IV 
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 de-
clared 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 sta-
tus; 
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•HRES 1486 IH 
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 coun-
tries are suffering at any given time from a health prob-
lem caused by water and sanitation deficits; 
Whereas approximately one in six people lack access to safe 
drinking water and approximately two in every five peo-
ple 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 ul-
timately rests with the governments; 
Whereas in 2007, approximately 5,000,000 people were af-
fected by forced evictions, and projections show that the 
number of forced evictions are likely to increase to be-
tween 40,000,000 and 70,000,000 in the next 20 years; 
Whereas insecure tenure severely inhibits economic develop-
ment, long-term security of families, and the reduction of 
conflicts; 
Whereas women are affected disproportionally by forced evic-
tions and insecure tenure as a result of discrimination 
and gender-biased laws that prevent women from acquir-
ing and securing land, property, and housing, making 
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•HRES 1486 IH 
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 prop-
erty; 
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 pre-
condition to personal wealth creation and acts as collat-
eral 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 invest-
ment of greater resources by the Department of 
State, the United States Agency for International 
Development, and all relevant Federal departments 
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•HRES 1486 IH 
and agencies toward providing safe, simple, and de-
cent 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 afford-
able 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. 
Æ 
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