Post-Instanbul Activities: Designing a New Way Forward A Report on the Final Meeting of National Preparations for the UN Habitat II Conference July 23, 1996 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Washington, D.C. Introduction In June 1996, the United Nations (UN) convened the Second Global Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul, Turkey. The goal of the conference was to generate worldwide action to improve the environments in which people live. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked in partnership to prepare for the conference. Domestic preparations were overseen by the National Preparatory Committee (NPC), a group appointed by HUD Secretary Henry G. Cisneros, to ensure that the public, private, and nonprofit sectors were fully included in the process. Secretary Cisneros also headed a delegation of U.S. government and private sector advisors to the Conference in Istanbul. The Domestic Implications of the Habitat Agenda Michael A. Stegman, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research at HUD, welcomed the 70 attendees to the meeting and asked everyone to introduce themselves. (See appended list of attendees.) Mr. Stegman praised the U.S. Delegation for embodying the principles of enablement, partnership, and shared responsibility between the public and private sectors and for its broad representation of divergent interests, organizations, and parts of the country. The Conference brought about valuable connections between grassroots organizations in this country and around the world. Mr. Stegman stated that he was impressed by the participation of U.S. nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Conference, especially grassroots women's organizations. Grassroots leaders understand the meaning of enablement; the commonality of goals of people living continents apart; and the importance of maintaining faith, hope, and optimism during the process of change. The main conference policy document, The Habitat Agenda, highlights many important themes (such as sustainable development) that are being discussed and acted upon by our own government. Mr. Stegman concluded his remarks by pointing out that the Habitat Agenda would not bring about immediate change, but that some key concepts such as the importance of local authorities and NGOs in developing urban policies would eventually lead to the establishment of creative partnerships and the development of innovative solutions to urban problems. He then introduced the leaders of the U.S. Delegation and NPC co-chairs, who briefly described their experiences at the conference. Resolution of Contentious Issues in Istanbul Melinda Kimble, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of State, asserted that the Habitat Agenda advanced three important concepts: the social responsibility of corporations, the participation of persons with disabilities in the design of both buildings and communities, and the decriminalization of homelessness. She praised the U.S. Delegation for its role in helping negotiators bring the conference to successful closure. Most of the contentious issues were known in advance: * Right to housing. * Access to primary and reproductive health care. * Status of the UN Commission on Human Settlements. * Future of financial and technical assistance. The issue that created the most tense period of negotiation for the U.S. Delegation was political language targeting Israel. Ms. Kimble stated that she was pleased that the Habitat II conference was successful despite the attempt to insert politics into the Agenda, as has happened at previous UN conferences. International Recognition of Key Concepts David Hales, Deputy Assistant Administrator of USAID, then added his view that the Habitat Agenda was significant for several reasons: * It states that the gap between rich and poor and between those who make decisions and those who are affected by them is widening. * It acknowledges that additional resources are needed to address urban problems, but that those resources are not likely to come from governments. Instead, resources are much more likely to come from the private sector, where $7 out of $8 are spent voluntarily. * It recognizes the legitimate role of local authorities, which has broader implications for the UN Charter. * It is the first international consensus document to explicitly address the issue of corporate responsibility. Mr. Hales explained that the relationship between sustainable development and economic growth needs to be explored more thoroughly, especially in terms of U.S. policy. At the international level, the United States is in an excellent position to make a major contribution on the issue of lead poisoning, especially its impact on women and children. The Commission on Human Settlements will hold their 16th session in Nairobi in the spring of 1997. At that time, the Habitat Agenda will be prioritized and organized into a 2-year work program and a 5-year plan of action. Many of the issues of the Habitat Agenda will be revisited at this meeting. USAID will take the lead on U.S. negotiations. Dan Magraw, Director of the International Environmental Law Office at EPA, found several points in the final document particularly noteworthy: * The need to build healthy communities of all sizes and shapes. * The need to build employment opportunities, especially for people in inner cities. * Commitment to use indicators to report on and monitor