UNITED  NATIONS	HS
	Commission on  Human Settlements	Distr.  GENERAL  HS/C/17/11   7 January 1999 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

The present report covers coordination and cooperation between the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) (Habitat) and agencies and organizations of the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations since the sixteenth session of the Commission.

The report is arranged by the substantive areas for coordination and highlights the most significant instances of such coordination and cooperation during the reporting period.

1. In accordance with its previous resolutions which urged coordination and cooperation among United Nations agencies and organizations in the field of human settlements development, the Commission on Human Settlements, by its resolution 16/21 on coordination matters, urged the Executive Director to pursue efforts for enhanced coordination with, inter alia, agencies and organizations of the United Nations system, for a more effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda, and to report on the results of such coordination to the Commission at its seventeenth session.

2. Pursuant to the above resolution, and taking into consideration the leadership role of the Centre in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, efforts have been made to foster extensive cooperation and collaboration both within and without the United Nations system, including the harnessing of proactive synergies with all stakeholders, to promote a coordinated approach to the implementation process at global, regional, national and local levels.

3. The present report reviews cooperation with United Nations agencies and with intergovernmental organizations outside the United Nations system, and also highlights areas of focus in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

4. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is collaborating with UNCHS (Habitat) in Essaouria, Morocco, in restoration of the old and deteriorated Mellah neighbourhood, in the Medina district, and in converting the old Danish Consulate into a cultural centre. In 1997, working together with UNCHS (Habitat), UNESCO organized a seminar on urban development and freshwater resources within the framework of the programme "Terre, Mer et Société: à la recherche d'un équilibre durable".

5. The World Health Organization (WHO) is collaborating with UNCHS (Habitat) in the areas of water resource management, waste and environmental health, as well as in the WHO thrust area: "Building healthy populations in communities". The Centre's Settlement Infrastructure and Environment Programme is working with the WHO Centre for Health Development in Kobe, Japan, on a project concerned with urban health determinants and their interlinkages in megacities, which is being implemented in Jakarta, Karachi and the Ruhr area, and will be expanded to Alexandria, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

6. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNCHS (Habitat), together with several national Governments, have overseen the execution of technical cooperation and capacity-building projects in all developing regions. These initiatives have strengthened collaboration for settlement planning and upgrading and helped to develop, test and disseminate tools for asset creation, employment generation and access to settlement facilities and services, thereby facilitating efforts to reduce poverty. This collaboration has also facilitated technical cooperation among developing countries. At the global level, UNCHS (Habitat) and UNDP have, over the biennium 1998-1999, significantly advanced the urban development agenda through the implementation of the Urban Management Programme, the organization of international forums on urban poverty reduction, the preparation of global publications on urban trends and challenges and the formulation of innovative policies for urban management.

7. The World Bank is cooperating with UNCHS in the areas of sustainable urban environment, private sector participation in the financing of urban services, urban strategies and partnerships. A major joint venture between Habitat and the World Bank is the Cities Initiative, which aims at making unprecedented improvements in the living conditions of the urban poor, including the social and economic and environmental viability of cities. The initiative will marshall public and private partners to focus on two priorities for action: first, city development strategies; and, second, the city-wide and nationwide upgrading of low income settlements, to improve the environmental circumstances of the urban poor. During its first three years, the initiative will allocate grants for city development strategies in some 20 cities and support city-wide and nationwide slum upgrading programmes in some five to seven countries.

8. Cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) centres mainly in the Sustainable Cities Programme and the Urban Environment Forum. Together with a network of urban environmental practitioners and bilateral agencies, UNCHS (Habitat) and UNEP are collaborating in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and digital mapping in tackling management issues dealing with coastal areas, water and sanitation, industrial risk and air quality management. UNCHS (Habitat) participated in the UNEP global training programme in environmental law and policy, held in 1997 in Nairobi, and is planning to join the UNEP initiative to set up an electronic database on legal environmental and human settlements issues. Further information on UNCHS (Habitat) UNEP cooperation is provided in the joint progress report of the Executive Director of UNCHS (Habitat) and the Executive Director of UNEP (HS/C/17/10).

