Informe del secretario general sobre

AG/RES. 2819 (XLIV-O/14)

SUSTAINABLE AND EQUITABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES IN THE AMERICAS

(Adopted at the second plenary session, held on June 4, 2014)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

RECOGNIZING that, because the world population is projected to exceed 9 billion persons by 2050 and two-thirds of that population is expected to live in cities, efforts must be intensified to achieve sustainable development and, in particular, the eradication of poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases;
CONSIDERING that Latin America and the Caribbean have the highest urbanization in the developing countries, that the proportion of the region’s inhabitants living in cities grew from 41 percent to 80 percent over the past 60 years, and that two of every three inhabitants of Latin American and Caribbean cities live in poverty;
BEARING IN MIND that the Millennium Development Goals emphasize the following targets under goal 7 to ensure environmental sustainability: (i) integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources; (ii) reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss; (iii) halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; and, (iv) achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers;
BEARING IN MIND ALSO that the Social Charter of the Americas recognizes that conservation and sustainable use of natural resources are fundamental and interrelated challenges facing the Hemisphere;
CONSIDERING that, at the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in 1996, the Heads of State and Government of the Americas pledged to execute the first Plan of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Americas, based on the principles set out in the Declaration of Santa Cruz de la Sierra;
RECALLING the importance of the Declaration of Santo Domingo for the Sustainable Development of the Americas, of the Declaration of Commitment of Port of Spain, and of the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Integral Development 2006-2009, current until December of 2014; and
RECOGNIZING the outcomes of the seventh session of the World Urban Forum, which was held in Medellin, Colombia, from April 5 to 11, 2014, and attended by over 140 countries to discuss urban equity in development, planning, basic services, financing, resiliency, security, the Habitat Agenda, and their contributions to the third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (HABITAT III),
RESOLVES:

1. 
   To reaffirm the commitments adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Americas in the Plan of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Americas, in the framework of the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in 1996, in the areas referring to sustainable cities and communities.
   

2. 
   To continue promoting policy dialogue on strategies in the framework of the Organization of American States and continue supporting best practices in the development of sustainable cities and communities in the context of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.
   

3. 
   To request the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development to implement, through the Department of Sustainable Development, activities designed to strengthen training in policies, programs, tools for sustainable cities, as well as exchanges of experience among the member states.
   

4. 
   To take note of the Medellin Declaration of the seventh session of the World Urban Forum, in which the governments, the private sector, international organizations, academia, professionals, civil society, and other social actors reaffirmed the importance of cities in the new Post-2015 Development Agenda.
   

5. 
   To request the Inter-American Council for Integral Development to report to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth regular session on the implementation of this resolution. Execution of the activities envisaged in this resolution will be subject to the availability of financial resources in the program-budget of the Organization and other resources.
   

AG/RES. 2820 (XLIV-O/14)

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY

(Adopted at the second plenary session, held on June 4, 2014)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

RECOGNIZING that Mother Earth is a common expression for the planet earth in a number of countries and regions, which reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species, and the planet that we all inhabit;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that resolution 63/278, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on April 22, 2009, designates April 22 as International Mother Earth Day, noting that Earth Day is observed in a number of countries every year;
RECALLING that said resolution acknowledges “that the Earth and its ecosystems are our home, and convinced that in order to achieve a just balance among the economic, social, and environmental needs of present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth”; and
CONSIDERING that it is the responsibility of member states to promote and strengthen environmental protection at the national and regional levels,
RESOLVES:

1. 
   To welcome the designation of April 22 as International Mother Earth Day, recognized by various countries and regions.
   

2. 
   To invite member states and permanent observers to observe International Mother Earth Day and raise awareness that a healthy environment is vital to integral development.
   

3. 
   To invite member states to continue developing public policies geared toward natural disaster prevention and mitigation, early warning, and protection, to prevent disruption of the cycles and processes that ensure life.