UNITED NATIONS	HS
	Commission on Human Settlements	Distr. LIMITED HS/C/17/L.1/Add.8 10 May 1999 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

1. Committee II considered subitem 11 (a) at its 3rd meeting on 10 May 1999, and had before it the joint progress report of the Executive Director of UNCHS (Habitat) and the Executive Director of UNEP (HS/C/17/10).

2. Introducing the item, the representative of the Acting Executive Director emphasized the steadily expanding cooperation between UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP. Most notably, cooperation was taking place in the joint UNCHS/UNEP Sustainable Cities Programme, which supported the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Habitat Agenda at the local level. With an annual budget of close to $10 million, the overall volume of Sustainable Cities Programme activities had doubled during the 1998-1999 biennium.

3. He drew attention to other joint initiatives between UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP, in the field of disaster prevention and mitigation, notably the UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP Task Force on the Continuum from Relief to Development, which had led to a joint UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP mission to Rwanda (1994), and others - some still under way - in the aftermath of the forest-fires in Indonesia (1998 and 1999), floods in China and Bangladesh (1998 and 1999) and Hurricane Mitch in Central America (1998). The natural disaster-related cooperation had led to a joint UNCHS (Habitat/UNEP Joint Task Force on Flood Response.

4. He also said that, following the International Consultations on Parnership in the Water Sector for Cities in Africa, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 8 to 10 December 1997, UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP had embarked on a joint regional programme within the context of the United Nations system-wide special initiative for Africa. Another example of UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP cooperation was the Urban Environment Forum, which brought together cities and international support programmes to promote better urban environment planning and management.

5. In conclusion, he explained that UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP cooperation was expected to expand further in the future, moving beyond the immediate urban environment to broader environmental topics such as watershed management, with related development concerns for water resources, forestry and flooding. He added that cooperation might also exploit common objectives and complementary activities in the area of public information and awareness-building, especially with respect to global reports such as the Global Environment Outlook series, the State of the World Cities, and the Global Report on Human Settlements.

6. One delegation expressed support for the joint UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP Sustainable Cities Programme and emphasized the need to accelerate activities under that programme in the field of implementation and replication, which should be conducted faster and with greater efficiency. The same delegation also recommended that the Sustainable Cities Programme and other joint UNCHS (Habitat)/UNEP initiatives should seek joint funding, not only from UNEP and UNCHS (Habitat), but also from others sources.

7. In response, the secretariat mentioned, as an example, that the recently launched Cities Initiative of UNCHS (Habitat) and the World Bank would respond to both the concerns raised by that delegation. The Cities Initiative would promote replication in a greater number of cities, not only of the Sustainable Cities Programme but also of other initiatives. The Cities Initiative would use, among others, UNCHS (Habitat) and World Bank funding. The secretariat further highlighted a number of other areas in which UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP planned to cooperate in the future, including capacity-building workshops, establishment of an expert group on the assessment of causes and vulnerability to floods (Yangtse river basin), and the establishment of regional cooperation mechanisms on flood mitigation and management in such countries as Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan.

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8. The plenary considered subitem 11 (b) at its 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th meetings, on 5, 6 and 7 May 1999. It had before it the report of the Executive Director on cooperation with agencies and organizations within the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations (HS/C/17/11).

9. In his policy statement at the opening ceremony, the Executive Director referred to the revitalization process and stressed that the Centre was now equipped and ready for strengthened partnerships with the rest of the United Nations system and the Bretton-Woods institutions. In addition, he stressed the importance of stronger partnerships with non-governmental organizations, including those dealing with women and youth.

10. In the plenary discussion, most of the delegations which addressed the item made specific references to the cooperation between UNEP and the Centre. A number of delegations stressed the importance of developing synergies and closer cooperation between the two organizations, with most also stating that they should remain separate and distinct entities. Several delegations also called for close cooperation between the Centre and UNDP and the World Bank in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

11. A number of delegations also made specific references to the assistance which they were receiving from programmes and projects that the Centre was implementing with other United Nations agencies. Several delegations specifically welcomed the launching of the UNCHS (Habitat)-World Bank Cities Initiative/Cities Alliance, while others specifically mentioned the Sustainable Cities Programme and the Urban Management Programme as examples of the Centre's excellent cooperation with UNEP and UNDP, respectively.

12. The representative of the World Bank, while referring to the new partnership with UNCHS (Habitat), emphasized that it tallied well with the Centre’s new strategic vision and the Bank’s new comprehensive development framework.

13. The representative of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights underscored the Centre's cooperation with the Office regarding the right to adequate housing and a proposed United Nations housing rights programme, while the representative of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) welcomed the Centre's new Regional Office for Africa and the Arab States, saying that he looked forward to increased cooperation. In addition, the representative of UNESCO outlined the organization's work in the area of governance. The representative of UNDP also made a statement on the cooperation between his organization and the Centre.

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14. Committee II considered subitem 11 (c) at its 3rd meeting, on 10 May 1999, and had before it the following documents:

    (a) Report of the Executive Director on coordination matters: matters arising out of the resolutions of the major legislative organs of the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies which are brought to the attention of the Commission (HS/C/17/12);

    (b) Note by the secretariat on resolutions of major legislative organs of the United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies which are brought to the attention of the Commission; main decisions and resolutions of the General Assembly (fifty-second and fifty-third sessions) of relevance to the Commission (HS/C/17/CRP.3); and

    (c) Report of the Executive Director on follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II): special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda (HS/C/17/3/Add.1).

15.  Introducing the agenda item, the representative of the Acting Executive Director said that the documents before the meeting identified matters arising out of the resolutions of the fifty-second and fifty-third sessions of the General Assembly, in 1997 and 1998. The documents described the activities and actions of UNCHS (Habitat) in response to those resolutions and sought guidance from the Commission as to further follow-up actions.

16. In particular, he drew the attention of the Commission to resolution 53/180 of 15 December 1998 on the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

17. One delegation requested confirmation that the General Assembly had recommended that the Commission on Human Settlements serve as the preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, and that the Bureau for the Commission also serve as the Bureau for the preparatory committee. The representative of the secretariat confirmed that this was also its understanding of the General Assembly's recommendation. He added, however, that the matter was being discussed by regional groups and that the results would be discussed later during the seventeenth session of the Commission.

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