Peace and Environment News* April 1996
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Peace and Environment News * April 1996 |
by Carolyn Saunders and Dave Buchanan
Canadian youth have helped to lay the groundwork for the official Canadian position at the United Nations Habitat II conference to be held this June in Istanbul.
Youth coalitions from Ottawa and across the country have been mobilizing for the past few months to prepare a youth voice to bring to the conference. What they have come up with is a document titled "Home is Where We Live."
In February, youth representatives took this document to the third Preparatory Committee meeting for Habitat II (Prep. Com. III) in New York City. Knowing they would have to work hard to make sure that the issues they care about were not lost in the often daunting bureaucracy of the UN, they handed out their document to everyone they came across, including the Canadian delegation. The Canadian delegates incorporated much of it into the official Canadian statement for Habitat II. The Canadian youth document also formed the basis for the International Youth for Habitat II declaration.
In developing "Home is Where We Live," youth groups looked at various issues, including youth poverty and homelessness, sustainable lifestyles, building community, urban sprawl, immigration, cross-cultural interaction, and local economic development. As they found out, habitat means much more than just housing, and a home is more than just a roof over your head.
They also found out that human habitat can be a very sensitive political issue. At the Preparatory meeting in New York, the United States delegation consistently blocked any section of the Habitat Agenda that defined housing as a human right. The delegation defended their position at a press conference, at which they stated that they would not support housing as a human right because of a fear that the U.S. government could be held liable for failing to provide housing to every citizen.
The youth group in Ottawa are planning to work on implementing some of the ideas they got from the New York meeting. They hope to reach out to youth in high schools, elementary schools, and summer camps and to start some of their own projects in the community. Their ideas include rooftop gardens, a regional car-free day once a month, city beautification projects, and greening schools.
Readers that would like to help out with any of these projects are invited to contact Youth for Habitat II Ottawa at 234-7038. To get a copy of "Home is Where We Live," please call the National Office at 566-4414 (ext. 4053).
Carolyn Saunders and Dave Buchanan belong to Youth for Habitat II Ottawa.
Converted April 11, 2000 - Lg
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