9. The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is cooperating with UNCHS (Habitat) through programmes on waste treatment and management, efficient and clean energy development, and water treatment. It is also promoting the use and transfer of environmentally sound technologies related to human settlements, and making basic services and infrastructure cost-efficient, more affordable and environmentally friendly.

10. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is collaborating with UNCHS (Habitat) in the assessment of the environmental impact of refugee camps, through joint missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Republic of Tanzania. The two organizations are implementing training programmes on settlements development and conflict resolution in refugee camps. This work is expected to contribute to capacity-building programmes to meet the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons. Cooperation through specific projects continues in Guatemala, Iraq and Afghanistan; other joint activities include a range of seminars and workshops, such as the inter-regional consultation on women's land and property rights under situations of conflict and reconstruction, held in Kigali, Rwanda, from 16 to 19 February 1998.

11. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is cooperating with UNCHS (Habitat) in areas dealing mainly with the issue of children's rights and habitat: working towards child-friendly cities. In 1997, together with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and UNCHS (Habitat), it organized, in Accra, Ghana, an international workshop on Africa's urban poor child, with the theme "Towards African child-friendly cities", which challenged mayors to shift from mere advocacy to a stronger promoting role. It supported the International Conference on Urban Poverty, organized by UNCHS (Habitat) and the Municipality of Florence in November 1997, and is part of the International Forum on Urban Poverty. UNICEF and UNCHS (Habitat) provided support to the international forums on child-friendly cities held in Naples, in September 1997, and Turin, in October 1998.

12. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is continuing to involve UNCHS (Habitat) in the follow-up to the International Conference on Population and Development, held from 5 to 13 September 1994 in Cairo. UNCHS (Habitat) in implementing a number of population activities in its 1998-1999 work programme. The Centre regularly participates in various inter-agency meetings organized by UNFPA towards implementation of the outcome of the International Conference on Population and Development, recognizing the complementarity and potential mutual support between the respective five-year processes for the implementation of that conference and for the implementation of Habitat II.

13. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is collaborating with UNCHS (Habitat) on the international campaign against violence against women in the conduct of the global video-conference entitled: "A Life Free of Violence Against Women". In Latin America and the Caribbean, UNCHS (Habitat) and UNIFEM are jointly hosting a competition on the best municipality where women's rights are concerned. In war-torn countries, UNIFEM and UNCHS (Habitat) are jointly supporting the activities of the Women For Peace Network. The Centre is also providing substantive input to the new website created by UNIFEM and UNDP entitled Women Watch. In Amman, Jordan, there is a joint project for the production of gender terminology in Arabic.

14. The United Nations Volunteers and UNCHS (Habitat) have continued collaboration in the joint operation of the Disaster Management Programme; together with UNDP and UNEP, they carried out advisory missions and provided technical support to activities in disaster mitigation and rehabilitation, reconstruction and development in several developing countries.

15. Cooperation between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UNCHS (Habitat) has centred mainly on land records systems to support land distribution. Both organizations attended the Twenty-First Congress of International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) held in Brighton, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in July 1998, at which they indicated their interest in participating in the 1999 United Nations-International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) conference on land tenure and cadastral infrastructures for sustainable development. UNCHS (Habitat) will contribute to the FAO international conference on multifunctional agriculture and integrated land management, to be hosted by the Government of the Netherlands in November 1999.

16. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNCHS (Habitat) are jointly undertaking the organization of an expert group meeting on practical aspects of the realization of the human right to adequate housing, planned for 1999 in Geneva. The outcome is expected to facilitate the full and progressive realization of the human right to adequate housing, and to clarify how the United Nations system and civil society organizations can assist States in this process.

17. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is cooperating with UNCHS (Habitat) for the International Year of Older Persons, to be observed in 1999, and in the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, including the implementation of the youth-related aspects of the Habitat Agenda.

18. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) collaborated actively with UNCHS (Habitat) on the project to provide training for municipalities in management information systems, the first Workshop of which was held at the UNCHS (Habitat) "Maison de l'Habitat" in Geneva in 1997 and the second in Cebu, Philippines, in 1998.

19. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is participating in the Coordinating Committee of the International Forum on Urban Poverty, for which UNCHS (Habitat) is currently providing the secretariat. The Centre is also working with ILO on research in transport issues and on the impact of settlements upgrading on home-based enterprises.

20. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has collaborated with UNCHS (Habitat) in the preparation of a research study on integrated GIS with special attention to cadastre and land information systems for African decision-makers. ECA has also cooperated with African non-governmental organizations in organizing a workshop on implementation of the Habitat Agenda in Africa, held in March 1998 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

21. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has been active in organizing meetings on the transfer and exchange of information on human settlements issues and, in 1997, acted as technical secretariat for regional meetings of ministers and high-level authorities for the Latin American and Caribbean housing and urban development sector. It also acts as a forum for consultations and technical facilitation to member States and civil society partners in implementing the recommendations of ministerial meetings.

22. The Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA) cooperated with UNCHS (Habitat) in the May 1998 meeting on the Urban Environment Forum for the Arab States, held in Ismailia, Egypt, and in the November 1998 regional meeting on implementation of the Habitat Agenda in the Arab States, held in Beirut, Lebanon. One important outcome was the agreement among agencies for the networking and coordination of all regional activities, so as to maximize synergies and improve the utilization of scarce regional resources.

23. The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) has agreed to incorporate Habitat II recommendations into its work programme and, in cooperation with UNCHS (Habitat), has prepared a detailed questionnaire to monitor the implementation of the Habitat Agenda in the region. Based on responses from 26 countries, a programme for both short and long-term activities has been prepared. UNCHS (Habitat) is also collaborating with ECE on land registration and land markets and, together with UNDP and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the two organizations are planning a workshop on urban governance, dealing with the relationship between central and local self-government.

24. Cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) operates through the joint ESCAP/UNCHS (Habitat) Human Settlements Unit. In early 1998, the memorandum of understanding between UNCHS (Habitat) and ESCAP was revised to extend the modalities of cooperation to the UNCHS (Habitat) Office in Fukuoka, Japan. The Centre makes substantive contributions to the ESCAP Commission, as well as to the Interorganizational subcommittee on Urbanization. The Joint Unit provides substantive services to the regional Citynet project, designed to link municipalities in Asia and the Pacific for the purpose of sharing experiences and capacity-building.
 

25. The Human Statistics Programme of the Centre has worked closely with the Statistics and Population divisions of the United Nations in the development of the Human Settlements Statistics Questionnaire 1992 and data for the 1995 compendium of human settlements statistics. The Programme makes extensive use of data from the Population Division, particularly through its database, the UNCHS (Habitat) Citibase and its household projection model.

26. The Disaster Management Programme is collaborating with the United Nations Volunteers, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNDP and several non-governmental organizations, both at the national and regional levels, in the implementation of disaster management activities and the execution of specific country projects. The Programme has also initiated contacts with local authorities for disaster mitigation, with a view to developing a network of support among local authorities in this area.

27. The Settlements Infrastructure and Environment Programme is continuing to promote the settlement infrastructure-related goals of the Habitat Agenda and Agenda 21 by developing an integrated human settlements approach to the planning, delivery, operation and maintenance of infrastructure and services. In Cape Town, South Africa, in December 1997, the Programme organized the International Consultations on Partnership in the Water Sector for Cities in Africa, which produced the Cape Town Declaration, embodying a framework for dealing with urban water challenges in Africa. The Turner Foundation has agreed to fund this project initiative in 1999.

28. The International Forum on Urban Poverty provides a networking mechanism for municipalities and other actors, to raise international awareness on the need to eradicate urban poverty. UNCHS (Habitat), UNICEF and ILO are among the major partners of the Forum and, following the Florence Conference, discussions among members have led to the consolidation of an action plan which is still under consideration by the donor community. In September 1998, the establishment of the African Forum on Urban Poverty was launched at a regional workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, and a similar workshop, in Fukuoka, in October 1998, explored the possibility of establishing an Asian forum on urban poverty. Regional initiatives are also planned in Latin America and in the Arab States.

