UNITED NATIONS	HS
	Commission on Human Settlements	Distr. GENERAL HS/C/17/3/Add.1 22 February 1999 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

1. By paragraph 12 of its resolution 52/190 of 18 December 1997, the General Assembly decided to hold a special session in the year 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). It further decided that the modalities for the special session would be considered by the General Assembly at its fifty-third session.

2. With a view to assisting the General Assembly in its consideration of the above-mentioned modalities, the Secretary-General submitted to the Assembly at its fifty-third session a report which, inter alia, contained proposals on:

    (a) The scope and substantive aspects of the special session;

    (b) The organizational aspects of the special session, including the preparatory process;

    (c) The roles of the Commission on Human Settlements, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly in that process; and

    (d) The involvement of partners and relevant United Nations organizations and agencies in the review and appraisal process.

3.  A copy of the above-mentioned report of the Secretary-General, which is was circulated to the General Assembly in document A/53/267, is annexed hereto.

4. After its consideration of the above-mentioned report of the Secretary-General, the General Assembly at its fifty-third session adopted resolution 53/180 of 15 December 1998 in which it, inter alia, decided that its special session for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda would be held in June 2001 for a period of three working days. The Assembly also decided that the Commission on Human Settlements, which is scheduled at its seventeenth session to focus on monitoring the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and assessing its impact, should serve as the preparatory committee for the special session.

5. The full text of General Assembly resolution 53/180 is also annexed hereto for the Commission's ease of reference.

6. As will be recalled, the original mandate and terms of reference of the Commission on Human Settlements, as contained in General Assembly resolution 32/162 of 19 December 1977, were revised and enhanced by the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) to enable the Commission to discharge effectively its responsibilities with respect to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. These new terms of reference for the Commission are contained in paragraphs 222 (a)-(n) of the Habitat Agenda.

7. Among the functions and responsibilities given to the Commission were that it should promote the full and effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda at the local, national, regional and international levels through, inter alia, the analysis of relevant inputs from Governments, local authorities, the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and the private sector and that it should propose, when appropriate, ways and means by which the overall policy objectives and goals of the Habitat Agenda might best be achieved. The Commission is also to evaluate the obstacles encountered in achieving the goals of the Habitat Agenda and to recommend appropriate measures and alternative actions as deemed necessary to enhance the dynamic nature of the Habitat Agenda.

8. Consequently, in his above-mentioned report, the Secretary-General had recommended that, at its forthcoming seventeenth session the Commission on Human Settlements includes in its agenda an item entitled "Preparations for the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda", under which the Commission would consider and recommend to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session, through the Economic and Social Council:

    (a) The provisional agenda for the first substantive session of the preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

    (b) The scope to be covered by the review and appraisal and, consequently, the substantive documents to be prepared by the secretariat for the first substantive session of the preparatory committee;

    (c) The issues to be addressed by the high-level segment of an Economic and Social Council session on human settlements issues to be held before the year 2001, as recommended by the General Assembly in paragraph 16 of its resolution 51/177, and paragraph 13 of its resolution 52/190; and

    (d) The issues to be addressed by the Commission on Human Settlements at its eighteenth session which would be supportive of the work being done by the Preparatory Committee.

9. Bearing in mind the above-mentioned recommendations of the Secretary-General, the Commission may wish to consider the following.

10. With regard to the provisional agenda for the first substantive session of the preparatory committee, which will be held in Nairobi for five working days in May 2000, the Commission may wish to consider and decide on the inclusion of the following items in the provisional agenda:

    (a) The recommendations of the Commission on Human Settlements at its seventeenth session on the issues referred to in paragraph 8 above;

    (b) Local, national and regional preparations for the special session of the General Assembly for the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

    (c) The role of partners and relevant United Nations organizations and agencies in the review and appraisal process;

    (d) The rules of procedure for the special session of the General Assembly; and

    (e) The provisional agenda and organizational arrangements for the second substantive session of the preparatory committee.

11.  With regard to the scope to be covered by the review and appraisal and, consequently, the substantive documents to be prepared by the secretariat for the first substantive session of the preparatory committee, the Executive Director wishes to propose, for the consideration of the Commission, that the Secretariat prepares appropriate documentation for the above items of the provisional agenda taking into account the recommendations of the Secretary-General on the scope, substantive and organizational aspects of the special session (see paras. 12-24 of the report of the Secretary-General).

12. With regard to the issues to be addressed by the Economic and Social Council at its coordinating segment in the year 2000 (see paragraph 10 of General Assembly resolution 53/180), the Commission may wish to recommend to the Economic and Social Council one (or two) of the following themes:

    (a) International cooperation for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

    (b) Participation of the Habitat Agenda partners in the review and appraisal process (Istanbul +5); and

    (c) Mobilization of the United Nations Resident Coordinator system for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda at the country level.

