Revitalizing HABITAT.

• Position: United Nations Center for Human Settlements

Guiding principles and recommendations to focus the work of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and improve its efficiency were set out by the Commission on Human Settlements at its sixteenth session in a resolution on revitalizing the Centre. Recommendations concerned general and administrative management, finance, stay/policies and programme management. The United Nations was asked to provide Habitat with specialists in finance and management in order to support this expanding role.

Habitat's revitalization was one of the most contentious issues during the latest session, held in Nairobi from 28 April to 7 May. The General Assembly at the end of last year had designated the Centre as a focal point for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda--the Global Plan of Action that came out of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) (Istanbul, June 1996). It had also called for a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of the Centre with a view to its revitalization.

On 5 May, Habitat Executive Director Wally N'Dow released a 23-point Revitalization Action Plan for the Centre, prepared partly in response to recent criticism of its administrative and financial performance. The Plan reflected not only recommendations of United Nations oversight bodies, but also views expressed at the latest session of the Commission. It is aimed at restructuring the Centre along the lines defined by the Habitat Agenda, as well as at improving operational links between Habitat headquarters and the field, and streamlining information flows within the organization. In reference to the Plan, Commission Vice-Chairman Jonathan K. Ng'eno of Kenya said that some of the difficulties of the Centre had been of a long-standing nature and were not insurmountable. "We are happy to know that the secretariat is taking measures to be accountable and transparent."

In all, 27 resolutions geared to preparing Habitat for a major role in the Agenda's implementation were adopted at the session. At a press conference on 7 May at the Centre headquarters in Nairobi, Commission Chairman Afsarul Qader of Bangladesh said the session had spelled out "clear and focused directions" for Habitat, particularly concerning the Agenda's implementation. Dr. N'Dow told the closing meeting that the session had "been a time to agree on fundamentals and on charting the course that will take us over new waters, and this required discussion among all concerned and...