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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1486 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1486

         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Habitat Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 23, 2008

Mr. Miller of North Carolina submitted the following resolution; which 
            was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
         Supporting the goals and ideals of World Habitat Day.

Whereas in 1985, the United Nations General Assembly declared the first Monday 
        of October to be World Habitat Day in recognition of the state of human 
        settlements and the basic need for adequate shelter for all;
Whereas approximately 1,000,000,000 people currently live in slums, more than 
        half of the population are under the age of 25, and 40 percent are under 
        the age of 19;
Whereas it is estimated that by 2030 the number of people living in slums will 
        double and two-thirds of the world's population will be urban dwellers;
Whereas slums are characterized by inadequate access to safe water, sanitation, 
        and other infrastructure, overcrowding, poorly structured housing, and 
        insecure residential status;
Whereas 88 percent of all diseases are caused by unsafe drinking water, 
        inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene, and almost 50 percent of all 
        people in developing countries are suffering at any given time from a 
        health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits;
Whereas approximately one in six people lack access to safe drinking water and 
        approximately two in every five people lack access to basic sanitation 
        services;
Whereas the costs of diseases and productivity losses linked to water and 
        sanitation in less developed countries amount to 2 percent of GDP and up 
        to 5 percent in sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas insecure tenure subjects slum dwellers to forced evictions, threats, and 
        harassment;
Whereas forced evictions involve the permanent or temporary involuntary removal 
        of persons, families, and groups from their homes or land they occupy 
        without appropriate forms of legal or other protection;
Whereas the legal responsibility to prevent forced evictions ultimately rests 
        with the governments;
Whereas in 2007, approximately 5,000,000 people were affected by forced 
        evictions, and projections show that the number of forced evictions are 
        likely to increase to between 40,000,000 and 70,000,000 in the next 20 
        years;
Whereas insecure tenure severely inhibits economic development, long-term 
        security of families, and the reduction of conflicts;
Whereas women are affected disproportionally by forced evictions and insecure 
        tenure as a result of discrimination and gender-biased laws that prevent 
        women from acquiring and securing land, property, and housing, making 
        them more vulnerable to poverty, violence, and sexual abuse;
Whereas women are responsible for 66 percent of the world's work, but own less 
        than 15 percent of the world's property;
Whereas due to conflicts and natural disasters, more than 14,000,000 refugees 
        and internally displaced people live in tents or other temporary 
        shelters;
Whereas adequate housing provides a fundamental precondition to personal wealth 
        creation and acts as collateral for credit and the development of local 
        and national financial institutions;
Whereas adequate housing serves as a catalyst for social and democratic 
        development; and
Whereas it is a matter of conscience and action that every human being enjoy the 
        stability, the security, and the dignity of a decent, affordable home: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of World Habitat Day;
            (2) recognizes the importance of establishing housing and 
        shelter issues as a major priority of the United States 
        Government foreign assistance;
            (3) urges an increased effort and the investment of greater 
        resources by the Department of State, the United States Agency 
        for International Development, and all relevant Federal 
        departments and agencies toward providing safe, simple, and 
        decent housing, clean water, and sanitation for the poor and 
        the very poor;
            (4) advises the creation of a commission to study the 
        critical issues of shelter, especially slums, and seek ways to 
        improve the lives of the millions of people worldwide in need 
        of adequate and affordable shelter, including housing 
        microfinance, slum upgrading, secure tenure, and land tilting;
            (5) commends the actions of governments, international 
        organizations, and charities around the world working to make 
        shelter a priority; and
            (6) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
        the week with appropriate activities that promote awareness of 
        the importance of adequate housing.
                                 <all>
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