III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 285 

Supporting the goals and ideals of World Habitat Day, October 3, 2011. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 3, 2011 

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. DURBIN, and Mr. AKAKA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of World Habitat Day, 

October 3, 2011. 

Whereas the United Nations has designated the first Monday 

of October every year as World Habitat Day, and the 

theme of 2011 World Habitat Day is Cities and Climate 

Change; 

Whereas World Habitat Day calls on global citizens to reflect 

on the state of our towns and cities and the importance 

of adequate shelter and serves as a reminder of our collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat; 

Whereas approximately 51 percent of the world’s population 

currently lives in cities of all sizes and produces the majority of the world’s economic output; 


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•SRES 285 IS 

Whereas projections indicate that 2⁄3 of the world’s population will reside in cities just over a generation from 

now; 

Whereas approximately 1,000,000,000 people currently live in 

slums, and more than half of this population is under the 

age of 25; 

Whereas it is estimated that, by 2030, the number of people 

living in slums will double; 

Whereas, according to the Center for Disease Control and 

Prevention, approximately 884,000,000 people lack adequate access to safe water, and nearly 50 percent of the 

developing world’s population, over 2,500,000,000 people, 

lack access to sanitation services; 

Whereas the Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, 

and poor hygiene contribute to the deaths of more than 

1,500,000 children younger than 5 years of age per year; 

Whereas, according to the World Bank, more than 

1,400,000,000 people still live without electricity, a critical component of economic growth and development; 

Whereas insecure lease and real property ownership tenure 

often subject slum dwellers to arbitrary, supra-market 

rents, forced evictions, threats, and harassment; 

Whereas insecurity of land and property tenure severely inhibits economic development by undermining investment 

incentives and constraining the growth of credit markets, 

imperils the ability of families to achieve sustainable livelihoods and assured access to shelter, and often contributes to conflict over property rights; 

Whereas women are affected disproportionally by forced evictions and insecure tenure as a result of gender-based disVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:55 Oct 04, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR285.IS SR285

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crimination, often including gender-biased laws that define women as legal minors or otherwise prevent them 

from acquiring and securing land, property, and housing 

lease or ownership rights, making them more vulnerable 

to poverty, violence, and sexual abuse; 

Whereas many of the world’s large cities are located in lowlying coastal areas that are more susceptible to environmental events and face serious threats from the effects 

of climate change such as storm surges; 

Whereas the slum dwellers in low-lying coastal cities are disproportionately affected by disasters; 

Whereas, according to the International Organization for Migration, there could be up to 200,000,000 environmentally induced migrants by 2050, many of whom will 

be forced from their homes by rising sea levels and the 

increased frequency of flooding or drought, thereby challenging the security of the United States and United 

States allies; 

Whereas adequate housing and universal access to basic shelter serve as catalysts for economic, social, and democratic 

development in the United States and elsewhere; 

Whereas international organizations, faith-based groups, and 

nonprofits are working towards providing safe, affordable, and decent shelter for all; and 

Whereas the 2006 National Security Strategy states, ‘‘America’s national interests and moral values drive us in the 

same direction: to assist the world’s poor citizens and 

least developed nations and help integrate them into the 

global economy’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of World 

2 Habitat Day; and 

3 (2) reflects on the state of our cities and towns 

4 and the importance of adequate shelter and is re5 minded of our shared responsibility for the future of 

6 the human habitat; 

7 (3) underscores the importance of a sustainable 

8 urban development strategy that— 

9 (A) promotes equitable access to— 

10 (i) basic shelter and affordable hous11 ing, particularly by residents of slums and 

12 informal settlements and similar densely 

13 populated, impoverished urban areas; and 

14 (ii) safe water and sanitation; 

15 (B) promotes gender equality and women’s 

16 empowerment; 

17 (C) supports access to sustainable and re18 newable sources of energy; 

19 (D) employs innovative approaches to 

20 urban development challenges; 

21 (E) leverages United States Government 

22 resources through collaborative partnership with 

23 foreign governments, intergovernmental organi24 zations, private sector entities, and nonprofit 

25 and community-based organizations; 


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1 (F) operates to a scale that ensures sus2 tainability; 

3 (G) addresses current and future effects of 

4 climate change on cities; and 

5 (H) improves environmental sustainability 

6 in urban areas; and 

7 (4) encourages the leaders and citizens of cities, 

8 which are the source of, and solution to, many of the 

9 world’s development challenges, to build upon their 

10 successful experiences and develop more ambitious 

11 goals for urban sustainable development at the up12 coming United Nations Conference on Sustainable 

13 Development to be held June 4–6, 2012, in Rio de 

14 Janeiro, Brazil. 

Æ 


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