Strengthening the Mandate and Status of the Commission on Human Settlements and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)

A/RES/56/206View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 102Implementation of the Habitat Agenda and outcome of the special session of the General Assembly on this topic, published in 2001.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

A dot marks an entity citing this document in its “Mandates and background” narrative rather than only its Legislative mandates list. Many do both.

Extracted automatically from each entity’s budget submission.

What subjects does this mandate have?

15 topics

Administrative Reform Budget Contributions Coordination Within UN System Decision-Making Experts Extrabudgetary Financing Focal Points Fundraising Human Settlements Human Settlements Finance Human Settlements Management Intergovernmental Bodies Structural Adjustment Subsidiary Bodies Sustainable Development

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report of the Secretary-General submitted under this mandate, 2002.

2002A/57/272Strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) report of the Secretary-General

Identified automatically from the metadata in each report’s UN Digital Library catalogue record.

What does this mandate say?

29 operative paragraphs

I.United Nations Human Settlements Programme

Decides to transform the Commission on Human Settlements and its secretariat, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), including the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation, with effect from 1 January 2002, into the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to be known as UN-Habitat, which will have the elements described below:

A.Governing body

Status, composition, objectives, functions and responsibilities

Decides to transform, with effect from 1 January 2002, the Commission on Human Settlements into the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to be known as UN-Habitat, a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly;

Also decides that the Governing Council shall propose its rules of procedure on the basis of the rules of procedure of the Commission on Human Settlements, bearing in mind the provisions of the present resolution, for consideration by the General Assembly;

Further decides that the practices regarding the participation of Habitat Agenda partners shall be according to the relevant rules of the Economic and Social Council with regard to participation and accreditation, that the established practices of the Commission on Human Settlements shall be utilized and that such practices shall in no way create a precedent for other governing bodies of the subsidiary organs of the General Assembly;

Decides that the Governing Council shall be composed of fifty-eight members, to be elected by the Economic and Social Council for four-year terms on the following basis:

Sixteen seats for African States;

Thirteen seats for Asian and Pacific States;

Six seats for Eastern European States;

Ten seats for Latin American and Caribbean States;

Thirteen seats for Western European and other States;

Confirms that the Governing Council shall have the objectives, functions and responsibilities set out in resolution 32/162 and in paragraph 222 of the Habitat Agenda;

Decides that the Governing Council shall be the intergovernmental decision-making body for the Programme;

Also decides that the Governing Council shall meet biennially and report to the General Assembly through the Economic and Social Council;

Further decides that the Committee of Permanent Representatives to UN-Habitat shall serve as the Governing Council’s intersessional subsidiary body;

B.Secretariat of the Programme

Decides to transform, with effect from 1 January 2002, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) into the secretariat of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), and confirms that the secretariat of the Programme, under the direction of the Executive Director, shall be entrusted with the responsibilities set out in paragraph 228 of the Habitat Agenda and in resolution 32/162. The UN-Habitat secretariat shall service the Governing Council and serve as the focal point for human settlements and for the coordination of human settlements activities within the United Nations system;

Also decides, bearing in mind General Assembly resolution 54/249 of 23 December 1999, that the UN-Habitat secretariat shall be headed by an Executive Director at the level of Under-Secretary-General, to be elected by the General Assembly for a term of four years upon nomination by the Secretary-General after consultation with Member States;

Affirms that the Urban Forum is a non-legislative technical forum in which experts can exchange views in the years when the Governing Council does not meet, and that the Advisory Committee of Local Authorities is an advisory body to the Executive Director;

Decides that the resources for managing the Programme shall comprise the posts and budgetary resources of the Centre, without prejudice to additional regular budget and extrabudgetary resources that may become available;

II.Financing human settlements

Confirms that the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) shall be responsible for the management of the United Nations Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation, with due regard to the terms of reference of the Foundation as stipulated in General Assembly resolution 3327 (XXIX);

Encourages the Executive Director to strengthen the Foundation in order to achieve its primary operative objective, as set out in resolution 3327 (XXIX), of supporting the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, including supporting shelter, related infrastructure development programmes and housing finance institutions and mechanisms, particularly in developing countries;

Invites all Governments to increase their contributions to the Foundation to enhance the capacity of the Programme to support the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium;4

Encourages the Executive Director of the Programme to continue her fund-raising appeals and initiatives for a substantial increase of Foundation resources;

Calls for the active participation and collaboration of organizations and bodies within and outside the United Nations system, including the World Bank and regional development banks, in the activities of the Programme and its Foundation, in particular with regard to the provision of seed capital and the financing of operational human settlements projects and programmes, as well as developing appropriate and innovative approaches for financing its projects and programmes;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to support the Programme through the provision of adequate regular budget resources;

III.Policy coordination

Reaffirms that the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, in accordance with relevant provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and relevant resolutions, including General Assembly resolutions 48/162 of 20 December 1993 and 50/227 of 24 May 1996, together with the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), constitute the three-tiered intergovernmental mechanism to oversee the coordination of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda;

Emphasizes the role and importance of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, in particular achieving the goals of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements, in the activities and programmes of the United Nations system, in particular in the context of common country assessments and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework, as well as the poverty reduction strategy papers process led by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund;

Welcomes the fact that the Programme, as the United Nations focal point for the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, will participate in the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination at all levels of its machinery;

Decides that the Programme should strengthen its collaboration with the Commission on Sustainable Development and other relevant bodies in the implementation of the Habitat Agenda as it relates to sustainable development;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a report to the General Assembly at its fifty-seventh session on the implementation of the present resolution.

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