A/RES/53/242
Page 2
Conscious of the continued deterioration of the global environment and the state of human
settlements, despite some positive achievements, as well as of the need to strengthen the institutions of
the United Nations charged with responsibility for environment and human settlements, to improve their
performance and to promote coordination in the implementation of the environmental and human
settlements dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system,
Emphasizing the importance of strengthening the capacity of the United Nations Environment
Programme and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) in their Nairobi location and
of ensuring the provision of requisite support and stable, adequate and predictable financial resources
necessary to both organizations for the fulfilment of their mandates, as contained in General Assembly
resolutions 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 and 32/162 of 19 December 1977, as well as in the
Nairobi Declaration on the Role and Mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme, adopted
by the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme in its decision 19/1 of
7 February 1997,2 and the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements,3 adopted by the United Nations
Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) on 14 June 1996, including by seeking additional financial
resources through broadening the range of sources of funding for both organizations, in accordance with
the Financial Regulations and Rules of the United Nations,
Taking into account the views of Member States on the report of the Secretary-General on
environment and human settlements,
Taking into account also the views contained in decision 20/17, adopted on 5 February 1999 by the
Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme,4 and Commission on Human
Settlements resolution 17/6 of 14 May 1999,5 concerning the report of the Secretary-General on
environment and human settlements,
1. Welcomes the efforts undertaken to strengthen the United Nations in the field of environment
and human settlements, and in that context takes note of the general thrust of the recommendations
contained in the report of the Secretary-General on environment and human settlements,1 proposing actions
to be taken by the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme and the Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), and
takes note also of the recommendations outlined in section IV of the report;
2
Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 25 (A/52/25), annex.
3
Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), Istanbul, 3-14 June
1996 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.97.IV.6), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.
4
See A/54/25, annex I. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth
Session, Supplement No. 25.
5
See A/54/8, annex I. For the final text, see Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-fourth
Session, Supplement No. 8.
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