UNITED  NATIONS	HS
	Commission on  Human Settlements	Distr.  GENERAL  HS/C/17/8  16 February 1999  ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

  The present document contains the draft work programme of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) (Habitat) for the biennium 2000-2001. It covers all substantive activities proposed to be carried out by the Centre which shall be funded from allocations by the regular budget and extrabudgetary resources available for the biennium. The format of presentation follows the instructions of the Department of Administration and Management on result-based budgeting for the biennium 2000-2001 which were issued to all organizations on 23 October 1998.

The basic orientation of the UNCHS (Habitat) work programme for the biennium 2000-2001 emanates from the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held in Istanbul in June 1996. The Habitat Agenda as approved by the General Assembly outlines the goals, commitments, principles and a Global Plan of Action to guide the sustainable development of human settlements. It further designates UNCHS (Habitat) as focal point for its implementation and assigns a number of responsibilities to the Centre in this respect. During the biennium 1998-1999, the Centre has been undergoing a significant process of assessment and revitalization, in response to instructions given to the Secretary-General by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Settlements. The proposed work programme for the biennium 2000-2001 has been prepared during this process to reflect the need for a strategic focus with a limited number of well defined objectives, while also providing for the necessary continuity with the overall orientation of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001. With an explicit focus on the urban poor, and using universal principles of social justice and equity to guide its work, the work programme concentrates on those issues that will be most catalytic in achieving the goals of the Habitat Agenda. As outlined by the medium-term plan, the strategies to achieve these goals include enablement and participation, capacity-building and institutional development.

During the biennium 2000-2001, the Centre will launch two significant global campaigns, which have been deliberately chosen as strategic entry points into the two Habitat Agenda themes of adequate shelter and sustainable urban settlements. These will be, first, the global campaign for secure tenure and, second, the global campaign on urban governance. This focus gives specific direction to the overall goal of the Habitat Agenda of improving the living conditions of people in inadequate housing in deteriorating urban environments, and represents the Centre's targeted contribution to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development.

The work programme for the biennium 2000 - 2001 shall be implemented through two subprogrammes: subprogramme 1, Adequate shelter for all; and subprogramme 2, Sustainable urban development. The changed structure of the work programme under the above two subprogrammes is in keeping with the overall orientation of the current medium-term plan for the period 2000-2001, i.e., to monitor, assess and provide support to the implementation of the Global Plan of Action of the Habitat Agenda. A major activity for the biennium 2000-2001 will be the preparation and servicing of the special session of the General Assembly in 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

1. The basic orientation of the UNCHS (Habitat) work programme for the biennium 2000-2001 emanates from the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held in Istanbul in June 1996. The Habitat Agenda, as approved by the General Assembly in its resolution 51/177 of 16 December 1996, outlines the goals, commitments, principles and a Global Plan of Action to guide the sustainable development of human settlements, firmly based on cooperation with the partner groups as identified in the Habitat Agenda. It further designates UNCHS (Habitat) as focal point for its implementation, and assigns a number of responsibilities to the Centre in this respect. The mandate of the programme is also derived from the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, Agenda 21, the objective of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), as defined in General Assembly resolution 52/193 of 18 December 1997, and recent global conferences held under the auspices of the United Nations.

2. During the biennium 1998-1999, the Centre has been undergoing a significant process of assessment and revitalization, in response to instructions given to the Secretary-General by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Settlements. The proposed work programme for the biennium 2000-2001 has been prepared during this process to reflect the need for a strategic focus with a limited number of well defined objectives, while also providing for the necessary continuity with the overall orientation of the medium-term plan for the period 1998-2001.

