Events in the international community

United Nations General Assembly

57th Session, New York, 2002

Statement by Caroline Lewis, ILO Liaison Office, New York

Agenda Item 95: Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and of the twenty-fifth session of the General Assembly

To improve the living conditions of millions of slum dwellers it is essential that sufficient job and income opportunities are available. The ILO’s work towards promoting opportunities for decent work for all is fully aligned with the HABITAT Agenda.

This was emphasized by the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT in her address to the International Labour Conference in Geneva last June. Her attendance and well-received speech to the assembled representatives of ILO’s tripartite constituency signalled the growing collaboration between our agencies, as called for in General Assembly Resolution 56/205. Ms. Tibaijuka recalled the long-standing partnership between the ILO and HABITAT, and the close link between poverty reduction, decent work and slum upgrading. She also took a vivid interest in the modus operandi of the ILO as the only UN agency constituted by governments, employers’ and workers’ representatives, which could be relevant for UN-HABITAT’s work.

Enhanced inter-agency collaboration is being substantiated by joint initiatives to implement the HABITAT Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements. The first of a series of subregional workshops was held earlier this month in Nairobi, entitled “Better Services and More Jobs”. It aimed at bringing together municipal directors and national support agencies to share good practices in improved urban service delivery and employment creation. Organized by the ILO and hosted by UN-HABITAT, representatives and partners of both ILO and HABITAT partners and programmes - in particular from the Urban Management Programme and the Sustainable Cities Programme - discussed ways to maximize job creation in urban infrastructure upgrading and service delivery by applying labour-based methodologies and promoting the inclusion of community-based micro enterprises.

The Nairobi workshop was a direct result of a successful joint ILO-HABITAT session at the World Urban Forum in May 2002, which elaborated on employment promotion strategies to reduce urban poverty. This approach was significantly reinforced at the Johannesburg Summit.

At the country level, the ILO continues to pursue cooperation with UN-HABITAT in existing programmes and new initiatives in Tanzania, Zambia, Cambodia and Afghanistan. In addition, technical contributions are being made to the work of the Cities Alliance, of which the ILO is an associated agency.

The ILO will soon take up an important programme of work following the conclusions and recommendations of the International Labour Conference of 2002 concerning the informal economy [Background report; Resolution and conclusions]. This will no doubt include access to property and labour rights, promoting gender equality, enhancing the participation of city citizens and dialogue with workers in the informal economy, improving social protection and improving the local regulations and procedures to create or formalize small enterprises.

In addition, the ILO, which provides the secretariat for the Secretary-General’s Youth Employment Network, is in the process of consulting with UN HABITAT on how to promote employment for urban youth who are facing a lack of economic opportunities - either because they are unemployed or working long hours in the informal economy - with a growing sense of hopelessness and frustration. Such collaboration at the country level provides one possible avenue by which the United Nations can respond to the urgency expressed by Member States that recently approved, in the Third Committee, a draft Resolution on Promoting Youth Employment (A/C.3/57/L.12). The resolution was co-sponsored by 106 Member States.

There has been considerable progress in the joint efforts of ILO and UN-HABITAT towards the implementation of the HABITAT Agenda through practical partnerships aimed at improving livelihoods for the urban poor. The ILO looks forward to continuing this collaborative effort which goes to the heart of the Declaration on Cities and to helping transform poor urban settlements into prosperous, sustainable, “Cities at Work”.