General assembly renews commitment to principles of habitat agenda.

• Position: Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

At a time when half of the world's 6 billion people are living in cities, and the world is facing the unprecedented growth of urban population, mainly in the developing world, Member States of the United Nations on 8 June renewed their commitment to the principles of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development. Delegates worked through the night to conclude the twenty-fifth special session of the General Assembly for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), held in Istanbul in 1996. Governments renewed their committment by adopting without a vote a resolution containing the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium.

During the three-day special session, held in New York from 6 to 8 June, delegations outlined the steps their countries had taken to implement the twin goals of Habitat II: adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development. National innovations and initiatives had centred on the creation of new housing units and the elaboration of city development schemes to respond to the rapid pace of urbanization, particularly in the developing world. Decentralization emerged as a major strategy, as national governments increasingly recognized the value of enhancing the capacities of local authorities, in partnership with civil society and the private sector, to meet the needs of their cities. Other strategies included social and legislative reform of property rights, home ownership and security of tenure. Preservation of natural resources and the environment had been integrated into many human settlement policies.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the session, along with Habitat Executive Director, Anna Tibaijuka, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Klaus Toepfer. Representatives of 144 countries, including senior governmental officials and numerous national housing and town planning ministers, as well as several Habitat partners, civil society leaders and non-governmental organizations addressed the session. In his dosing statement, General Assembly President Harri Holkeri said he was particularly delighted with the constructive and cooperative spirit that had prevailed throughout the session and the difficult negotiations of the Declaration document.

A major innovation in the history of the General Assembly was the...