UNGA Decides Habitat III Participation Rules

On 22 December 2015 the United
Nations General Assembly, on its seventieth session, adopted the resolution on
the ‘Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

(A/70/473) which refers to the United Nations Conference on Housing and
Sustainable Urban Development – Habitat III Conference’s modalities. The Second
Committee of the General Assembly previously adopted the draft resolution on 14
December 2015.

Rules of procedure of the Conference
and stakeholders participation modalities approved

The resolution includes the
approval of the outstanding issues in the preparations of the Habitat III
Conference, such as the provisional rules of procedure for the Conference and
the arrangements for accreditation and participation of major groups and other
stakeholders as set out in annexes I and II of the resolution.

The approved rules of procedure for Habitat III recognise the participation of
the representatives of local authorities accredited to the Conference in rule
64, as it happened in Habitat II in 1996.

Following
Annex 2, the registration of municipal and other local or regional authorities can be
arranged under the auspices of an accredited non-governmental organization or
as members of a national delegation through their permanent mission to the
United Nations.

The
Conference will also apply the provisions of paragraphs 14 to 16 of General
Assembly resolution 67/290 on the format and organizational aspects of the
high-level political forum on sustainable development. Thereon, the Habitat III
Conference, while retaining the intergovernmental character of the forum, the
representatives of the major groups and other relevant stakeholders shall be
allowed to attend all official meetings of the forum; to have access to all
official information and documents; to intervene in official meetings; to
present written and oral contributions; to make recommendations and to organize
side events and round tables, in cooperation with Member States and the
Secretariat.

The
resolution also acknowledges the second World Assembly of Local and Regional
Authorities that will be held back to back with Habitat III in Quito, Ecuador,
and recognizes their role in sustainable urban development and in the implementation
of the New Urban Agenda. Finally, the resolution takes into account the support
of the General Assembly of Partners for Habitat III in improving stakeholders`
engagement in the preparatory process.

These
decisions ensure the Habitat III Conference as the most inclusive ever
organized by the United Nations.

Intersessional
Process Adopted

Aligned
with the vision for the preparatory process and the Conference to be carried
out in an inclusive, efficient, effective and improved manner, the General
Assembly decides to organize five days of open-ended informal consultative
meetings before the submission of the draft outcome in order to provide
opportunity for feedback on the conclusions of the Habitat III policy units and
the thematic and regional meetings.

It also
invites the bureau of the Preparatory Committee to convene informal
intergovernmental negotiations for three days in May, three days in June and
three days in July. Local Authorities` associations and stakeholders are
invited to participate in two-day informal hearings in May and June,
respectively.

The
General Assembly strongly encourages Member States to conclude negotiations on
the draft outcome document at the third session of the Preparatory Committee
that will take place in Surabaya, Indonesia in July 2016. In that respect, the
General Assembly reiterated its appreciation to the Government of Ecuador for
the offer to host the Conference and its gratitude to the Government of
Indonesia for its offer to convene the Habitat III PrepCom3.

It also
expresses appreciation to the Government of Malaysia and the city of Kuala
Lumpur for their proposal to host the ninth session of the World Urban Forum.
The World Urban Forum is considered to be the foremost arena for interaction
between different groups of stakeholders. The World Urban Forum in 2018 will be
the first one to focus on the implementation for the New Urban Agenda.

In the
words of the Secretary-General of the Habitat III Conference, Dr Joan Clos, the
text is a historic agreement of Member States towards more inclusive and
participatory decisions within the United Nations system, as well as a true
sign of the sense of responsibility in advancing decisions on outstanding
issues for a successful, meaningful and action-oriented Habitat III Conference.
Dialogue among local authorities, stakeholders and national governments is the
guarantee of an implementable New Urban Agenda.

Original article

Photo:
Unattributed photo from Habitat III Secretariat.

Excerpts
of the relevant documents:

“Implementation
of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat
II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
(UN-Habitat)” A/70/473, 22 December 2015

Annex I:
Draft provisional rules of procedure of the United Nations Conference on
Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III)

Rule 64

Representatives
of local authorities

Representatives
of local authorities accredited to the Conference, in accordance with the
arrangements set up to that effect in annex II of the present resolution, may
participate, without the right to vote, in the deliberations of the Conference,
the Main Committee and, as appropriate, any other committee or working group,
on questions within the scope of their activities.