29. The UNCHS (Habitat)-UNDP Urban Management Programme has established programme implementation partnerships with 31 urban management institutions in developing countries, and has initiated 53 city consultations. In addition, panels of experts have been established at regional and national levels to ensure the utilization of South-South cooperation as the programme's principal source of expertise. Global and regional conferences complement this process by introducing city representatives to current thinking on improved governance, poverty reduction and environmental management.

30. Cooperation and collaboration with the Ford Foundation focuses on urban poverty reduction in eastern and southern Africa, and provides support to researchers and policy makers through regional workshops, city consultations and publications. Support has also been given to activities in local government finance and privatization.

31. The Research and Development Division, building on an earlier joint UNDP/UNCHS (Habitat) policy paper, has prepared guidelines for strengthening rural-urban linkages in developing countries as an output of the 1998-1999 work programme.

32. The Community Development Programme has extended its poverty reduction and capacity-building activities to 60 municipalities in Latin America and Africa, including subregional resource facilities in central America and east Africa through which operational partners can draw upon sustainable community development strategies.

33. The Global Urban Observatory is the principal United Nations programme for monitoring urban conditions and trends and for tracking progress in implementing the goals of the Habitat Agenda. With the incorporation of the UNCHS (Habitat) Urban Indicators and Best Practices programmes, the Observatory is establishing a worldwide information, assessment and capacity-building network to help Governments, local authorities, the private sector, non-governmental organizations and other organizations of civil society. The Observatory reports on global progress in implementing the Habitat Agenda through the biennial state of the world's cities report, the first edition of which is before the Commission as document HS/C/17/2/Add.1

34. UNCHS (Habitat), as the current focal point for water and sustainable urban development (Agenda 21, chapter 18, programme area E) within the United Nations system, chairs a working group comprising UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Bank for coordinated policy and programme support to member countries in this area and has recently entered into separate memoranda of understanding with UNICEF, the World Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat in the area of water supply and sanitation. In collaboration with UNEP, the Centre is supporting the African initiative to strengthen the capacity of African cities to manage their water resources. The project will be implemented within the framework of the United Nations System-wide Special Initiative for Africa.

35. UNCHS (Habitat) continued its collaboration with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) in the implementation of a programme on human settlements development in the Caribbean. The programme was concluded in 1998.

36. Collaboration was continued with the Organization of American States (OAS) through the Centre=s Caribbean programme and individual country projects in the development and application of building codes and settlements planning tools for disaster mitigation in the Caribbean region.

37. UNCHS (Habitat) collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank has continued in the execution of studies in the metropolitan area of Panama. The Centre aims at increasing collaborative activities of this nature with the Bank and other development banks active in the region.

38. UNCHS (Habitat) is participating as an observer in ministerial sessions of the League of Arab States and, together with the League, has organized three regional meetings (two in Cairo and one in Amman) to draw up a regional Arab strategy for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. UNCHS (Habitat) and the League of Arab States have also organized, with the cooperation of the Government of Egypt, a regional conference on urban planning and the sustainable development of Arab capitals and urban centres in Cairo, in April 1997, and, together with the municipality of Beirut, a regional conference on localizing the Habitat Agenda at the municipal level, on World Habitat Day, 5 October 1997.

39. UNCHS (Habitat) is continuing to strengthen its cooperation with the Company for Habitat and Housing in Africa (Shelter Afrique), in view of the close complementarity between the objectives and activities of the two organizations. Following the Istanbul Conference, both organizations initiated discussions to develop proposals for joint programme activities in assisting African countries meet the objectives in their national plans of action. In Maseru, Lesotho, in June 1998, in collaboration with the Government of Lesotho, Shelter Afrique organised a symposium on private and public sector partnership on housing delivery in Africa. In addition, Shelter Afrique, UNCHS (Habitat) and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), organized a major workshop, in Dakar, Senegal, in October 1998, on lessons learnt in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda in Africa.

