United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat I)
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| United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat I) | |
|---|---|
| Name | United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat I) |
| Date | 1976 |
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Organizers | United Nations |
| Participants | Member States of the United Nations |
| Outcome | Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements; global agenda for urban development |
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat I) was the inaugural global summit convened to address rapid urbanization and human settlements. Held in Vancouver, British Columbia, the conference gathered representatives from United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, China, India, Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Egypt, Pakistan, Argentina, Indonesia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, South Korea, North Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zaire, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and other states, alongside agencies such as United Nations, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Children’s Fund, and regional bodies.
Background and Objectives
Habitat I emerged amid trends identified by United Nations Population Division, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Club of Rome, World Commission on Environment and Development, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, and scholars from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, London School of Economics, University of Toronto, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, McGill University studying urban growth and housing. Objectives aligned with agendas from New International Economic Order debates, Third World leaders, and development priorities articulated by Lagos Plan of Action, Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77, Organization of African Unity, and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The conference sought to produce policy guidance comparable to outcomes from Bretton Woods Conference, United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, and World Population Conference.
Preparations and Participating Actors
Preparatory processes involved national delegations led by ministries from capitals such as Washington, D.C., Moscow, Beijing, New Delhi, Ottawa, Brasília, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Tokyo, Seoul, Cairo, Nairobi, and Addis Ababa. Non-state actors included International Union of Architects, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Habitat International Coalition, World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam International, and professional associations from Royal Institute of British Architects, American Institute of Architects, Canadian Institute of Planners, International Federation of Surveyors, International Union of Conservation of Nature, International Council on Monuments and Sites, Society for International Development, Urban Research Programmes from University of Nairobi, University of Ibadan, University of the West Indies, National Housing Corporation (Uganda), and municipal participants from City of Vancouver, City of New York, City of London, City of Paris, City of Rio de Janeiro, City of Lagos, City of Mumbai, City of Shanghai, City of Johannesburg, and City of Nairobi.
Conference Proceedings and Key Agreements
Proceedings included plenary sessions, thematic committees on shelter, infrastructure, land-use, finance, and management, and parallel forums with representatives from World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Development Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Union for Conservation of Nature, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (predecessor to UN-Habitat), and delegations from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay. Committees considered models from Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa and urban programmes from Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia', Philippines, alongside European examples from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Key agreements were negotiated concerning principles later reflected in the Vancouver Declaration and an action plan for human settlements.
Major Outcomes and Declarations
The principal product was the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements, endorsed by representatives from United States, Soviet Union, China, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, and Belgium. The Declaration emphasized shelter as a basic human need and called for coordination among United Nations Development Programme, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, United Nations Environment Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, and regional commissions including Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Economic Commission for Europe, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, and Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia. The conference recommended technical cooperation with institutions such as International Union of Architects, Royal Institute of British Architects, International Federation of Surveyors, International Council on Monuments and Sites, and financing mechanisms drawing on World Bank and bilateral development agencies from United States Agency for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, Overseas Development Administration (UK), Agence Française de Développement, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Impact and Legacy
Habitat I led to institutional follow-up through the United Nations system, including establishment of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and later evolution into UN-Habitat, interaction with World Bank urban lending, influence on national policies in India, China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and municipal reforms in Vancouver, Toronto, New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Bogotá, Lima, Caracas, Mexico City. Its legacy connects to subsequent global events including Habitat II, the Earth Summit, the Rio+20 Conference, the Sustainable Development Goals, New Urban Agenda, and policy frameworks from United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity, and Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Criticisms and Controversies
Critiques arose from civil society groups such as Habitat International Coalition, Amnesty International, Oxfam International, Greenpeace, World Council of Churches, and academics from London School of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, University of Oxford, alleging insufficient binding commitments and limited attention to informal settlements found in Kibera, Dharavi, Rocinha, Favela da Maré, Shackdwellers Federation (South Africa), Slum Dwellers International. Debates involved donor policies of World Bank, International Monetary Fund, bilateral funders such as United States Agency for International Development, Canadian International Development Agency, Agence Française de Développement, and multilateral coordination with United Nations Development Programme. Controversies also touched on tensions between delegations from Non-Aligned Movement, Group of 77, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and European Economic Community over issues of finance, technical assistance, sovereignty, and urban land tenure reforms.