13. With regard to the issues to be addressed by the Commission on Human Settlements at its eighteenth session that would be supportive of the work being done by the preparatory committee, the Executive Director wishes to propose, for the consideration of the Commission, that the following issues be included in the provisional agenda of the eighteenth session of the Commission:

    (a) World Charter of local self-government;

    (b) Review of mechanisms for the monitoring and implementation of the Habitat Agenda; and

    (c) Lessons learned from partnerships in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

UNITED NATIONS		A
	General Assembly	Distr. GENERAL A/RES/53/180 28 January 1999

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolutions 51/177 of 16 December 1996 on the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and 52/192 of 18 December 1997 on the follow-upto the Conference and the future role of the Commission on Human Settlements,

Also recalling that, in paragraph 13 of its resolution 51/177, the General Assembly reaffirmed that the Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, together with the Commission on Human Settlements, should constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental mechanism to oversee the coordination of activities for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, 1/

Further recalling paragraph 218 of the Habitat Agenda, adopted by the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), in which the Conference recommended that the General Assembly consider holding a special session in the year 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Conference,

Recalling its resolution 52/190 of 18 December 1997, in which it, inter alia, decided to hold a special session of the General Assembly in the year 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), the modalities of which were to be decided on at its fifty-third session,

Having considered the report of the Secretary-General 2/ containing proposals on the scope and organizational aspects of the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda,

      1. Takes note with appreciation of the report of the Secretary-General 2/ concerning the modalities for the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

      2. Decides that the special session for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) will be held in June 2001 for a period of three working days;

      3. Reaffirms that the special session will be undertaken on the basis of and with full respect for the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements 3/ and the Habitat Agenda 1/ and that there will be no renegotiation of the existing agreements contained therein;

      4. Decides to invite States members of the specialized agencies that are not members of the United Nations to participate in the work of the special session in the capacity of observers;

      5. Also decides that the Commission on Human Settlements, which is currently scheduled at its seventeenth and eighteenth sessions to focus on monitoring the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and assessing its impact, should serve as the preparatory committee for the special session;

      6. Further decides that the Commission, meeting as the preparatory committee for the special session, shall be open-ended to allow full participation of all States;

      7. Stresses the need for the effective participation of local authorities, other Habitat Agenda partners and relevant actors of civil society, in particular the private sector and non-governmental organizations, in the preparations for the special session, as well as the need to ensure appropriate arrangements, taking into account the practice and experience gained at the Habitat II Conference, for their substantive contributions to and active involvement in the preparatory meetings and the special session, and invites the President of the General Assembly, in consultation with Member States, to propose to Member States appropriate modalities for their effective involvement in the special session;

      8. Invites Governments to play an active role in the preparatory process, inter alia, through an intensified exchange of experiences, and welcomes the proposals received so far from Singapore to hold an international conference on model cities, from 19 to 21 April 1999, and from Germany to hold an international conference, entitled -Urban 21", in 2000;

     9. Invites the Commission on Human Settlements, serving as the preparatory committee, to meet for two working days back-to-back with its forthcoming seventeenth session in order, inter alia, to elect its officers, adopt appropriate rules of procedure and consider the organization of work for its first substantive session, to be held at Nairobi for five working days in May 2000, and invites the preparatory committee, at its first substantive session, to consider the modalities, duration, date and agenda for the second substantive session, to be held in 2001;

      10. Invites the Economic and Social Council to devote its coordination segment in 2000 to human settlements issues and the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

      11. Also invites the Economic and Social Council actively to promote and coordinate the role of the regional commissions in the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda at the regional and subregional levels;

      12. Invites the regional commissions, within their mandates and in cooperation with regional intergovernmental organizations and banks, to consider convening high-level meetings to review the progress made in implementing the outcome of the Conference and to report the results of their review to the Economic and Social Council;

      13. Requests other relevant organizations and agencies of the United Nations system and the funds and programmes, consistent with their respective mandates, to contribute, as appropriate, to the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda at the national, regional and global levels;

      14. Requests the Secretary-General to seek extrabudgetary resources to assist developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, to send representatives to the sessions of the preparatory committee and the special session of the General Assembly in June 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

      15. Also requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session on the implementation of the present resolution;

      16. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fourth session the sub-item entitled "Implementation of the outcome ofthe United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II)".
 
 

1/     Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996 (United Nations publication, Sales No.E.97.IV.6), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.

2/     A/53/267.

3/     Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996 (United Nations publication, Sales No.E.97.IV.6), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.