3. The Strategic Vision tabled in November 1998, envisages a revitalized Habitat: The City Agency, better equipped to help national and local governments tackle the massive urbanization challenges of the next millennium. To achieve this, UNCHS (Habitat) will adopt the style and profile of a global advocacy agency, dealing with human settlements issues in the context of an urbanizing world. With an explicit focus on the urban poor, and using universal principles of social justice and equity to guide its work, UNCHS (Habitat) will identify and concentrate on those issues that will be most catalytic in achieving the goals of the Habitat Agenda. As outlined by the medium-term plan, the strategies to achieve these goals include enablement and participation, capacity-building and institutional development. In accordance with the recommendations of the Task Force on Environment and Human Settlements, the work programme will be carried out through complementary and interdependent priorities on normative and operational activities.

4. The work programme for the biennium 2000-2001 provides the first opportunity to signal the fundamental changes that will be undertaken within UNCHS (Habitat) - and between the Centre and its partners - to make this strategic approach a reality. This will require a substantial change in the manner of the Centre's work, as well as in the work programme itself, and enable UNCHS (Habitat) to operate as a dynamic, learning organization. The Centre's structures will be made more flexible, allowing for the introduction of a far more collaborative and mutually supportive style of work. Accordingly, the proposed work programme is designed to provide the flexible framework necessary to allow for the programmatic introduction of new work practices which will, in many respects, be the most important component of the longer-term revitalization of the Centre.

5. At the same time, it is critical that this significant change should allow for continuity of the many successful elements of the Centre's existing work programme. There is a pool of vital experiences available in the Centre, generated by ongoing programmes and projects. In devising the activities of the new work programme for the biennium 2000-2001, this existing knowledge and the Centre's institutional memory will be utilized to provide for continuity of the successful elements in the Centre's work.

6. The work of the Centre needs to focus on well defined objectives and strategic issues, in order to have maximum impact on the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, in particular, as defined in its paragraph 228. As confirmed at Habitat II in Istanbul and affirmed in paragraphs 7 and 8 of the Habitat Agenda, unprecedented urbanization trends will constitute a fundamental transformation of our societies for years to come, with significant consequences for economic, social, demographic and environmental change. Driven by a variety of factors, these urbanization trends give rise to changes that extend well beyond the urban borders and affect rural settlements and regional development, turning the villages of today into towns of tomorrow. Consequently, the Centre's focus on urbanization as the most significant strategic context for its work programme for the biennium 2000-2001, also takes into consideration the impacts of urbanization on rural development through the management of interdependent rural-urban linkages, as highlighted in paragraph 10 of the Habitat Agenda. This will avoid treating rural settlements as a separate issue, which would lead to overlaps and duplication with the rural development priorities of other agencies within the United Nations system.

7. During the biennium 2000 - 2001, the Centre will organize its work around two significant global campaigns, which have been deliberately chosen as strategic entry points into the two Habitat Agenda themes of adequate shelter and sustainable urban settlements. These will be, first, the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure and, second, the Global Campaign on Urban Governance. These campaigns will take a number of forms and operate at a variety of levels. UNCHS (Habitat) will locate the goals of each campaign within the United Nations system of universal values, while national and local governments, communities and non-governmental organizations will make their own inputs and determine the style of their chosen activities. The campaigns should go well beyond the dissemination of information and provide direction to the overall goal of the Habitat Agenda of improving the living conditions of ordinary people: those in inadequate housing; those in badly managed cities; people living in deteriorating urban environments; and the poor who have been marginalized and excluded. The activities and work programme, with the campaigns at the centre, represent the Centre's targeted contribution to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development. The reduction of urban poverty will be a key element in measuring the impact of the two campaigns. Progress on social inclusion, as well as on social justice and gender equality - measures which bridge the two global campaigns - will be used as key indicators in the Centre's work programme.

8. Building on the strategic entry points of organizing global campaigns on the above topics, the cornerstone of the overall approach is the strengthening of strategic and operational partnerships between the Centre and its partner groups, as well as organizations and agencies within the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions. To succeed in this endeavour, the Centre must build on its strategic and comparative advantages, ensuring that the organization does not duplicate skills and knowledge already available elsewhere, especially within the United Nations system.