40. OAU and UNCHS (Habitat) participated effectively in the regional workshop held in March 1998 in Addis Ababa, organized by Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA), on implementing the Habitat Agenda in Africa. The workshop reviewed progress by all partners in the implementation of national and partners' plans of action and led to the holding of the October 1998 regional workshop in Dakar, organized jointly by OAU, UNCHS (Habitat) and Shelter Afrique, with the collaboration of ENDA, on lessons learnt in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda in Africa.

41. UNCHS (Habitat) collaborated with the African Development Bank in organizing the International Consultations on Partnership in the Water Sector for Cities in Africa in Cape Town, in December 1997. The African Development Bank and UNCHS (Habitat) are currently developing a collaborative framework for supporting African countries in the implementation of the Cape Town Declaration.

42. At its sixteenth session, in accordance with its past resolutions urging coordination and cooperation among universities, research and scientific institutions, non-governmental organizations and voluntary groups, in order to make full use of their experience in the field of human settlements, the Commission on Human Settlements adopted three resolutions to involve partners in the work of the Centre and further requested the Executive Director, in resolution 16/21 of 6 May 1997, to facilitate an integrated and coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda by all stakeholders, particularly non-governmental organizations, local authorities and private sector entities.

43. In response to the above resolutions, the Centre has actively involved all stakeholders in the implementation process through, inter alia, its programmes and projects, as well as awareness-raising measures and information dissemination.

44. The following sections review the Centre=s cooperation with non-governmental organizations and other Habitat partners over the past two years.

45. UNCHS (Habitat) is currently promoting the involvement of non-governmental organizations in policy formulation, in the Commission sessions and in the implementation of its projects and programmes. The Centre is collaborating with about 3,600 non-governmental organizations and a number of major international networks, including the World Associations of Cities and Local Authorities Coordination (WACLAC), Global Parliamentarians on Habitat, the Habitat International Coalition, the NGO Committee on Human Settlements, the Women and Homes Super-Coalition, regional and thematic caucuses and "Youth for Habitat" groups.

46. Non-governmental organizations are participating in the Centre's interregional programmes, such as, inter alia, the City Data Programme and the Women in Human Settlements Development Programme, and are involved in the design and execution of projects in about 80 countries dealing with building infrastructure and environment, shelter and community development, settlement planning and policy, city data gathering, settlement upgrading, post-disaster reconstruction, shelter policy formulation, urban poverty reduction, urban governance and local management issues.

47. UNCHS (Habitat) and various non-governmental organizations groups and UNCHS (Habitat) partners have played a major role in raising global awareness on shelter and urbanization issues; the Centre's audio-visual materials, technical and information publications and its journal Habitat Debate regularly focus and highlight non-governmental organizations and other partners' activities related to human settlements.

48. In 1997 and 1998, non-governmental organizations and their representatives worldwide participated effectively in the celebration of World Habitat Day. In 1997, three out of nine Habitat Scrolls of Honour were awarded to non-governmental organizations and their representatives, namely, to the President of Global Parliamentarians on Habitat, to the South African Homeless People's Federation and to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. In 1998, two of the seven awards were given to non-governmental organizations namely, the European Forum for Urban Security and l'Association des Habitants d'el Mourouj 2, for their innovative efforts in human settlements development.

49. On the occasion of World Habitat Day on 5 October 1998, 10 initiatives from around the world were given the Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment. These 10 initiatives were selected from more that 470 submissions by an independent jury. The criteria for selection included partnerships between two or more groups of actors; tangible impact on improving the living environment; and sustainability in terms of changes to policies and decision-making processes. The 700 good and best practices resulting from the 1996 and 1998 award cycles are currently available on CD ROM and the internet.

