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INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FRESHWATER
2003
The Habitat Agenda
Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements
1. We, the Heads
of State or Government and the official delegations of
countries assembled at the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey from 3 to 14 June
1996, take this opportunity to endorse the universal goals of
ensuring adequate shelter for all and making human settlements
safer, healthier and more liveable, equitable, sustainable and
productive. Our deliberations on the two major themes of the
Conference - adequate shelter for all and sustainable human
settlements development in an urbanizing world - have been
inspired by the Charter of the United Nations and are aimed at
reaffirming existing and forging new partnerships for action
at the international, national and local levels to improve our
living environment. We commit ourselves to the objectives,
principles and recommendations contained in the Habitat Agenda
and pledge our mutual support for its implementation.
2. We have
considered, with a sense of urgency, the continuing
deterioration of conditions of shelter and human settlements.
At the same time, we recognize cities and towns as centres of
civilization, generating economic development and social,
cultural, spiritual and scientific advancement. We must take
advantage of the opportunities presented by our settlements
and preserve their diversity to promote solidarity among all
our peoples.
3. We reaffirm
our commitment to better standards of living in larger freedom
for all humankind. We recall the first United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements, held at Vancouver, Canada,
the celebration of the International Year of Shelter for the
Homeless and the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000,
all of which have contributed to increased global awareness of
the problems of human settlements and called for action to
achieve adequate shelter for all. Recent United Nations world
conferences, including, in particular, the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development, have given us a
comprehensive agenda for the equitable attainment of peace,
justice and democracy built on economic development, social
development and environmental protection as interdependent and
mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development. We
have sought to integrate the outcomes of these conferences
into the Habitat Agenda.
4. To improve the
quality of life within human settlements, we must combat the
deterioration of conditions that in most cases, particularly
in developing countries, have reached crisis proportions. To
this end, we must address comprehensively, inter alia,
unsustainable consumption and production patterns,
particularly in industrialized countries; unsustainable
population changes, including changes in structure and
distribution, giving priority consideration to the tendency
towards excessive population concentration; homelessness;
increasing poverty; unemployment; social exclusion; family
instability; inadequate resources; lack of basic
infrastructure and services; lack of adequate planning;
growing insecurity and violence; environmental degradation;
and increased vulnerability to disasters.
5. The challenges
of human settlements are global, but countries and regions
also face specific problems which need specific solutions. We
recognize the need to intensify our efforts and cooperation to
improve living conditions in the cities, towns and villages
throughout the world, particularly in developing countries,
where the situation is especially grave, and in countries with
economies in transition. In this connection, we acknowledge
that globalization of the world economy presents opportunities
and challenges for the development process, as well as risks
and uncertainties, and that achievement of the goals of the
Habitat Agenda would be facilitated by, inter alia, positive
actions on the issues of financing of development, external
debt, international trade and transfer of technology. Our
cities must be places where human beings lead fulfilling lives
in dignity, good health, safety, happiness and hope.
6. Rural and
urban development are interdependent. In addition to improving
the urban habitat, we must also work to extend adequate
infrastructure, public services and employment opportunities
to rural areas in order to enhance their attractiveness,
develop an integrated network of settlements and minimize
rural-to-urban migration. Small- and medium-sized towns need
special focus.
7. As human
beings are at the centre of our concern for sustainable
development, they are the basis for our actions as in
implementing the Habitat Agenda. We recognize the particular
needs of women, children and youth for safe, healthy and
secure living conditions. We shall intensify our efforts to
eradicate poverty and discrimination, to promote and protect
all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and to
provide for basic needs, such as education, nutrition and
life-span health care services, and, especially, adequate
shelter for all. To this end, we commit ourselves to improving
the living conditions in human settlements in ways that are
consonant with local needs and realities, and we acknowledge
the need to address the global, economic, social and
environmental trends to ensure the creation of better living
environments for all people. We shall also ensure the full and
equal participation of all women and men, and the effective
participation of youth, in political, economic and social
life. We shall promote full accessibility for people with
disabilities, as well as gender equality in policies,
programmes and projects for shelter and sustainable human
settlements development. We make these commitments with
particular reference to the more than one billion people
living in absolute poverty and to the members of vulnerable
and disadvantaged groups identified in the Habitat Agenda.