9. In summary, the work programme is designed to focus on:

    (a) Organizing global campaigns within the context of the two themes of the Habitat Agenda, on, first, security of tenure and, second, urban governance;

    (b) Raising public awareness on the themes of the Habitat Agenda in the context of urbanization, on the importance of the issues covered by the global campaigns and on the role of strategic partnerships;

    (c) Continuing the building of the necessary capacities in countries to implement the Habitat Agenda in accordance with national priorities and plans of action both through normative and operational activities;

    (d) Monitoring and assessing the implementation of the Habitat Agenda at global, regional, national and local levels;

    (e) Supporting the establishment and strengthening of strategic and operational partnerships with local authorities, non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, the private sector and other partners in civil society;

    (f) Servicing the Commission on Human Settlements in its roles of:

    (i) Coordinating and global monitoring of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, and

    (ii) Serving as preparatory committee for the special session of the General Assembly in 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of Habitat II, as well as the special session in 2001, and

    (g) Building a capacity for critical and effective internal evaluation of the Centre's substantive work.

10. In accordance with the above considerations, the work programme for the biennium 2000-2001 shall be implemented through two subprogrammes:

    (a) Subprogramme 1: Adequate shelter for all; and

    (b) Subprogramme 2: Sustainable urban development.

The revised structure of the work programme under the above two subprogrammes is in keeping with the overall orientation of the current medium-term plan for the period 2000-2001, namely, to monitor, assess and provide support to the implementation of the Global Plan of Action of the Habitat Agenda.

11. One key function of the Centre is the monitoring of global trends and conditions and the assessment of progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda at the international, regional, national and local levels. This function will contribute to linking the normative policy-development and the substantive capacity-building activities of Habitat and of its partners. Its key objective is to promote integrated and cohesive policies at all levels. It will further help to develop and expand a range of knowledge-based tools and instruments, as called for by the Habitat Agenda, in support of the implementation of national and local plans of action. A major activity for the biennium 2000-2001 will be the preparation and servicing of the special session of the General Assembly in 2001 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of Habitat II.

12. The activities of the proposed work programme are designed to achieve maximum impact within the limited human and financial resources that are available from the regular budget of the United Nations, from general and earmarked voluntary contributions to the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation, from specific projects and programmes funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and from other sources of funds within and outside the United Nations system. Accordingly, the overall resource requirements are designed to facilitate an integrated programme delivery which provides catalytic support to focused action at national and local levels. This action includes global monitoring of trends and emerging issues, services to intergovernmental bodies, research in critical human settlements areas, advocacy and global campaigns, training and capacity-building, dissemination of best practices, expertise and experience, technical cooperation with national and local-government institutions, and operational projects and programmes. A process of internal evaluation is built into each subprogramme.

1. Globally, more than one billion people in poor urban and rural settlements remain deprived of adequate shelter and social services. Through the Habitat Agenda, Governments reaffirmed their commitment to the full and progressive realization of the right to adequate housing and to the goal of improving the living and working conditions on an equitable and sustainable basis, recognizing their obligations to protect and improve dwellings and neighbourhoods. Notwithstanding these commitments, however, there has been no marked improvement for the poor in respect of shelter, services and social inclusion generally.

2. On behalf of the United Nations, UNCHS (Habitat) will lead its partners in a Global Campaign for Secure Tenure as one of the fundamental requirements for a process designed to lead to the progressive social integration of the urban poor and the realization of their right to housing. As highlighted in Habitat's Strategic Vision, the granting of secure tenure is one of the most important catalysts in stabilizing communities, improving conditions of shelter, reducing social exclusion, improving access to urban services, leveraging corporate and individual investment and improving the urban environment.