the status of communities. * Internationalization of the concept of environmental justice. He concluded by saying that everyone played an essential role in unifying the U.S. Delegation, which helped to ensure the success of the conference. Role of NGOs in the U.S. Delegation Aurie Pennick, of the Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities, described her experiences as part of the NGO Forum. While in Istanbul, she fielded many questions concerning the influence of NGOs on the U.S. Delegation, and she was pleased to be able to answer that the NGOs' influence was substantial. Moreover, as a black woman on the U.S. Delegation, she felt her presence made a strong statement to people of color around the world that the United States is proud of its cultural diversity and is committed to racial equity. Implementation of the Habitat Agenda Mr. Stegman then opened the meeting to the larger group to find out how different organizations and interests are planning to implement the Habitat Agenda. A summary of that discussion follows. * To advance their commitment to expanding public/private partnerships, the National Association of Realtors will sign a joint agreement in the fall with several evolving or emerging democracies in Eastern Europe and Russia. * The National Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning has issued a report detailing a framework for coordinated action internationally to prevent lead poisoning. The framework links lead poisoning prevention to the broader issue of healthy, sustainable communities. The single most effective step governments could take to improve environmental health worldwide is to expedite phase-out of leaded gasoline. To reach a global audience, the Alliance plans to orchestrate a public education campaign combined with technical assistance. Domestically, the Alliance believes that linking lead poisoning prevention efforts to larger community rehabilitation initiatives is critical. A pilot program, probably to be conducted in New Jersey, will work with all interests in that community and present what is being done in the form of a community profile, detailing best practices and policies. * The City of Baltimore recommends that the Best Practices CD ROM be distributed to every mayor's office in the country. Mayor Schmoke would like to gather several mayors from around the country to share the best practice experience from Istanbul. Also in Baltimore, the Housing Roundtable will hold a local forum to stimulate discussion on sustainable development; economic development; civic engagement; and affordable, energy-efficient housing that uses appropriate local building materials. * The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies would like to see a White House Conference on Urban Policy. The Black Leadership Forum has been advocating this conference as a way to explore the relationships between place, opportunity, and destiny, particularly for certain groups of people. * Beyond Shelter of Los Angeles, working with local authorities and national organizations, plans to translate the Habitat Agenda into a local plan of action, using local language. * For the Research Triangle Institute, Habitat followup will focus on best practices and performance measures. State governments, in particular, should be included in the discussion of the Habitat Agenda. * The National Council on Disabilities volunteered to make its list of contacts available to persons working in this area. The concern is that gains made at the conference will be lost if members of the disabled community are not included on community projects. * The National Alliance to End Homelessness will develop an international network of organizations dealing with homelessness. The focus of the network will be the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, as well as sharing information on best practices and policies. * The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty wants to translate the Best Practices programs into "best policies" and work to get those implemented. The Center would like to initiate a national discussion on what the right to housing and decriminalization of homelessness mean in terms of implementation. * Participants voiced support for a post-Istanbul implementation strategy that defines and promotes social responsibility of corporations, especially as it concerns the economy of cities. President's Council on Sustainable Development Keith Laughlin, Staff Director of the President's Council on Sustainable Development, presented an overview of the Council's report that stressed three themes: * Any meaningful strategy to integrate environmental quality and economic development must include social equity. * When the concept of sustainable development is applied domestically, rather than internationally, it means building sustainable communities where Americans live and work. * Citizen engagement is crucial. President Clinton accepted the report in March 1996 and suggested a three-pronged approach to implementation: * The Council is to continue working through the end of this year, focusing specifically on implementation issues. * Vice President Gore is to oversee an internal Administration review of the Council's recommendations. * Federal agencies and White House offices are to cooperate with the National Association of Counties and the Conference of Mayors to create a joint center on sustainable communities in an effort to