Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements

The term Habitat I refers to the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlements, in Vancouver, Canada, May 31 - June 11, 1976, which was convened by the United Nations as governments began to recognize the magnitude and consequences of rapid urbanization. On 16 December 1976 the General Assembly adopted resolution 31/109.[1] It took note of the conference report,[2] the Vancouver Declaration on Human Settlements,[3] which carried an action plan with 64 recommendations for National Action. As a further outcome of the conference, in 1977 a General Assembly resolution 36/162[4] established the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements - UNCHS (Habitat). It designated the Commission on Human Settlements, a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as the governing body.