3. In support of the campaign, Habitat will develop a range of mechanisms, both normative and operational, that will facilitate the physical and social consolidation of secure tenure. The first and most directly related cluster of policies, skills and activities will focus on the need for and benefit of formal and efficient land markets. This cluster will include policy instruments to facilitate security of tenure and legislative guidelines, as well as more technical components such as the cadastration of urban land, the registration of titles and systems of record-keeping. The second cluster will focus on improving shelter conditions by strengthening the capacity of local authorities to work with community-based organizations, mobilizing housing finance and microcredit, as well as technical issues, such as building materials and methods, especially those that promote energy efficiency. The third cluster, which has the most direct link to the second subprogramme, will deal with access to infrastructure and urban services, with a particular emphasis on the provision of potable water.

4. Within the framework of this campaign, emphasis will be placed on the building of strategic and operational partnerships between different levels of government, the private sector, non-governmental and community-based organizations. Habitat will provide its partners with targeted and catalytic support, in order to assist with the formulation and application of enabling and gender-aware policies to improve security of tenure and access by the urban poor to affordable shelter, infrastructure and services.

5. A particular challenge will be on the need to scale up, through capacity-building, institutional development and strategic partnerships with local authorities, the private and community sectors, the wide range of useful but localized experiences and best practices which have been gathered in many countries in the upgrading of urban slum and squatter settlements. The review, with an explicit gender perspective, of existing legislative and administrative frameworks in the context of urban policy reforms will be required to support the partnership process leading towards the provision of land, shelter, infrastructure and services at the level of poor urban and rural settlements. The subprogramme will have an in-built process of internal evaluation.

6. In the context of the Centre's mandate to assess progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda and in servicing the preparatory process of the special session of the GA in 2001 on that issue, the Centre will also monitor shelter trends and conditions at the global and national levels. For this purpose, the importance and effectiveness of the Centre's monitoring and assessment capacity will be consolidated and strengthened. The collection, analysis and dissemination of emergent trends and conditions, indicators, statistics, best practices and benchmarks related to security of tenure will be systematically used as inputs for policy options and priorities for capacity-building.

1. For the biennium 2000-2001, a results-based approach will be followed. Using the global campaign for secure tenure as an entry point, the work programme will have the following objectives:

(a) To promote the granting of secure forms of tenure in the context of rapid urbanization;

(b) To support the formulation and application of enabling policies and programmes on security of tenure, as well as open and effective land markets, and on the provision of shelter, basic infrastructure and services;

(c) To promote legislative and administrative frameworks which support strategic partnerships for the delivery of shelter, infrastructure and services; and

(d) To build the internal and external capacities to monitor and assess the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, with respect to the theme of adequate shelter for all.

1. In the conditions of an increasingly urbanized world, sustainable urban development will depend largely on the management capacity of cities and the active participation of partners within civil society. Many urban centres are characterized by rising urban poverty, unsustainable environmental practices, and the economic and social exclusion of the poor, particularly poor women. The Habitat Agenda has affirmed that, in the process of urbanization, policies and programmes for the development of human settlements require strong, open and accountable local government institutions working in partnership with all interested parties. Urban governance, which is defined by how well a population and its representatives and agents identify and deal with major social, economic and environmental issues, is greatly improved when it is characterized by multi-stakeholder strategic planning, participatory urban management and the promotion of civic values. In turn, good urban governance should result in economic efficiency, increased social equity, gender-aware policies, overall sustainability and, ultimately, improved living conditions. The activities under this subprogramme are oriented towards the Habitat Agenda theme of sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world.

2. Using the global campaign on urban governance as the entry point, the subprogramme will promote good governance in urban development through work clusters which link operational and normative activities at all levels. The work clusters will focus on strategic topics, such as urban management, urban environment, urban safety and disaster management. Capacity-building will be instrumental for the formation of strategic and specific partnerships at all levels of intervention: community and neighbourhood, city, subnational, national, regional and global. The subprogramme will support city consensus-building processes to establish priorities for social and economic development and urban financing strategies. The subprogramme will also actively promote the initiation of international legal frameworks, policy reforms and enabling legislation which are required to ensure good urban governance. Work under this subprogramme will be carried out through gender advocacy, the provision of guidelines and generic tools, strategic catalytic activities, operational projects, networking, awareness-raising and monitoring and evaluation. The subprogramme will have a built-in process of internal evaluation.

