6 April 2009

Nairobi, Kenya

The initiative “Access to basic services for all”, jointly initiated by UNITAR and UN-HABITAT in 2004, aims at providing the development partners (including National Governments, local authorities, United Nations agencies and the international financial institutions, public and private sector, NGOs, etc.) a formal and mutually agreed basis which would govern the relations between the different stakeholders with a view to improving the provision of basic services. 

Resolution 22/8 completes the Resolutions of 2005 (20/5) and 2007 (21/4) and enhances the process leading to the adoption of a non-binding international instrument dedicated to the improvement of basic services provision. Each of these three Resolutions are explicitly recognizing the key role of UNITAR in the consultation process of the stakeholders.

Resolution 22/8 approves the guidelines on access to basic services that UN-HABITAT, in cooperation with the Local Development Programme of UNITAR, has drafted. It recommends at present to develop training instruments and relevant indicators to support the implementation of the guidelines.

On the other hand, the UN-HABITAT Governing Council encourages the development of innovative partnerships among the stakeholders to ensure the ownership of the guidelines.

Finally, Resolution 22/8 recommends that the guidelines be considered by ECOSOC in July 2009 with a view for promoting them widely.