agenda-21.pdf

i. Effects of ultraviolet radiation: Undertake, as a matter of urgency, research on the effects on human health of the increasing ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth's surface as a consequence of depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer;
ii. On the basis of the outcome of this research, consider taking appropriate remedial measures to mitigate the above-mentioned effects on human beings;
i. Industry and energy production:
i. Establish environmental health impact assessment procedures for the planning and development of new industries and energy facilities;
ii. Incorporate appropriate health risk analysis in all national programmes for pollution control and management, with particular emphasis on toxic compounds such as lead;
iii. Establish industrial hygiene programmes in all major industries for the surveillance of workers' exposure to health hazards;
iv. Promote the introduction of environmentally sound technologies within the industry and energy sectors;
j. Monitoring and assessment: Establish, as appropriate, adequate environmental monitoring capacities for the surveillance of environmental quality and the health status of populations;
k. Injury monitoring and reduction:
i. Support, as appropriate, the development of systems to monitor the incidence and cause of injury to allow well-targeted intervention/prevention strategies;
ii. Develop, in accordance with national plans, strategies in all sectors (industry, traffic and others) consistent with t he WHO safe cities and safe communities programmes, to reduce the frequency and severity of injury;
iii. Emphasize preventive strategies to reduce occupationally derived diseases and diseases caused by environmental and occupational toxins to enhance worker safety;
l. Research promotion and methodology development:
i. Support the development of new methods for the quantitative assessment of health benefits and cost associated with different pollution control strategies;
ii. Develop and carry out interdisciplinary research on the combined health effects of exposure to multiple environmental hazards, including epidemiological investigations of long-term exposures to low levels of pollutants and the use of biological markers capable of estimating human exposures, adverse effects and susceptibility to environmental agents.
Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

6.42. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be ab out $3 billion, including about $115 million from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means

6.43. Although technology to prevent or abate pollution is readily availabl e for a large number of problems, for programme and policy development countries should undertake research within an intersectoral framework. Such efforts should include collaboration with the business sector. Cost/effect analysis and environmental impact assessment methods should be developed through cooperative international programmes and applied to the setting of priorities and strategies in relation to health and development.

6.44. In the activities listed in paragraph 6.41 (a) to (m) above, developing cou ntry efforts should be facilitated by access to and transfer of technology, know -how and information, from the repositories of such knowledge and technologies, in conformity with chapter 34.
(c) Human resource development

6.45. Comprehensive national strategi es should be designed to overcome the lack of qualified human resources, which is a major impediment to progress in dealing with environmental health hazards. Training should include environmental and health officials at all levels from managers to inspect ors. More emphasis needs to be placed on including the subject of environmental health in the curricula of secondary schools and universities and on educating the public.

(d) Capacity-building

6.46. Each country should develop the knowledge and practical ski lls to foresee and identify environmental health hazards, and the capacity to reduce the risks. Basic capacity requirements must include knowledge about environmental health problems and awareness on the part of leaders, citizens and specialists; operation al mechanisms for intersectoral and intergovernmental cooperation in development planning and management and in combating pollution; arrangements for involving private and community interests in dealing with social issues; delegation of authority and distr ibution of resources to intermediate and local levels of government to provide front -line capabilities to meet environmental health needs.

Notes
1/ A/45/625, annex.

2/ Report of the WHO Commission on Health and Environment (Geneva, forthcoming).

