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| About World Environment Day 2005: Milestones |
In 1976 in Vancouver, the United Nations held
its first conference on the issue of physical and spatial
organization of human life on this planet, and on the national and
international actions needed to accommodate the growing number of
population in urban and rural communities. This conference, called
Habitat: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, established
the concept of human settlements to consist of several elements that
had been previously considered separately from one another -
housing, building, planning and the relationship of these and such
other activities as environmental change and national and
international development. Vancouver Declaration defined human
settlements as follows:
 Human settlements means the totality of the human community -
whether city, town or village - with all the social, material,
organizational, spiritual and cultural elements that sustain it. The
fabric of human settlements consists of physical elements and
services to which these elements provide the material support. The
physical components comprise,
Shelter, i.e. the superstructures of different shapes, size, type
and materials erected by mankind for security, privacy and
protection from the elements and for his singularity within a
community;
Infrastructure, i.e. the complex networks designed to deliver to or
remove from the shelter people, goods, energy or information;
Services cover those required by a community for the fulfilment of
its functions as a social body, such as education, health, culture,
welfare, recreation and nutrition.
Broadened Concept of Human Settlements as a Framework for
Economic and Social Development
Over the years, this concept of human settlements has been broadened
to become a framework for an overall national socio-economic
development in the context of formulating global shelter strategies
for the year 2000. It is now contended that human settlements are
the spatial dimension as well as the physical expression of economic
and social activity. No creative act takes place without being
influenced by settlement conditions. In turn, the creation of
workable human settlements inevitably becomes an objective of, an
indicator of and a prerequisite for social and economic development.
Settlements are an objective of development in that places where
people can live, learn and work in conditions of safety, comfort and
efficiency are a fundamental and elementary need. Settlements are
also an indicator, in that they are the most visible expression of a
society's ability to satisfy some of the fundamental needs of its
members: they can mark accomplishments as well as expose
destitution, neglect and inequality. Finally, settlements are a
prerequisite for social and economic development, in that no social
progress for sustainable economic growth can occur without efficient
settlements systems and settlement networks.
Urbanization
Urban population in the Asia and Pacific region is growing at an
average annual rate of 3 per cent, having doubled between 1960 and
1980 from 359 million to 688 million. The total urban population in
the region at present is about 850 million containing 40% of the
world urban population. By the year 2000, an estimated 300 million
more population will be added during the decade in urban areas in
the region, including 14 of the world's 22 mega-cities with more
than 10,000,000 people.
However, in spite of high population growth rates in many of the
large cities, developing nations in the region - even economically
fast growing countries - are still characterized by low urbanization
levels, if compared to Latin America. This would mean that the
growth potential of urban populations is vast. Currently, less than
30% of the region's population live urban areas; the rate will
increase to more than 40per cent in 20 years.
Urban population growth rates are markedly higher than overall
national population growth rates. In some countries, notably
Bangladesh, cities grow at double the national rate. This rapid
urban growth is accompanied by problems of urban congestion,
environmental degradation, regional imbalances and a burgeoning
population of under and unemployed workers and sprawling slums and
squatter settlements.
Ministerial Conference on Urbanization
The first Ministerial Conference on Urbanization in Asia and the
Pacific , at Bangkok in 1993. The Ministerial Conference adopted the
Regional Action Plan on Urbanization in Asia and the Pacific as a
guideline for countries to address the issue of urbanization in the
region. It was the first conference on the subject which officially
involved local authorities, NGOs, research and training institutes
and the media together with representatives of the national
governments.
The Regional Action Plan on Urbanization emphasizes building of
partnerships between various levels government and the civil
society, strengthening of local governments, addressing the issue of
urban poverty and the environment. It also emphasizes the need for
regional cooperation in promoting sustainable and participatory
development of human settlements, particularly urban areas.
Habitat II: The Second United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements
Habitat II was held in April 1996 at Istanbul, Turkey. Popularly
called the "City Summit" it brought together high-level
representatives of national and local governments, private sector,
NGOs, research and training institutions and the media. The
Conference adopted the
Habitat Agenda, a global action plan to
realize sustainable human settlements. The Regional Action Plan and
the Habitat Agenda have become the major guide for countries of the
region to improve the quality of life and promote the sustainable
development of human settlements in the Asia and the Pacific region.
What is now required is to follow-up the recommendations the Habitat
Agenda and the Regional Action Plan in the country or city context
with appropriate actions.
Acknowledging the importance of the
obligations and spirit of the 1972 Stockholm Conference on
the Human Environment, the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (UNCED), the 1996
Istanbul Conference on
Human Settlements, the 2000 Millennium Development Goals, and the
2002 Johannesburg World
Summit on Sustainable Development as critical milestones to advance
sustainability, vibrant economies,
social equity, and the planet’s natural systems; we see these
Accords as a synergistic extension of these
efforts.Source: http://www.unescap.org/ |
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