establish a permanent mechanism for transferring information to the communities. Mr. Laughlin reported that an interagency group is putting together a set of indicators for sustainable development. Another group is examining ways to track the flow of energy and materials through the economy to look at economic opportunities and environmental protection. A third group is looking at public education on these issues. Finally, a task force on innovative local solutions is exploring the idea of creating a similar group on sustainable development for the Pacific Northwest. Conclusion Secretary Cisneros thanked everyone for their work on Conference preparations, including the National Preparatory Committee, the U.S. Delegation, USAID, the U.S. Department of State, EPA, and HUD staff. The United States brought a number of path-breaking issues to the Conference, including accessibility, lead, and indigenous peoples' rights, and made substantive contributions to a world forum on these topics. He was confident that this team of Americans would benefit from the Istanbul experience and hoped that conference followup would take two forms: that U.S. delegates would continue to be active in the international arena, and that as a group they would agree to work on these concerns in this country. He cited three areas in which he felt his agency had made the most progress: the continuum-of-care strategy for the homeless; the transformation of public housing in terms of new design and improvement of living conditions; and homeownership for African Americans, Hispanics, and the elderly. POST-ISTANBUL BRIEFING ATTENDEES July 23, 1996 Ms. Peggy Armstrong U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Camille Cates Barnett Research Triangle Institute Mr. Ewan Birney City of Baltimore Office of the Mayor Mr. Ralph Bresler U.S. Department of State Ms. Marca Bristo National Council on Disabilities Ms. Liz Burdock TCC Consulting Ms. Lynn Cairnes International Masonry Institute Mr. Arthur Campbell U.S. Department of Agriculture Mr. Aureo Cardona Crescendo, Inc. Ms. Marcie Cohen AFL CIO Housing Investment Trust Ms. Valerie Dancy U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Ms. Dianne Dillon-Ridgley Zero Population Growth Ms. Cushing Dolbeare National Low-Income Housing Coalition Mr. Mencer Donahue Edwards U.S. Network for Habitat II Mr. Charles Field National Association of Home Builders Ms. Maria Foscarinis National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty Dr. Ester Fuchs Columbia University The Barnard-Columbia Center for Urban Policy Ms. Felice Gaer Jacob Blaustein Institute for Advancement of Human Rights Ms. Viviann Gary U.S. Agency for International Development Mr. Robert Geddes, FAIA New York University The New York Institute for the Humanities Mr. Rick Gentry National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority Mr. John Geraghty U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Mr. Arthur Godi National Association of Realtors Mr. David Hales U.S. Agency for International Development Global Environmental Center Ms. Stephanie Harmon GMAC Mortgage Corporation Ms. Faye Haselkorn U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Ms. Catherine Hillard U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Lead-Based Paint Mr. Tim Honey City of Boulder Mr. Dave Jacobs U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Lead-Based Paint Ms. Susan Judd U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Lead-Based Paint Ms. Peggy Kerry New York Democratic Committee Mr. Russell V. Keune American Institute of Architects Ms. Melinda Kimble U.S. Department of State Mr. Peter Kimm U.S. Agency for International Development Mr. G. Thomas Kingsley The Urban Institute Mr. Jake Kuitwaard National Association of Realtors Mr. Alan Latimer U.S. Department of State Mr. George Latimer National Equity Fund Mr. Keith Laughlin President's Council on Sustainable Development Ms. Miriam Lowe The National Association of Realtors Mr. Moises Loza Housing Assistance Council Mr. Dan Magraw Environmental Protection Agency Mr. Michael Meenan Banana Kelly Mr. Richard Y. Nelson, Jr. National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Ms. Angela Park President's Council on Sustainable Development Ms. Sharyle Patton Commonweal Foundation Ms. Aurie A. Pennick Leadership Council for Metropolitan Open Communities Dr. Janice Perlman Mega-Cities Project, Incorporated Rev. Charles Rawlings National Council of Churches Mr. Jim Rochow National Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning Ms. Nan Roman National Alliance to End Homelessness Ms. Corinne Rothblum International City/County Management Association Ms. Ruth Sando Fannie Mae Ms. Liz Scott Baltimore Housing Roundtable Dr. Yvonne Scruggs Urban Policy Institute Ms. Lottie Shackelford Overseas Private Investment Corporation Ms. Sandra Smithey U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Environmental and Urban Programs Dr. Marta Sotomayor National Hispanic Council on Aging (NHCoA) Mr. Arnold Stalk Property Management Services Dr. Michael A. Stegman U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Mr. Lee Tawney City of Baltimore Office of the Mayor Ms. Shirley Thomas Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight Ms. Tanya Tull Beyond Shelter Dr. David Williams U.S. Department of Interior Ms. Laurie Wood National Association of Home Builders Mr. Todd Zylstra-Garth Habitat for Humanity International .