Agenda 21 – Chapter 7 PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENT DEVELOPMENT 7.1. In industrialized countries, the consumption patterns of cities are severely stressing the global ecosystem, while settlements in the developing world need more raw material, energy, and economic development simply to overcome basic economic and social problems. Human settlement conditions in many parts of the world, particularly the developing countries, are deteriorating mainly as a result of the low levels of investment in the sector attributable to the overall resource constraints in these countries. In the low -income countries for which recent data are available, an average of only 5.6 per cent of central government expenditure went to housing, amenities, social security a nd welfare. 1/ Expenditure by international support and finance organizations is equally low. For example, only 1 per cent of the United Nations system's total grant -financed expenditures in 1988 went to human settlements, 2/ while in 1991, loans from the World Bank and the International Development Association (IDA) for urban development and water supply and sewerage amounted to 5.5 and 5.4 per cent, respectively, of their total lending. 3/

7.2. On the other hand, available information indicates that technica l cooperation activities in the human settlement sector generate considerable public and private sector investment. For example, every dollar of UNDP technical cooperation expenditure on human settlements in 1988 generated a follow - up investment of $122, t he highest of all UNDP sectors of assistance. 4/

7.3. This is the foundation of the "enabling approach" advocated for the human settlement sector. External assistance will help to generate the internal resources needed to improve the living and working environments of all people by the year 2000 and beyond, including the growing number of unemployed - the no-income group. At the same time the environmental implications of urban development should be recognized and addressed in an integrated fashion by all coun tries, with high priority being given to the needs of the urban and rural poor, the unemployed and the growing number of people without any source of income.

Human settlement objective

7.4. The overall human settlement objective is to improve the social, ec onomic and environmental quality of human settlements and the living and working environments of all people, in particular the urban and rural poor. Such improvement should be based on technical cooperation activities, partnerships among the public, privat e and community sectors and participation in the decision -making process by community groups and special interest groups such as women, indigenous people, the elderly and the disabled. These approaches should form the core principles of national settlement strategies. In developing these strategies, countries will need to set priorities among the eight programme areas in this chapter in accordance with their national plans and objectives, taking fully into account their social and cultural capabilities. Fur thermore, countries should make appropriate provision to monitor the impact of their strategies on marginalized and disenfranchised groups, with particular reference to the needs of women.

7.5. The programme areas included in this chapter are:
a. Providing adeq uate shelter for all;
b. Improving human settlement management;
c. Promoting sustainable land -use planning and management;
d. Promoting the integrated provision of environmental infrastructure: water, sanitation, drainage and solid -waste management;
e. Promoting s ustainable energy and transport systems in human settlements;
f. Promoting human settlement planning and management in disaster -prone areas;
g. Promoting sustainable construction industry activities;
h. Promoting human resource development and capacity -building for human settlement development.
PROGRAMME AREAS

A. Providing adequate shelter for all

Basis for action

7.6. Access to safe and healthy shelter is essential to a person's physical, psychological, social and economic well -being and should be a fundamenta l part of national and international action. The right to adequate housing as a basic human right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Despite this, it is estimate d that at the present time, at least 1 billion people do not have access to safe and healthy shelter and that if appropriate action is not taken, this number will increase dramatically by the end of the century and beyond.

7.7. A major global programme to add ress this problem is the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000, adopted by the General Assembly in December 1988 (resolution 43/181, annex). Despite its widespread endorsement, the Strategy needs a much greater level of political and financial suppo rt to enable it to reach its goal of facilitating adequate shelter for all by the end of the century and beyond.

Objective

7.8. The objective is to achieve adequate shelter for rapidly growing populations and for the currently deprived urban and rural poor through an enabling approach to shelter development and improvement that is environmentally sound.

