Declaration of Zadar "Good Laws for a Better Habitat"

Principles of the Declaration of Zadar "Good Laws for a Better Habitat"

1. UN-HABITAT and the Habitat Agenda
   In order to attain sustainable development through implementation of the Habitat Agenda, we need to place human beings at the core of all our efforts. Future growth and development of cities now assumes the acceptance of a number of shared human values, including the search for a balance between the 3 domains of sustainable development: economy, environment and social issues.
2. Climate Change and Coastal Cities
   By the middle of the twenty-first Century, more than two thirds of the world population will live in cities. 75 percent of energy consumption and about 80 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions are already today accounted for by cities. Urban areas are undoubtedly the main sources of climate change. Cities and their inhabitants are also the chief victims of climate change. Coastal Cities are especially sensitive to the impacts of Climate Change, such as rising sea levels. Cities can and must therefore make important contributions to climate protection.
3. Parliamentarians as Drivers of Change
   Parliamentarians, who are representatives of the people, pass legislation, which is in itself the most essential form of implementation of the goals of the Habitat Agenda. Parliamentarians also control the budget of their country and are thus able to ensure that the necessary financial resources to achieve the objectives of the Agenda are available. In the same way, they determine which expenditures of public funds have priority. Parliamentarians can and should, therefore, not hesitate to act as Drivers of Change.