Concerned Women for America - Istanbul+5: Redefining Local Control

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Istanbul+5: Redefining Local Control 2/19/2001
By Wendy Wright

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, Members of the Preparatory Committee, Ladies and Gentlemen:

The purpose of this Preparatory Commission is to “review the implementation of the Habitat Agenda, identify obstacles, agree on further initiatives and reaffirm our will and commitment to fully implement the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda.”¹ Consistent with the purpose of this meeting, this assembly is committed to uphold the Habitat Agenda by implementing language and policies that support and strengthen, not alter, the principles therein. A vital element of the Habitat Agenda, as set forth in Paragraph 31, is the role of the natural family in the success of human settlement programs.² Because the natural family is integral to the success of the Habitat Agenda and because the family needs the support of a renewed international commitment, the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies strongly endorses the resolution entitled “Promotion of Family Support Policies in the Review and Implementation of the Habitat Agenda.”

This resolution “requests the Commission on Human Settlements and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to develop indicators and methodologies which address issues related to Paragraph 31 of the Habitat Agenda, and encourages States to include issues included in Paragraph 31 in their review of the implementation of the Habitat Agenda.”

By adopting this resolution, the Preparatory Commission will demonstrate its serious commitment to facilitate the purposes and goals of the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda.³

Paragraph 31 of the Habitat Agenda mandates that the world study the “constructive role of the family in sustainable human settlements.”⁴ Because of the vital importance of the natural family to sustainable human settlements, the absence—to date—of any focused study of the family within the Habitat process represents an obstacle to the success of any effort to implement the Habitat Agenda.⁵ Methodologies, indicators, and specific reporting represent the types of supplementary actions required to progressively address the problem of insufficient global habitats. The proposed resolution, therefore, is vital to successful implementation of the Habitat Agenda. By developing methodologies and indicators that support the productive and sustaining role of the natural family in human settlements, as well as encouraging the reporting of success in strengthening the natural family, this body will demonstrate its commitment to the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda.

One of the Honorable Delegates earlier this morning addressed the pressing problems for human settlements posed by the feminization of poverty and female-headed households. The feminization of poverty and female-headed households indeed present pressing social problems, but those problems are directly related to the breakdown and decline of the modern family unit.

Accordingly, it is a terrible tragedy that, in recent times, the very concept of family has become the hostage of international special interest politics. From its inception, the United Nations System has committed itself to support and strengthen the family. These statements of support come from documents as diverse as Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to Article 10 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to the Preamble of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.⁶ These international human rights instruments, along with the Habitat Agenda itself, declare that the family plays an essential role in social development and in the establishment of progressive, successful human settlements. Furthermore, the people of the Earth, represented by cultures and religions as diverse as Islam, Confucianism, Catholicism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism have echoed the United Nations in recognizing the significance of husband, wife, and children—who collectively comprise the foundational unit of society.⁷ In addition, substantial modern social scientific data supports the irrefutable conclusion that the natural family allows husbands and wives to achieve their maximum individual potential within society,⁸ while providing children with irreplaceable educational, health, emotional and social benefits.⁹

This Preparatory Commission will substantially further the progress of the Habitat Agenda by adopting the Family Resolution. The declarations of the international community, the strong beliefs of cultural and religious groups, and social science evidence all serve as reminders of the importance of the natural family. The success of the Habitat Agenda may well depend on the Preparatory Committee seizing the opportunity to enable the natural family to fulfill its irreplaceable role in creating sustainable human developments.

End Notes