me outline some of the challenges that may impede quick realization of the Habitat Agenda objectives. First, most of our countries are characterized with high levels of poverty. Africa carries a heavy burden of illiteracy, poverty and diseases. Most human development indicators reveal that development has either stagnated or declined. As we renew our commitments to the Habitat Agenda, we must consolidate our efforts to reversing these undesirable trends.

Kenya fully supports the initiative for establishing a global fund to fight poverty.

Resource Mobilization

The implementation of the Habitat Agenda requires additional resources. Yet over the past decade Official Development Assistance (ODA) to developing countries has been declining. The private Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) has on the other hand increased substantially.
We urge the international community to honor its obligations and meet the target level of 0.7% of their GNP. Member countries should also work towards creating the necessary conditions that allow increased private financial flows.

External debt and its effect on development

The external debt problem afflicts many developing countries as it affects overall development in several ways. Current estimates indicate that the value of debt to export ratio in Africa stands at 396%. The effects of debt on the provision of infrastructure and other social services, education and healthcare, are clear. Whereas, we appreciate and support the commitment of the international community in debt relief initiatives under Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), its current application excludes several countries.

Peace and security

We cannot resolve the problem of human settlements when conflicts continue to contribute to the displacement of people and force thousands to suffer as refugees. We cannot achieve the objectives of sustainable human settlements and the right to decent housing, without peace and security.

HIV/AIDS

Africa accounts for about 75% of HIV/AIDS cases in the world. We cannot afford to ignore the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS on our development efforts and the demand it creates on scarce national resources. We must take appropriate actions in responding to the effects of AIDS on individual families and communities including the provision of decent housing to AIDS victims.
Strengthening Local Authorities

To effectively respond to the challenges posed by rapid urbanization in developing countries, participatory planning involving communities, NGOs, and other Habitat Agenda partners is crucial. Well functioning Local Authorities must of necessity be at the center of all these. This calls for decentralization and strengthening of Local Authorities through devolution of power, ensuring appropriate fiscal relations with the Central Government.

Strengthening Management of Habitat

HABITAT requires adequate and predictable funding to fulfill its mandate. There is an urgent need to reduce its reliance on voluntary contributions by allocating funds from the Regular Budget.
Regional and international Cooperation

It has become apparent that with globalization, the UN system will increasingly play an important role in the development agenda of member countries. We must, therefore, recognize that most of the development issues affecting our countries are likely to be considered within UN system. There is need for a shared vision and common strategies to ensure full implementation of the priorities identified.

South Africa Ms Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, Minister of Housing Republic of South Africa

Challenges Facing South Africa in Terms of the Habitat Agenda
and other Housing Developments

Since 1996 when South Africa committed itself to the Habitat Agenda many advances have been made in our persistent efforts to fight poverty in all sectors of society. Despite these advances, after six years we are still faced with daunting challenges. We are concentrating our efforts on bridging gaps and planning our housing programme in such a way that it responds to a dynamic housing environment, especially the strategic needs of our main target group: the poor.

Challenges which require particular attention include:

1. Confronting and managing the social, economic and legal impacts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on our human settlements programmes.
   
   
2. Promoting informal settlement eradication and inner city renewal and safer cities free from crime.
   
   
3. Poverty eradication: The target group for our national housing programme is the poor. In this regard we are examining the sustainability of the current housing subsidy programme so that it can continue to contribute towards meeting the housing needs of the poor. The housing subsidy programme targets poverty by:
   
   • empowering the poor to participate in the economy by giving them shelter which they can utilise for economic purposes, like small enterprise bases;
     
   • empowering small and emerging contractors by awarding housing construction contracts on an affirmative procurement basis;
     
   • empowering women through the People’s Housing Process (PHP) to acquire skills to provide their own housing and to participate in the construction sector; and
     
   • generating employment, because our housing construction projects promote the employment of local communities and the use of local material suppliers.
     
     
4. Developing mechanisms of expanding access to housing credit and finance to potential housing beneficiaries on a monthly basis to assist people to improve on the houses provided through the subsidy programme. To this end, the Ministry of Housing is developing a national savings initiative.

South Africa is committed to the existing international partnerships we have and we believe that there are valuable lessons to be learned from each other. We also believe that continued support of each other through our strengths, skills and experiences will assist all of us in achieving our common goals, rooted in a sustainable future for all, especially the poor and the homeless in our communities.

San Marino Mr. Gian Nicola Filippi Balestra Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of San Marino

Climate Change

Climate changes have turned some lands unproductive and provoked the exodus of rural populations toward the cities. This rapid increase of the urban populations made living conditions in some cities unbearable. Many over-populated cities have no communication networks, no water pipe systems, no schools, no health care centers, no other forms of infrastructure, nor service provisions. The increase of industrial production created, on one side new job opportunities, but on the other, it has not helped the natural environment nor the living conditions of some urban centers.

Agriculture should be considered by all countries as part of the plan to preserve the environment; it represents the only activity that does not damage the land but it preserves and adds value to it.

San Marino hopes that the international community will be able to create new incentives to ensure the permanence of rural populations on the land and stimulate the process of counter-exodus: from the city to the countryside.

In the countries where this is possible, we will need to develop policies sustaining a process of conversion of conventional agriculture into biological and integrated agriculture. Furthermore, it is of utmost importance to promote international initiatives aimed at promoting the traditions of the rural world.

The Republic of San Marino is convinced that an efficient implementation of the outcome of the UN Conference on Human Settlements and its basic principles can be achieved only through the real conviction that both the problem and its solution, is a global concern.