8. We reaffirm
our commitment to the full and progressive realization of the
right to adequate housing as provided for in international
instruments. To that end, we shall seek the active
participation of our public, private and non-governmental
partners at all levels to ensure legal security of tenure,
protection from discrimination and equal access to affordable,
adequate housing for all persons and their families.
9. We shall work
to expand the supply of affordable housing by enabling markets
to perform efficiently and in a socially and environmentally
responsible manner, enhancing access to land and credit and
assisting those who are unable to participate in housing
markets.
10.
In order to sustain our global environment and improve the
quality of living in our human settlements, we commit
ourselves to sustainable patterns of production, consumption,
transportation and settlements development; pollution
prevention; respect for the carrying capacity of ecosystems;
and the preservation of opportunities for future generations.
In this connection, we shall cooperate in a spirit of global
partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and
integrity of the Earth's ecosystem. In view of different
contributions to global environmental degradation, we reaffirm
the principle that countries have common but differentiated
responsibilities. We also recognize that we must take these
actions in a manner consistent with the precautionary
principle approach, which shall be widely applied according to
the capabilities of countries. We shall also promote healthy
living environments, especially through the provision of
adequate quantities of safe water and effective management of
waste.
11.
We shall promote the conservation, rehabilitation and
maintenance of buildings, monuments, open spaces, landscapes
and settlement patterns of historical, cultural,
architectural, natural, religious and spiritual value.
12.
We adopt the enabling strategy and the principles of
partnership and participation as the most democratic and
effective approach for the realization of our commitments.
Recognizing local authorities as our closest partners, and as
essential, in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, we
must, within the legal framework of each country, promote
decentralization through democratic local authorities and work
to strengthen their financial and institutional capacities in
accordance with the conditions of countries, while ensuring
their transparency, accountability and responsiveness to the
needs of people, which are key requirements for Governments at
all levels. We shall also increase our cooperation with
parliamentarians,
the private sector, labour unions and non-governmental and
other civil society organizations with due respect for their
autonomy. We shall also enhance the role of women and
encourage socially and environmentally responsible corporate
investment by the private sector. Local action should be
guided and stimulated through local programmes based on Agenda
21, the Habitat Agenda, or any other equivalent programme, as
well as drawing upon the experience of worldwide cooperation
initiated in Istanbul by the World Assembly of Cities and
Local Authorities, without prejudice to national policies,
objectives, priorities and programmes. The enabling strategy
includes a responsibility for Governments to implement special
measures for members of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups
when appropriate.
13. As the
implementation of the Habitat Agenda will require adequate
funding, we must mobilize financial resources at the national
and international levels, including new and additional
resources from all sources - multilateral and bilateral,
public and private. In this connection, we must facilitate
capacity-building and promote the transfer of appropriate
technology and know-how. Furthermore, we reiterate the
commitments set out in recent United Nations conferences,
especially those in Agenda 21 on funding and technology
transfer.
14. We believe
that the full and effective implementation of the Habitat
Agenda will require the strengthening of the role and
functions of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat), taking into account the need for the Centre to
focus on well-defined and thoroughly developed objectives and
strategic issues. To this end, we pledge our support for the
successful implementation of the Habitat Agenda and its global
plan of action. Regarding the implementation of the Habitat
Agenda, we fully recognize the contribution of the regional
and national action plans prepared for this Conference.
15.
This Conference in Istanbul marks a new era of cooperation, an
era of a culture of solidarity. As we move into the
twenty-first century, we offer a positive vision of
sustainable human settlements, a sense of hope for our common
future and an exhortation to join a truly worthwhile and
engaging challenge, that of building together a world where
everyone can live in a safe home with the promise of a decent
life of dignity, good health, safety, happiness and hope.
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