Activities

7.9. The following activities should be undertaken:
a. As a first step towards the goal of providing adequate shelter for all, all countries should ta ke immediate measures to provide shelter to their homeless poor, while the international community and financial institutions should undertake actions to support the efforts of the developing countries to provide shelter to the poor;
b. All countries should adopt and/or strengthen national shelter strategies, with targets based, as appropriate, on the principles and recommendations contained in the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000. People should be protected by law against unfair eviction from the ir homes or land;
c. All countries should, as appropriate, support the shelter efforts of the urban and rural poor, the unemployed and the no -income group by adopting and/or adapting existing codes and regulations, to facilitate their access to land, finance and low-cost building materials and by actively promoting the regularization and upgrading of informal settlements and urban slums as an expedient measure and pragmatic solution to the urban shelter deficit;
d. All countries should, as appropriate, facilita te access of urban and rural poor to shelter by adopting and utilizing housing and finance schemes and new innovative mechanisms adapted to their circumstances;
e. All countries should support and develop environmentally compatible shelter strategies at national, state/provincial and municipal levels through partnerships among the private, public and community sectors and with the support of community -based organizations;
f. All countries, especially developing ones, should, as appropriate, formulate and implem ent programmes to reduce the impact of the phenomenon of rural to urban drift by improving rural living conditions;
g. All countries, where appropriate, should develop and implement resettlement programmes that address the specific problems of displaced popu lations in their respective countries;
h. All countries should, as appropriate, document and monitor the implementation of their national shelter strategies by using, inter alia, the monitoring guidelines adopted by the Commission on Human Settlements and th e shelter performance indicators being produced jointly by the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and the World Bank;
i. Bilateral and multilateral cooperation should be strengthened in order to support the implementation of the national s helter strategies of developing countries;
j. Global progress reports covering national action and the support activities of international organizations and bilateral donors should be produced and disseminated on a biennial basis, as requested in the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000.
Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

7.10. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $75 billio n, including about $10 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are n on-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

(b) Scientific and technological means

7.11. The requirements under this heading are addressed in each of the other programme ar eas included in the present chapter.

(c) Human resource development and capacity -building

7.12. Developed countries and funding agencies should provide specific assistance to developing countries in adopting an enabling approach to the provision of shelter f or all, including the no -income group, and covering research institutions and training activities for government officials, professionals, communities and non -governmental organizations and by strengthening local capacity for the development of appropriate technologies.

B. Improving human settlement management

Basis for action

7.13. By the turn of the century, the majority of the world's population will be living in cities. While urban settlements, particularly in developing countries, are showing many of the symptoms of the global environment and development crisis, they nevertheless generate 60 per cent of gross national product and, if properly managed, can develop the capacity to sustain their productivity, improve the living conditions of their residen ts and manage natural resources in a sustainable way.

7.14. Some metropolitan areas extend over the boundaries of several political and/or administrative entities (counties and municipalities) even though they conform to a continuous urban system. In many cases this political heterogeneity hinders the implementation of comprehensive environmental management programmes.

Objective

7.15. The objective is to ensure sustainable management of all urban settlements, particularly in developing countries, in order to enhan ce their ability to improve the living conditions of residents, especially the marginalized and disenfranchised, thereby contributing to the achievement of national economic development goals.

Activities

(a) Improving urban management

7.16. One existing fr amework for strengthening management is in the United Nations Development Programme/World Bank/United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) Urban Management Programme (UMP), a concerted global effort to assist developing countries in addressing ur ban management issues. Its coverage should be extended to all interested countries during the period 1993 - 2000. All countries should, as appropriate and in accordance with national plans, objectives and priorities and with the assistance of non -governmenta l organizations and representatives of local authorities, undertake the following activities at the national, state/provincial and local levels, with the assistance of relevant programmes and support agencies:
a. Adopting and applying urban management guidel ines in the areas of land management, urban environmental management, infrastructure management and municipal finance and administration;
b. Accelerating efforts to reduce urban poverty through a number of actions, including:
i. Generating employment for the u rban poor, particularly women, through the provision, improvement and maintenance of urban infrastructure and services and the support of economic activities in the informal sector, such as repairs, recycling, services and small commerce;
ii. Providing specif ic assistance to the poorest of the urban poor through, inter alia, the creation of social infrastructure in order to reduce hunger and homelessness, and the provision of adequate community services;
iii. Encouraging the establishment of indigenous community -based organizations, private voluntary organizations and other forms of non -governmental entities that can contribute to the efforts to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for low-income families;
c. Adopting innovative city planning strategies to address environmental and social issues by:
i. Reducing subsidies on, and recovering the full costs of, environmental and other services of high standard (e.g. water supply, sanitation, waste collection, roads, telecommunications) provided to higher income n eighbourhoods;
ii. Improving the level of infrastructure and service provision in poorer urban areas;
d. Developing local strategies for improving the quality of life and the environment, integrating decisions on land use and land management, investing in the p ublic and private sectors and mobilizing human and material resources, thereby promoting employment generation that is environmentally sound and protective of human health.
(b) Strengthening urban data systems