3. In the context of the Centre's mandate to monitor global trends and conditions and to assess progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda, the subprogramme will further strengthen the importance and effectiveness of the Centre's monitoring and assessment capacity for these purposes, as well as for servicing the preparatory process of the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of Habitat II in 2001. Besides strengthening the Centre's own capacity, activities will include support to partners for the systematic collection, analysis and dissemination of urban indicators, statistics, best practices, good policies and exemplary action plans in support of sustainable urban development. Lessons learned from these activities will constitute inputs for policy options and recommendations for capacity-building activities related to sustainable urban development.

For the biennium 2000 - 2001, a results-based approach will be followed. Using the global campaign on urban governance as an entry point, the work programme will have the following objectives:

(a) To promote good governance at the urban or municipal level;

(b) To build civic and economic capital for improving the urban environment and the living conditions of the urban poor;

(c) To promote disaster prevention, mitigation and management;

(d) To promote safer cities and the reduction of urban violence; and

(e) To build internal and external capacities to monitor and assess the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, with respect to the theme of sustainable urban development.

Objective (a): To promote good governance at the urban/municipal level
EXPECTED RESULTS	PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Global and regional level
Enhanced awareness by policy makers and leaders at all levels of the role and importance of urban governance to sustainable social, economic and environmental development in collaboration with partners, such as international associations of local authorities;	Increased reference in the media, and among partners, to cities as sustainable centres of production and consumption and of their positive role in fostering gender equality and social inclusion;
Broad-based understanding and political support for concepts of inclusive and participatory urban governance, in collaboration with international associations of local authorities and other partners;	World charter of local self-government adopted by the General Assembly, after a series of regional consultations and intergovernmental negotiations;
City governments and city populations mobilized through the global campaign on urban governance to express their commitment to principles of inclusive, participatory city governance as enshrined in ratified agreements and instruments, in collaboration with associations of local authorities and the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat;	Supportive policy statements by mayors on the importance of good urban governance;
National and local level
Increased capacity for the exercise of good governance at the level of local authorities, including municipal finance, in collaboration with capacity-building institutions;	Effective training and capacity-building programmes at local authority level in all regions;
Strategic partnerships on policy and legislative reform for good urban governance established through city consultations, in collaboration with parliamentarians and elected local government officials;	National and local policy reform and legislative framework on good urban governance initiated in a number of countries;
City residents, especially women and other socially excluded groups, enabled and motivated to participate in city governance, in collaboration with non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations;	Participation of formerly socially excluded groups, and especially of women, in accordance with globally established benchmarks;
Participatory city governance institutionalized and adopted as a standard city practice in preparing city strategies and local Habitat Agendas, in collaboration with different partner organizations;	Application of benchmarked indices on participatory urban governance, for example, the extent of corruption;
Objective (b): To build civic and economic capital for improving the urban environment and the living conditions of the urban poor
EXPECTED RESULTS	PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Global and regional level
National legislation enacted which removes obstacles to sustainable urban development;	Number of countries that have enacted legislation which encourages local sustainable development policies;
Effective sharing and exchange of information between partners on urban poverty reduction in collaboration with different partner groups;	Number of partner activities regarding poverty reduction strategies, at global, regional, national and local levels;
Established global partnership facility to help civic leaders articulate a shared vision for the cities future, in the form of city development and investment financing strategies, to improve living conditions and prospects for economic growth;	City development and investment financing strategies adopted in a number of countries;
National and local level
Increased capacity of local authorities for environmental planning and management and to improve the living conditions of the urban poor;	Number of local authorities planning and managing their urban environment effectively and in accordance with principles of sustainable development;
Practical approaches for participatory settlement improvement applied by local governments and public institutions;	Communities, especially women members, that have increased their capacity to plan, manage and improve their urban environment and living conditions;
Urban planning processes that strategically integrate social, economic and environmental issues;	Number of local authorities that have started integrating critical social, economic and environmental issues in urban planning practice;
Strategic and operational partnerships established for collaboration between local authorities, communities and CBOs;	Number of local authorities with active partnership agreements on community level action;
Financial resources of cities used more efficiently, in collaboration with the private sector.	Increased city investment and productivity monitored in cities through participatory budgeting and effective public-private partnerships.
Objective (c): To promote disaster prevention, mitigation and management
EXPECTED RESULTS	PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Global and regional level
Regional framework agreements on urban disaster mitigation, prevention and management in collaboration with partner organizations;	Framework agreements on natural, environmental and industrial disasters in urban areas adopted and disseminated;
National and local level
Local authorities, private sector organizations and informal builders of cities with increased skills for disaster management;	Number of countries and cities formulating and implementing skills development programmes, and decreased vulnerability to disasters;
Improved capacity of national and local government authorities for policy formulation and for management of mitigation and rehabilitation programmes for natural and human-made disasters.	National and local authorities incorporating disaster mitigation and rehabilitation principles in urban development and management.
Objective (d): To promote safer cities and the reduction of urban violence
EXPECTED RESULTS	PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Increased capacity of local authorities to develop participatory analysis of insecurity and causes of crime and to determine priority action;	Local coalitions involved in all stages of diagnosis.
Increased capacity at the city level to develop a security approach and an integrated crime prevention plan;	Approval and implementation of city strategies for crime prevention, carried out by local partner coalitions;
Practical approaches to develop community policing or mediation systems or local system of justice.	Number of local authorities that have facilitated, promoted and provided community policing or local system of justice.
Objective (e): To build internal and external capacities to monitor and assess the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, with respect to the theme of sustainable urban development
EXPECTED RESULTS	PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Improved capacity of policy makers and leaders at all levels to monitor social, economic and environmental trends and conditions in urban areas and to assess the impact of their policies, strategies and action plans in support of sustainable urban development.	Number of partners and urban observatories in each region that are using indicators, best practices, indices and benchmarks; quality of information used to monitor progress in implementing national and local plans of action.

