UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS (Habitat) CENTRE DES NATIONS UNIES POUR LES ETABLISSEMENTS HUMAINS CENTRO DE LAS NACIONES UNIDAS PARA LOS ASENTAMIENTOS HUMANOS PO Box 30030, Nairobi, KENYA Telephone: (254-2) 621234, Telex: 22996 UNHAB KE; Cable: UNHABITAT

1.     In accordance with the recommendations made by the Commission on Human Settlements and approved by the General Assembly at its fifty-second session, the seventeenth session of the Commission will take place at the headquarters of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS) (Habitat) in Nairobi, Kenya, from Wednesday, 5 May, to Friday, 14 May 1999.

2.     It is expected that the opening ceremony of the session will be conducted at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 5 May 1999. Accordingly, representatives and invited guests are urged to ensure that they are seated by 9.45 a.m.

3.     In order to facilitate the Commission's work, arrangements have been made for informal consultations among and between the regional groups on various matters before the Commission, in particular the election of officers, on Tuesday, 4 May, beginning at 9.30 a.m. The first issue of the Journal, on Monday, 3 May, will include information on the allocation of rooms for those meetings. Attention is drawn to the attached note on the geographical distribution of officers elected at previous sessions of the Commission (annex I). A list of States members of the Commission is also attached (annex II).

4.     In addition, it is expected that various partners, notably local authorities, parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations, will also convene their own informal consultations during the days preceding the opening of the seventeenth session of the Commission. The first issue of the Journal, on 3 May, will include information on the allocation of rooms for these consultations. It is also expected that a series of important events and activities will be organized by the partners during the seventeenth session of the Commission. Detailed information regarding these events and activities will be communicated to all participants by the secretariat, as soon as they are finalized.

5.     Among the key issues that will be considered by the Commission at this session are:

    (a)     The revitalization of UNCHS (Habitat);

    (b)     Follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II);

    (c)     The work programme of UNCHS (Habitat) for the biennium 2000-2001 and the proposed budget for the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation for the same biennium;

    (d)     Cooperation with partners; and

    (e)     The two special themes, namely:

    (i)     The local implementation of the Habitat Agenda, with particular attention to local Agenda 21s; and

    (ii)     International cooperation for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

6.     Accordingly, the Executive Director would like to stress the importance of the full participation in the session by States members of the Commission and of the broadest possible participation by other States as observers. Since a number of important decisions pertaining to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda are expected to be taken at the session, it is hoped that States will see the need for high-level, policy-making presentations as well as for substantive representation at the session. In this connection, the Executive Director is pleased to report that 97 countries participated in the sixteenth session of the Commission and that 34 of them were represented at the ministerial level. He has already received indications from a number of States of their intention to be represented at a similarly high level at the seventeenth session.

7.     The Executive Director wishes also to bring to the attention of Governments the decision of the Commission in its resolution 16/12 of 7 May 1997, in which the Commission invited Governments to include in their delegations to future sessions of the Commission on Human Settlements representatives of local authorities and the relevant actors of civil society, particularly the private sector, non-governmental organizations and research organizations in the field of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development. Given the decisions of the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul with regard to the roles of local authorities and members of civil society, the Executive Director wishes to stress the importance of this decision of the Commission.

8.     The Executive Director would like also to emphasize that both the Centre and Member States benefit substantially if States include in their delegations their Permanent Representatives to UNCHS (Habitat) or other focal points in Nairobi with whom the Centre deals on a continuing basis through the year.

9.     States are requested to inform the Executive Director of the composition of their delegations as soon as possible. In accordance with rule 11 of the Commission's rules of procedure, the credentials of representatives should be submitted to the Executive Director, at the latest, before the end of the first meeting of the session.

10.     The Commission will have before it three types of documents:

    (a)     Documents bearing the symbols HS/C/17/- or HS/C/17/L.-, which will be devoted to subjects requiring substantive review or action by the Commission;

    (b)     Documents bearing the symbols HS/C/17/INF/-, which will be of an informative nature requiring no substantive review or action by the Commission; and

    (c)     Documents bearing the symbol HS/C/17/CRP.-, which are conference room papers providing background information generally available elsewhere but reproduced in a convenient form for easy access by representatives.

11.     Annexes III and IV, attached, contain the Executive Director's suggestions concerning procedural and organizational aspects of the seventeenth session and a suggested timetable. Annex V contains a list of the agenda items for the seventeenth session of the Commission, with the corresponding documents.