Rule 65

Representatives
of non-governmental organizations
[i]

1.
Non-governmental organizations accredited to participate in the Conference may
designate representatives to attend public meetings of the Conference and the
Main Committee as observers.

2. Upon
the invitation of the presiding officer of the body concerned and subject to
the approval of the Conference, such observers may make oral statements on
questions in which they have special competence. If the number of requests to
speak is too large, the non-governmental organizations shall be requested to
form themselves into constituencies, such constituencies to speak through
spokespersons.

Annex II:
Arrangements for accreditation and participation of major groups and other
relevant stakeholders in the preparatory process and in the United Nations
Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III)

II. Accreditation criteria and procedures
for organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council

5. Interested non-governmental
organizations and major groups, including local authorities and other stakeholders,
whose work is relevant to the subject of the Conference, that are currently in
consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and that wish to
participate in the Conference or in sessions of its Preparatory Committee
should pre-register on the website of the Conference (www.habitat3.org).

III.
Accreditation criteria for organizations accredited to Habitat II and the United
Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 developmentagenda

6.
Organizations accredited to Habitat II and the United Nations summit for the
adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, whose work is relevant to the
subject of the Conference and that wish to participate in the Conference or in
sessions of its Preparatory Committee, should pre-register on the website of
the Conference (www.habitat3.org).

IV. Accreditation criteria and procedures
for organizations without consultative status with the Economic and Social
Council

10. The deadlines for submitting
accreditation applications are as follows:

(a) Preparatory Committee, third session: 1
April 2016;

(b) Habitat III: 2 May 2016.

13. The
provisions of paragraphs 14 to 16 of General Assembly resolution 67/290 apply
mutatis mutandis to the Conference and its preparatory process.[ii]

Link to
A/RES/70/473 (العربية,English,français,Enspañol)

“Format
and organizational aspects of the high-level political forum on sustainable
development, A/RES/67/290, 23 August 2013:

14.
Stresses the need for the forum to promote transparency and implementation by
further enhancing the consultative role and participation of the major groups
and other relevant stakeholders at the international level in order to make
better use of their expertise, while retaining the intergovernmental nature of
discussions, and in this regard decides that the forum shall be open to the
major groups, other relevant stakeholders and entities having received a
standing invitation to participate as observers in the General Assembly,
building on arrangements and practices observed by the Commission on
Sustainable

Development,
including Economic and Social Council decision 1993/215 of 12 February 1993 and
Council resolution 1996/31 of 25 July 1996, which shall be applicable to the
forum;

15.
Decides, in this regard, that, while retaining the intergovernmental character
of the forum, the representatives of the major groups and other relevant
stakeholders shall be allowed:

(a) To
attend all official meetings of the forum;

(b) To
have access to all official information and documents;

(c) To
intervene in official meetings;

(d) To
submit documents and present written and oral contributions;

(e) To
make recommendations;

(f) To
organize side events and round tables, in cooperation with Member States and
the Secretariat;

16.
Encourages the major groups identified in Agenda 213 and other stakeholders,
such as private philanthropic organizations, educational and academic entities,
persons with disabilities, volunteer groups and other stakeholders active in
areas related to sustainable development, to autonomously establish and
maintain effective coordination mechanisms for participation in the high-level
political forum and for actions derived from that participation at the global,
regional and national levels, in a way that ensures effective, broad and
balanced participation by region and by type of organization;

Link to A/RES/67/290 (all
languages)

[i] Paragraph 23.3 of Agenda 21 provides that: “Any policies, definitions or
rules affecting access to and participation by non-governmental organizations
in the work of the United Nations institutions or agencies associated with the
implementation of Agenda 21 must apply equally to all major groups”. Agenda 21
defines major groups as comprising women, children and youth, indigenous
people, non-governmental organizations, local authorities, workers and their
trade unions, business and industry, the scientific and technological community
and farmers. Therefore, based on Agenda 21, rule 65 shall apply equally to
non-governmental organizations and other major groups.

[ii] For the purposes of the Conference and its preparatory process,
paragraph 15 (d) of General Assembly resolution 67/290 will be understood to
provide the opportunity to present written and oral contributions only.

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