A/RES/57/275 the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation, and requests the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to support developing countries in implementing the targets in order to increase access to clean water, sanitation and adequate shelter; Encourages Member States to strengthen and institutionalize national 3. Habitat committees and other mechanisms, as appropriate, as broad-based platforms for the preparation and implementation of their plans of action based on the Habitat Agenda, the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium and the relevant international development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration; 4. Urges all countries to strengthen and mainstream shelter and human settlements development activities in their development planning frameworks; 5. Recognizes that Governments have the primary responsibility for the sound and effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, and stresses that the international community should fully implement its commitments to support the Governments of developing countries and countries with economies in transition in their efforts, through the provision of requisite resources, capacity-building, transfer of technology and the creation of an international enabling environment; 6. Emphasizes the importance, at all levels of policy-making and in the context of sustainable development, of giving high priority to the implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, including achieving the goals of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world, particularly in developing countries; 7. Requests the Executive Director of UN-Habitat to further strengthen her efforts to make the Cities Alliance initiative an effective means for the implementation of the twin goals of the Habitat Agenda, namely, adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world; 8. Encourages UN-Habitat to continue to implement the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, including through promoting partnerships with local authorities, non-governmental organizations, private sector and other Habitat Agenda partners so as to empower them, within the legal framework and according to the conditions of each country, to play a more effective role in shelter provision and in sustainable human settlements development; 9. Reiterates the invitation to Governments and Habitat Agenda partners to facilitate the dissemination of the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium; 10. Also reiterates the agreement by Governments to intensify dialogue where possible, inter alia, through the Governing Council of UN-Habitat, on all issues related to effective decentralization and strengthening of local authorities, in support of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, in conformity with the legal framework and policies of each country; 11. Encourages Governments and their Habitat Agenda partners to evaluate and report to UN-Habitat on their implementation of the Habitat Agenda and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium; 12. Welcomes increased cooperation between UN-Habitat and the United Nations Development Programme, and notes with interest the envisaged placement of locally recruited UN-Habitat programme managers in selected United Nations 3