F. Implementation and follow-up of the Habitat Agenda

4. Involvement of local authorities and civil society, including the private sector

237. The effective implementation of the Habitat Agenda requires strengthening local authorities, community organizations and non-governmental organizations in the spheres of education, health, poverty eradication, human rights, social integration, infrastructure and improvement of the quality of life, and relief and rehabilitation, enabling them to participate constructively in policy-making and implementation. This will require:

(a) Establishing legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutional arrangements and consultative mechanisms for involving organizations in the design, implementation and evaluation of human settlements strategies and programmes;

(b) Supporting capacity-building programmes for such organizations in critical areas such as participatory planning, programme design, implementation and evaluation, economic and financial analysis, credit management, research, information and advocacy;

(c) Providing resources through such measures as grant programmes, and technical and other administrative support for initiatives taken and managed at the community level;

(d) Strengthening networking and exchange of expertise and experience among such organizations.

238. The contribution of local authorities and civil society, including the private sector, to development can be enhanced by:

(a) Developing planning and policy-making procedures that facilitate partnership and cooperation between Governments and civil society in human settlements development;

(b) Encouraging business enterprises to pursue investment and other policies, including non-commercial activities that will contribute to human settlements development, especially in relation to the generation of work opportunities, basic services, access to productive resources and construction of infrastructure;

(c) Enabling and encouraging trade unions to participate in the generation of work opportunities under fair conditions, the provision of training, health care and other basic services, and the development of an economic environment that facilitates the achievement of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development;

(d) Supporting academic and research institutions, particularly in the developing countries, in their contribution to human settlements development programmes, and facilitating mechanisms for independent, detached, impartial and objective monitoring of human settlements progress, especially through collecting, analysing and disseminating information and ideas about adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development;

(e) Encouraging educational institutions, the media and other sources of public information and opinion to give special attention to the challenges of human settlements development and to facilitate widespread and well-informed debate about policies throughout the community.