(a) Normative and public information

Integrated media and information strategy at the regional, national and local levels in support of the global campaign on urban governance;  World charter of local self-government;  Enabling policy and strategy frameworks on good urban governance;  Policy catalogue and casebook on the elements of good urban governance;  Normative standards and benchmarks on good urban governance;  Urban Environment Forum;  International Forum on Urban Poverty;  Capacity-building manuals on improving the effectiveness of urban governance structures and institutions at local levels;  Agreements with partner organizations and institutions on improving good urban governance;  Revised and updated set of environmental planning and management guidelines;  Agreements with partners on strategies for the reduction of urban crime;  Regional framework agreements on disaster management and prevention.

(b) Operational activities

Field projects on sustainable urban development;  Field projects on the reconstruction of human settlements;  City and national consultations on sustainable urban development;  Capacity-building activities on sustainable urban development;  Advisory missions on sustainable urban development and good governance.

(c) Monitoring and assessment

Global networking and information-sharing facilities for regional, national and local urban observatories and partners for monitoring and analysing urban trends and conditions and assessing progress made;  Updated and expanded databases on urban indicators, best practices, good policies and exemplary action plans on sustainable urban development;  Global 2001 state-of-the-world's cities report for the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of Habitat II, on urban conditions and trends, and progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda.

(d) Intergovernmental bodies

Reports to the Commission on Human Settlements at its eighteenth session, including on the special theme of urban governance;  Evaluation report on the performance of the subprogramme;  Reports to the special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of Habitat II, including to its preparatory process.

 

 *    HS/C/17/1