7.17. During the period 1993 -2000 all countries s hould undertake, with the active participation of the business sector as appropriate, pilot projects in selected cities for the collection, analysis and subsequent dissemination of urban data, including environmental impact analysis, at the local, state/provincial, national and international levels and the establishment of city data management capabilities. 5/ United Nations organizations, such as Habitat, UNEP and UNDP, could provide technical advice and model data management systems.

(c) Encouraging int ermediate city development

7.18. In order to relieve pressure on large urban agglomerations of developing countries, policies and strategies should be implemented towards the development of intermediate cities that create employment opportunities for unemploye d labour in the rural areas and support rural -based economic activities, although sound urban management is essential to ensure that urban sprawl does not expand resource degradation over an ever wider land area and increase pressures to convert open space and agricultural/buffer lands for development.

7.19. Therefore all countries should, as appropriate, conduct reviews of urbanization processes and policies in order to assess the environmental impacts of growth and apply urban planning and management approach es specifically suited to the needs, resource capabilities and characteristics of their growing intermediate -sized cities. As appropriate, they should also concentrate on activities aimed at facilitating the transition from rural to urban lifestyles and se ttlement patterns and at promoting the development of small -scale economic activities, particularly the production of food, to support local income generation and the production of intermediate goods and services for rural hinterlands.

7.20. All cities, particularly those characterized by severe sustainable development problems, should, in accordance with national laws, rules and regulations, develop and strengthen programmes aimed at addressing such problems and guiding their development along a sustainable pa th. Some international initiatives in support of such efforts, as in the Sustainable Cities Programme of Habitat and the Healthy Cities Programme of WHO, should be intensified. Additional initiatives involving the World Bank, the regional development banks and bilateral agencies, as well as other interested stakeholders, particularly international and national representatives of local authorities, should be strengthened and coordinated. Individual cities should, as appropriate:
a. Institutionalize a participa tory approach to sustainable urban development, based on a continuous dialogue between the actors involved in urban development (the public sector, private sector and communities), especially women and indigenous people;
b. Improve the urban environment by p romoting social organization and environmental awareness through the participation of local communities in the identification of public services needs, the provision of urban infrastructure, the enhancement of public amenities and the protection and/or reh abilitation of older buildings, historic precincts and other cultural artifacts. In addition, "green works" programmes should be activated to create self -sustaining human development activities and both formal and informal employment opportunities for low -income urban residents;
c. Strengthen the capacities of their local governing bodies to deal more effectively with the broad range of developmental and environmental challenges associated with rapid and sound urban growth through comprehensive approaches to planning that recognize the individual needs of cities and are based on ecologically sound urban design practices;
d. Participate in international "sustainable city networks" to exchange experiences and mobilize national and international technical and finan cial support;
e. Promote the formulation of environmentally sound and culturally sensitive tourism programmes as a strategy for sustainable development of urban and rural settlements and as a way of decentralizing urban development and reducing discrepancies among regions;
f. Establish mechanisms, with the assistance of relevant international agencies, to mobilize resources for local initiatives to improve environmental quality;
g. Empower community groups, non -governmental organizations and individuals to assume the authority and responsibility for managing and enhancing their immediate environment through participatory tools, techniques and approaches embodied in the concept of environmental care.
7.21. Cities of all countries should reinforce cooperation among thems elves and cities of the developed countries, under the aegis of non -governmental organizations active in this field, such as the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA), the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and the World Federation of Twin Cities.