12.     Comprehensive information for participants, regarding such matters as accommodation, visas, medical requirements, etc., will be distributed shortly. Any inquiries regarding such matters or any other matters concerning the organizational aspects of the seventeenth session should be directed to Mr. Joseph Mungai and should be addressed as follows:
 

Mr. Joseph Mungai
Secretary to the Commission on Human Settlements and Chief of External Relations
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)
P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel. No.: (254 2) 623133/623132/623131
Fax No.: (254 2) 624175/624250
E-mail: Joseph.Mungai@unchs.org
Telex: 22996 UNHAB KE
Cable: UNHABITAT

Meeting times

13.     In principle, meetings will take place from 9.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. The daily programme will be posted on notice boards at the United Nations Office at Gigiri and will also appear in the Journal.

Meeting rooms

14.     Details of rooms for the plenary and committee meetings will appear in the first issue of the Journal on 3 May, and will be carried in each subsequent Journal.

Registration

15.     The registration of participants will commence at the United Nations Office at Gigiri on Monday, 3 May at 10 a.m. Participants are requested to hand in their credentials at the registration desk and to complete the form which they will find there. General information will also be available at the registration desk.

Distribution of statements

16.     It will be helpful if texts of prepared speeches are made available to the secretariat in advance of delivery. A total of 17 copies of the text should be handed to the conference officer for the use of the secretariat. Delegations wishing to have texts of their representatives' statements generally distributed are requested to let the conference officer have 250 copies.

Distribution of documents

17.     Participants are requested to inform the secretariat of the number of documents required for the use of their delegations by completing the relevant form, which will be available at the document counters in the meeting rooms.

Exhibitions

18.     Both member States and partners are invited to display, during the session, exhibits related to the themes and issues to be discussed at the seventeenth session of the Commission. Guidelines for the presentations of these exhibitions, which in the past have enriched the exchange of experience and knowledge during Commission sessions, as well as information on space and other facilities available at the Conference venue will be communicated to all participants in the near future. Those delegations which will be exhibiting at the session should, upon arrival in Nairobi, contact Ms. Christina Engfeldt, Chief, Information and Audio-Visual Division, UNCHS (Habitat), P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya; telephone: (254 2) 623067; fax: (2542) 624060; e-mail: Christina.Engfeldt@unchs.org.

List of participants

19.     An advance provisional list of participants based on replies received will be issued as soon as possible after the opening meeting, when registration has been completed.

Public information

20.     All inquiries relating to public information should be addressed to Ms. C. Engfeldt, Chief, Information and Audio-Visual Division, UNCHS (Habitat), P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi, Kenya; telephone: (254 2) 623067; fax: (254 2) 624060; e-mail: Christina.Engfeldt@unchs.org

Receptions

21.     Information regarding official receptions will be given to delegates during the session. It would be appreciated if delegations intending to hold receptions would kindly provide the relevant details to the secretariat.

AFRICAN STATES (16) Algeria (1999) Benin (1999) Cameroon (2002) Democratic Republic of the Congo (2002) Ethiopia (2000) Gabon (2002) Gambia(2002) Kenya (1999) Liberia (2000) Malawi (2000) Mali (2002) Namibia (2000) Sudan (1999) Tunisia (1999) Zambia (2000) (1 vacancy) ASIAN STATES (13) Bangladesh (2000) China (2000) India (1999) Indonesia (2000) Iran, Islamic Republic of (2002) Japan (2002) Jordan (1999) Pakistan (2002) Philippines (1999) Republic of Korea (2000) Sri Lanka (1999) United Arab Emirates (1999) Viet Nam (2002)

LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN STATES (10) Argentina (2002) Barbados (1999) Bolivia (2002) Brazil (2002) Chile (2002) Colombia (1999) Ecuador (2000) Jamaica (2000) Mexico (1999) Venezuela (2000) EASTERN EUROPEAN STATES (6) Belarus (2000) Bulgaria (1999) Czech Republic (1999) Lithuania (2002) Poland (2000) Russian Federation (2002) WESTERN EUROPEAN AND OTHER STATES (13) Belgium (2000) Denmark (1999) Finland (2002) France (2000) Germany (1999) Italy (2000) Netherlands (2000) Norway (1999) Spain (1999) Sweden (2000) Turkey (2002) United Kingdom of Great Britain     and Northern Ireland (2002) United States of America (2002)

1.     The Commission may find it conducive to the efficient conduct of its work during the seventeenth session to adopt the specific organizational arrangements set out below.
 

