The General Assembly,
 
     Recalling its resolution 32/162 of 19 December 1977, by which it
established the Commission on Human Settlements and its secretariat, the
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), to serve as the
institutional focus for human settlements activities within the United Nations
system,
 
     Recalling also its resolution 43/181 of 20 December 1988, in which it
designated the Commission on Human Settlements as the United Nations
intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating, evaluating and monitoring
the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter to the Year 2000,
 
     Recalling further its resolution 47/180 of 22 December 1992, by which it
decided to convene the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat
II) from 3 to 14 June 1996 and requested the Secretary-General to establish an
ad hoc secretariat for the Conference, which should be organizationally part
of the Centre,
 
     Noting with satisfaction the positive role played by the Centre in the
implementation of the Global Strategy and the human settlement aspects of
Agenda 21,
 
     Aware of the fact that two thirds of the entire increase in world
population currently occurs in urban areas, so that by the year 2000 almost
half of the world population will be living in towns and cities, and noting
with concern that high-level urbanization is straining the capacity of
Governments, at both the national and the local levels, to mobilize the
financial, technical and managerial resources necessary to sustain such human
settlements,
 
     1.   Endorses the report of the Commission on Human Settlements on the
work of its fifteenth session (Nairobi, 25 April-1 May 1995), including its
resolution 15/1 on the implementation of the Global Strategy for Shelter to
the Year 2000, and the report of the Commission on the implementation of the
Global Strategy;
 
     2.   Takes note with appreciation of the contribution of the Commission
and of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) to the
preparations at the national, regional and global levels for the United
Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), to be held at Istanbul,
Turkey, from 3 to 14 June 1996;
 
     3.   Encourages the Centre to submit its contributions to the
preparations for the Conference to the Preparatory Committee for the
Conference at its third session, to be held in New York between 5 and 16
February 1996.