50. During the 1997-1998 biennium, UNCHS (Habitat) established an impressive number of new partner contacts and these have been incorporated into the non-governmental organization database. By the end of 1998, UNCHS (Habitat) had at its disposal detailed data on 3,600 non-governmental organizations and partner groups. Recently, the second edition of the Directory of Non-governmental Organizations in the Field of Human Settlements was published and is available to all interested actors on the Habitat web-site. Hard copies of the directory have been distributed to leading non-governmental organization networks and Habitat partners.

51. In keeping with the Habitat Agenda requirement to assist partner groups in establishing guidelines for national and local monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the Centre has worked closely with its partners to prepare a set of guidelines for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. The guidelines, comprising 10 volumes, are intended to promote partnerships in sustainable human settlements development.

52. The non-governmental organization community continues to show commitment and strong determination to participate in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and has established a new network called "NGO Committee on Human Settlements", through which it aims to continue to monitor the implementation of commitments included in the Habitat Agenda and other agreements adopted at United Nations meetings that pertain to universal shelter and sustainable human settlements. The group has been working to create electronic networks with a view to setting up a "Habitat Watch" initiative, to monitor the implementation of the Habitat Agenda from a civil society perspective.

53. The Habitat International Coalition held its last global meeting in Venice, Italy, in May 1998; the meeting was preceded by an international workshop on people's strategies against evictions and displacement in historic urban centres, with a specific focus on the Habitat Agenda. In December 1998, the municipality of Turin, in collaboration with UNCHS (Habitat), held a conference on new partnership for action, with the participation of several non-governmental organizations and other partner groups, participated to develop new partner strategies in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda. The Turin conference provided an opportunity for partners to share experiences, mobilize new groups and create new synergies.

54. The Centre has initiated a process to identify and recognize each partner group in terms of its competence and interest, and has established a network of Habitat partner groups to determine each partner's mandate, priorities and programmes and to incorporate these into the Centre's work programme.

55. Local authorities were given a clearly defined and major role in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, with emphasis on human settlements issues at the local level, and have established their own coordination body - WACLAC - to carry forward this mandate and establish partnerships and develop synergies with the United Nations system. The Centre signed a memorandum of understanding with WACLAC in July 1997, dealing with modalities for future collaboration and the participation of local authorities in the implementation, monitoring and assessment of the Habitat Agenda. As part of this initiative, it was also decided to launch a world charter of local self-government and an expert group meeting on this topic took place in Nairobi, in April 1998, to prepare the initial draft of the charter.

56. The Global Parliamentarians on Habitat has been collaborating closely with UNCHS (Habitat) since 1987 and, during the 1997-1998 biennium, organized and held, with the cooperation and participation of UNCHS (Habitat), several national and regional meetings, culminating in the Second Global Forum and the Twelfth General Meeting of the Global Parliamentarians in Cancun, Mexico, January 1998. The meetings reviewed progress in the adoption of relevant legislation and enabling policies, at the national level, to promote sustainable urban and shelter development in accordance with the Habitat Agenda. Further details of the work of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat may be found in report on Activities of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat: note by the secretariat, contained in the HS/C/17/INF/4.

57. Youth for Habitat groups organized an international youth follow-up meeting in Eskisehir, Turkey, in September 1997, with the participation of 400 youth representatives, which marked a significant milestone in the institutionalization of their activities. Through this meeting, Youth for Habitat has established a global secretariat to facilitate information exchange with other partners and the United Nations system. In June 1998, the Centre signed a memorandum of understanding with the group, to facilitate and enhance the contributions of youths in the sustainable development of human settlements.

58. Women's groups launched the African Women's Initiative during the 16th session of the Commission on Human Settlements, and held a first meeting in June 1997 in New York, to promote the role of African women in human settlements development, both as beneficiaries and as agents of change. In October 1997, the Centre also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Huairou Commission, to support the activities of women's groups for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

59. During the post-Istanbul period, human settlements researchers established an International Forum of Researchers, and Centro di Ricerca e Documentazione (CERFE), (Centre for Research and Documentation), a network of researchers and trainers organization, was assigned as its secretariat. The Forum organized a general assembly in Geneva, in July 1998, to discuss the issue of linking research and policy to the sustainability of human settlements.