2.     In accordance with rule 12 of the Commission's rules of procedure, the Bureau should consist of a Chair, three Vice-Chairs and a Rapporteur, elected with due regard to the principle of equitable geographical distribution and rotation among the groups. Annex I shows the geographical distribution of members of the Bureau at the Commission's previous sessions.

3.     As provided for in rule 13 of the Commission's rules of procedure, two of the Vice-Chairs should be designated to chair the sessional committees of the whole referred to below. The remaining Vice-Chair would assist the Chair of the Commission directly in his or her duties (at its sixteenth session, this Vice-Chair was also designated to chair the ad hoc drafting committee which was set up at the session).
 

4.     Following consultations with the Bureau of the Commission on Human Settlements and the Committee of Permanent Representatives to UNCHS (Habitat), it is recommended that the plenary divide its work into two segments: first, a high-level segment of ministers, heads of delegations and mayors, which would be held on the first two days; and, second, dialogues with local authorities and other partners to be held on the third and fourth days.
 

5.     It is suggested that the high-level segment of ministers, heads of delegations and mayors focus its discussions on the following three main issues: first, implementation of the Habitat Agenda (item 5 of the provisional agenda); second, cooperation with partners (items 8 and 11 (b) of the provisional agenda); and, third, the report of the United Nations Task Force on Environment and Human Settlements, including the ongoing revitalization and restructuring of UNCHS (Habitat).

6.     Second, and with a view to accommodating the 60-80 delegations who normally attend sessions of the Commission, it is recommended that, during the high-level segment, each delegation be allowed a maximum of five minutes only and that this limit be strictly adhered to. In this context it should be noted that part of the morning sessions for the first and second days will be taken up by organizational matters and pledging for the Foundation, respectively.
 

7.     In operative paragraph 2 of its resolution 16/12, the Commission decided "to provide, at future sessions of the Commission, opportunities for partners to engage in a dialogue among themselves and with Governments; such dialogues may, as appropriate, serve as an input to the deliberations of the Commission".

8.     Pursuant to the above decision, and with a view to increasing the participation and contribution of local authorities and other partners in the work of the Commission, arrangements have been made for dialogues with local authorities and other partners to be held in the plenary on the third and fourth days of the session, as indicated in annex IV below. These dialogues will be based on the format followed by Committee II at the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul, whereby the representatives of each group of partners will be given an opportunity to make a substantive presentation followed by an informal discussion between Governments and partners on the presentations.

9.     To this end, local authorities and other partners are encouraged to submit, in advance, a written summary of their presentation to the secretariat, for distribution to all participants ahead of the meeting. They are also encouraged to focus their presentations on specific issues of strategic importance in the implementation of the work programme of UNCHS (Habitat) for the biennium 2000-2001 (HS/C/17/8).

10.     It is expected that the presentations to be made by representatives of local authorities and other partners will be the result of a preparatory process (consultations) by these groups, including non-governmental organizations, parliamentarians and the private sector, as well as professionals, researchers and labour unions. Arrangements would be made for local authorities and each group of partners to have, if they so wish, consultations in Nairobi immediately prior to the convening of the seventeenth session of the Commission, or at any other time and venue of their choice.

11.     Detailed information on the organization of these dialogues is attached in annex VI below.
 

12.     At the end of the high-level segment and the dialogues with local authorities and other partners, the Chair, drawing from the deliberations in the two plenary segments, will prepare a summary by the Chair of, first, the main issues raised in the High-level Segment and, second, the conclusions (or recommendations) made in the dialogues. These summaries would reflect the main thrust of the discussions and key positions stated during the two segments and would be submitted to the plenary for endorsement.

13.     Once endorsed by the Commission as an accurate reflection of what transpired in the high-level segment and in the dialogues with partners, the Chair's conclusions and recommendations would serve as guidelines for follow-up action by Governments, local authorities, other partners and the secretariat.
 

14.     Pursuant to resolution 8/8 of the Commission, provision has been made for a pledging meeting in the plenary on Thursday, 6 May, for announcements of voluntary contributions to the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation.
 