Means of implementation

(a) Financing and cost evaluation

7.22. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993 -2000) of implementing the activities of this programme to be about $100 billion, including about $15 billion from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order -of- magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms, including any that are non -concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.

(b) Human resource development and capacity -building

7.23. Developing countries should, with appropriate international assistance, consider focusing on training and developing a cadre of urban managers, technicians, administrators and other relevant stakeholders who can successfully manage environmentally sound urban development and growth and are equipped with the skills necessary to analyse and adapt the innovative experiences of other cities. For this purpose, the full range of training methods - from formal education to the use of the mass media - should be utilized, as well as the "learning by doing" option.

7.24. Developing countries should also encourage technological training and research through joint efforts by donors, non -governmental organizations and private business in such areas as the reduction of waste, water quality, saving of energy, safe production of chemicals and less polluting transportation.

7.25. Capacity-building activities carried out by all countries, assisted as suggested above, should go beyond the training of individuals and functional groups to include institutional arrangements, administrative routines, inter -agency linkages, information flows and consultative processes.

7.26. In addition, international efforts, such as the Urban Management Programme, in cooperation with multilateral and bilateral agencies, should continue to assist the developing countries in their e fforts to develop a participatory structure by mobilizing the human resources of the private sector, non - governmental organizations and the poor, particularly women and the disadvantaged.

C. Promoting sustainable land -use planning and management

Basis for action

7.27. Access to land resources is an essential component of sustainable low-impact lifestyles. Land resources are the basis for (human) living systems and provide soil, energy, water and the opportunity for all human activity. In rapidly growing urban areas, access to land is rendered increasingly difficult by the conflicting demands of industry, housing, commerce, agriculture, land tenure structures and the need for open spaces. Furthermore, the rising costs of urban land prevent the poor from gaining access to suitable land. In rural areas, unsustainable practices, such as the exploitation of marginal lands and the encroachment on forests and ecologically fragile areas by commercial interests and landless rural populations, result in environmental degradation, as well as in diminishing returns for impoverished rural settlers.

Objective

7.28. The objective is to provide for the land requirements of human settlement development through environmentally sound physical planning and land use so as to ensure access to land to all households and, where appropriate, the encouragement of communally and collectively owned and managed land. 6/ Particular attention should be paid to the needs of women and indigenous people for economic and cultural reasons.

Activi ties

7.29. All countries should consider, as appropriate, undertaking a comprehensive national inventory of their land resources in order to establish a land information system in which land resources will be classified according to their most appropriate uses and environmentally fragile or disaster-prone areas will be identified for special protection measures.

7.30. Subsequently, all countries should consider developing national land-resource management plans to guide land-resource development and utilization and, to that end, should:
a. Establish, as appropriate, national legislation to guide the implementation of public policies for environmentally sound urban development, land utilization, housing and for the improved management of urban expansion;
b. Create, where appropriate, efficient and accessible land markets that meet community development needs by, inter alia, improving land registry systems and streamlining procedures in land transactions;
c. Develop fiscal incentives and land-use control measures, including land-use planning solutions for a more rational and environmentally sound use of limited land resources;
d. Encourage partnerships among the public, private and community sectors in managing land resources for human settlements development;
e. Strengthen community-based land-resource protection practices in existing urban and rural settlements;
f. Establish appropriate forms of land tenure that provide security of tenure for all land- users, especially indigenous people, women, local communities, the low-income urban dwellers and the rural poor;
g. Accelerate efforts to promote access to land by the urban and rural poor, including credit schemes for the purchase of land and for building/acquiring or improving safe and healthy shelter and infrastructure services;
h. Develop and support the implementation of improved land-management practices that deal comprehensively with potentially competing land requirements for agriculture, industry, transport, urban development, green spaces, preserves and other vital needs;