Sommaire: November 4, 2002: Statement by Mr. Jakob Rogild Jakobsen, Adviser, Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN, on behalf of the European Union, on Habitat. FIFTY-SEVENTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY - SECOND COMMITTEE: Items 95 (New York)
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union - Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and the Associated Countries - Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, align themselves with this statement.
Mr. Chairman,
The EU would like to take this opportunity to renew our commitment to the Habitat Agenda and to the follow up and implementation of the "Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium" adopted at the Special Session of the General Assembly in June 2001. We welcome the change of status of UN-Habitat to a programme that should enable it to play a more strategic role within the UN system as a whole with regards to human settlements issues. We look forward to concrete
results arising out of the implementation of the Habitat task manager system and greater coordination and further partnership between UN bodies to implement the Habitat Agenda. We note with satisfaction a number of positive developments that have taken place, such as strengthened collaboration between UN-Habitat and UNEP as part of the Sustainable Cities Programme and between UN-Habitat and UNDP to establish Habitat Agenda focal points in selected UNDP country offices. A very positive
development is also the establishment of the World Urban Forum where the challenges of current urbanization can be constructively discussed.
Mr. Chairman,
Let me underline the important role that UN-Habitat plays in implementing the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities in the New Millennium, thereby contributing to the achievement of a number of essential goals contained in the Millennium Declaration, such as the goal of improving significantly the lives of 100 million slum dwellers by 2020. Also halving, by the year 2015: the proportion of the world's people whose income is less than one dollar a day; the proportion of people who suffer
from hunger; the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water; and, as agreed at the Johannesburg Summit, the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation. As agreed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, the EU supports the strengthening of UN-Habitat contribution to sustainable development programmes and the implementation of Agenda 21.
Mr. Chairman,
The European Union would like to highlight the role of UN-Habitat in promoting the decentralization and strengthening of local authorities. Underlining the urban and local dimension of sustainable development, the EU encourages UN-Habitat's active dialogue with the civil society and private sector.
Let me also stress the critical issue of focusing efforts in order not to spread scarce resources to thinly. In this context, the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure and the Global Campaign for Urban Governance are points of entry for the effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda. We have noted that UN-Habitat is currently undertaking an extensive review with the aim of designing a new approach towards its financial basis and its work programme. The EU looks forward to seeing the results of
the review and would like to draw the attention to the Multi Year Funding Framework being used in other funds and programmes. This system is an important tool in the efforts to show accountability and establish a close link between resources, activities and results. Within this context, we would like to emphasize the need for better integration of the outcomes of UN conferences, particularly taking into account the Millennium Development Goals.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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