15.     Bearing in mind the organization of work in previous sessions of the Commission, and the above recommendations on the work of the plenary, the Commission may find it advisable to establish two sessional committees of the whole: Committee I and Committee II. Committee I would be given the responsibility for items 4, 6, 7 (a), 7 (b), 12 and 13 and Committee II would be given the responsibility for items 9, 10, 11 (a), 11 (c), 12 and 13, with the remaining items being considered in the plenary.
 

16.     At the sixteenth session, on an informal basis, the Commission established an ad hoc, open-ended drafting committee under the chairmanship of one of the Vice-Chairs to pre-screen draft resolutions submitted by the delegations, with a view to merging, reconciling or clarifying them, as necessary, prior to consideration by the Commission. The Commission may wish to continue this practice, which was widely acknowledged to have enhanced the efficiency of its work.
 

17.     For the ease of reference of participants, a proposed timetable for the seventeenth session of the Commission on Human Settlements is presented in annex IV.

18.     A list of the agenda items for the seventeenth session of the Commission, with corresponding documents, is presented in annex V.

        *        The Drafting Committee will start its work, informally, from Monday, 10 May 1999.

        **     As the Preparatory Committee is scheduled to hold its meeting on 13 - 14 May 1999, arrangements for meetings of the Committee on Friday, 14 May 1999 will be made should it become necessary. However, since one of the main items on its agenda (Organization of work for the first substantive session of the Preparatory Committee) will also be considered by the Commission under item 11 (c) of the provisional agenda, the possibilities of reducing the duration of the organizational session by one day will be considered by the Bureau at its first meeting.

At its last session, the Commission decided to provide at its future sessions opportunities for partners to engage in a dialogue among themselves and with governments and that such dialogues may, as appropriate, serve as an input to the work of the Commission. In the same resolution, partners were also invited to propose activities for the inter-sessional periods of the Commission in order to accelerate the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, while the Executive Director was requested to actively involve partners with the Centre's work through, where appropriate, the provision of inputs to the Centre in its development, implementation and evaluation of the work programme.

The dialogues with partners will be held in plenary during three sessions on Friday morning, 7 May; Friday afternoon, 7 May; and Monday morning, 10 May.

The dialogues will take place only two years prior to the Special Session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda (Istanbul + 5). Therefore, it is important for the presentations and the discussion to be anchored to substantive themes and to concrete and operational follow-up action plans.

Given the central importance of the local-level implementation of the Habitat Agenda, as well as the Istanbul Declaration's recognition of local authorities as the Governments' closest, and essential, partner in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, the first dialogue will be devoted to partnership between Governments and local authorities.

The second and third dialogues will be of a thematic nature, in line with the highly successful experience of the "Habitat Dialogues for the Twenty-First Century" held in Istanbul. Their themes and topics, as described below, are closely linked to the Habitat Agenda goals and to the points of emphasis stressed in the new strategic vision for UNCHS (Habitat).

In accordance with the role of the Commission as the intergovernmental body directly responsible for the follow-up to Habitat II, the overarching theme of the three dialogues will be cooperation between Governments and partners in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.

In order to achieve this, the following criteria have been adopted with regard to themes:

    (a)     Linkages to the proposed new profile of Habitat as the "United Nations City Agency", its draft work programme for 2000-2001, and its two global campaigns on secure tenure and Urban Governance;

    (b)     Choice of specific themes as entry points for an action-oriented discussion on the implementation of the two main goals of the Habitat Agenda;

    (c)     Emphasis on the presentation of partners' action plans linked to the proposed work programme for the biennium 2000-2001.

The dialogues will be based on the format adopted by Committee II of the Habitat II Conference. Accordingly, the designated representatives of local authorities and other groups of Habitat Agenda partners will make a substantive presentation followed by a discussion between governments and partners.

Where possible, the dialogues will be introduced by an eminent world personality and the discussion guided by a professional moderator.

It is hoped that the discussion will be of an informal, frank and substantive nature, and that its results, in line with the mandate given by the Commission, will be action-oriented.

In accordance with the reporting format adopted at Habitat II, a synthesis of the debate will be prepared by the Chair and presented to the Commission for adoption as the Chair's summary.

The Chair's summary will be an integral part of the official records of the Commission's session.

In line with Commission resolution 16/12, it is expected that the dialogues will also serve as an input to the deliberations of the Commission, to the work of the Organizational Session of the Preparatory Committee for Istanbul + 5, and to the implementation of the work programme 2000-2001 to be reviewed and adopted by the Commission.