Search Tips
sorted by
300 shown of 1334 entities
A place to live in dignity for all: make housing affordable
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2023
- Document code
- A/78/192
Document
Towards a just transformation: climate crisis and the right to housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/HRC/52/28
Document
Spatial segregation and the right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/HRC/49/48
Document
Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to non-discrimination in this context
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2022
- Document code
- A/77/190
Document
Twenty years of promoting and protecting the right to adequate housing: taking stock and moving forward
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2021
- Document code
- A/HRC/47/43
Document
Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2021
- Document code
- A/76/408
Document
COVID-19 and the right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2020
- Document code
- A/75/148
Document
Access to justice for the right to housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/HRC/40/61
Document
The right to housing for indigenous peoples
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/74/183
Document
Guidelines for the Implementation of the Right to Adequate Housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/HRC/43/43
Document
The right to housing for residents of informal settlements
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/73/310/rev.1
Document
Human rights-based national housing strategies
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/HRC/37/53
Document
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2017
- Document code
- A/72/128
Document
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2017
- Document code
- A/HRC/34/51
Document
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/71/310
Document
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/HRC/31/54
Document
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2015
- Document code
- A/70/270
Document
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2015
- Document code
- A/HRC/28/62
Document
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2014
- Document code
- A/HRC/25/54
Document
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2014
- Document code
- A/69/274
Document
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2013
- Document code
- A/68/289
Document
Mapping and framing security of tenure
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2013
- Document code
- A/HRC/22/46
Document
Women and their right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/HRC/19/53
Document
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/67/286
Document
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/HRC/16/42
Document
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/66/270
Document
Migration and the right to adequate housing
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2010
- Document code
- A/65/261
Document
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- As part of social and cultural integration policies, States should involve migrants in decision-making processes and promote their active participation in public life through adequate representation and participation mechanisms. States should also inform migrants of their rights and duties in the country and promote their active exercise. Migrants are at a particular disadvantage as a result of lack of information. The need for appropriate housing information and advice to prevent housing exclusion and homelessness of migrants is essential, and States have the responsibility to provide it. They should ensure that information and advice on rights and duties relating to housing is available to migrants, including in their native languages. Furthermore, States should foster mutual understanding among local communities and ensure mutual respect for cultural diversity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- In some cases, non-citizens are subject to double discrimination as both migrants and members of minority groups. During her missions, the Special Rapporteur has encountered numerous cases of migrants from minority groups who have been denied residency permits even though they have lived in the host country for decades or even generations. The lack of regularization obstructs their access to housing in private markets as well as housing assistance from local governments. The Special Rapporteur also received numerous complaints of forced eviction of migrants belonging to minority groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- In its conclusions on Albania of 2006, the European Committee of Social Rights recalled that according to article 19, paragraph 4, of the European Social Charter, States must eliminate all legal and de facto discrimination concerning access to public and private housing for migrant workers and that, accordingly, no legal or de facto restrictions on subsidized housing may be implemented. In its conclusions on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Committee noted that there were no objective, pre-established and easily understandable eligibility criteria to qualify for housing benefits, and requested information from the Government on the number of foreign nationals who had been refused any form of social assistance on the grounds that they did not satisfy the habitual residence condition. Furthermore, in its decision on the case DCI vs. the Netherlands, the Committee stated that the State must provide adequate shelter to undocumented migrant children under its jurisdiction.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination is any differential treatment that is based on prohibited grounds of discrimination and that creates or maintains inequalities and disadvantages suffered by certain groups in society with respect to the enjoyment of human rights (see E/C.12/GC/20, para. 7). Direct discrimination exists when legislation or policies are adopted with a view to overtly privileging some groups in society to the detriment of others. However, when looking at discrimination, States should also look at indirect discrimination, which concerns measures that, without explicitly discriminating on certain grounds, might have a disproportionate impact on the exercise of human rights by a particular group (ibid., para. 10). Such apparently neutral measures, which de facto favour dominant cultures, are illegitimate and must be outlawed by States in order to ensure the full realization of the equality and non discrimination principle (ibid., para. 12).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination is often a precondition and by-product of the marginalization to which certain groups and individuals are subject and is the root of many inequalities in society. On many occasions migrants suffer multiple forms of discrimination on the basis of national origin, culture, religion or sex. The multiple layers of discrimination and exclusion faced by migrants affect their access to adequate housing. This marginalization is often a manifestation of larger forms of structural discrimination that extend through the institutional, cultural, social and economic fabric of society, adversely affecting the housing conditions and overall well-being of migrants.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- In the private sector in most countries, it is difficult for low-income migrants to rent private housing, as homeowners often avoid renting to them because of xenophobic sentiments, fear of insolvency or uncertainty of income, inadequate legal documents, short-term stays or lack of an employment record. Moreover, migrants are often asked to provide guarantees that they cannot access in the hosting country. When migrants manage to rent a private home, they are usually requested to pay onerous rents and make advance payments. Migrants may also face discrimination when trying to purchase a property and are sometimes barred by laws and regulations from doing so.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- International migrants worldwide are estimated to number over 200 million, representing 3.1 per cent of the world population. Ninety million of them are migrant workers. Forty-eight per cent of all international migrants are women. While the larger proportion of migrants moves from low- and middle-income countries to high-income countries, representing a total flow of 80 million persons, it is estimated that South-South migration accounts for 47 per cent of all migration from the South. Migration between developing countries may be even higher if undocumented migration is considered, as official numbers are for the most part unknown, but it is estimated to be around one third of documented migration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Recovery efforts, by overlooking or directly discriminating against some groups, can perpetuate and even reinforce pre-existing patterns of vulnerability and disadvantage. This is often the case with women. In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, it was reported that the international response on many occasions strengthened "those who were better off and/or more articulate … while marginalizing those who had few assets, notably women". Relief efforts and policies, for instance, excluded women from livelihoods assistance and on occasion directly undermined women's pre-existing rights, such as their rights to housing or land in matrilineal communities. When women also happen to have insecure tenure - as they often do because their access to housing and land frequently hinges on a relationship with a man, or because they face additional hurdles as sole head of a household, they are particularly vulnerable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The right to adequate housing is most clearly recognized by the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (article 11). The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights underlined the importance of interpreting the right in broad terms, identifying seven aspects of the right that States must progressively realize: security of tenure; availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability; habitability; accessibility; location; and cultural adequacy. All the aspects and safeguards pertaining to eviction and resettlement derived from the right are relevant to disaster response, as are the human rights principles of participation and non-discrimination and equality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Violence and forced evictions targeted towards migrants also raise serious concerns in this regard. Migrants living in informal settlements are often victims of forced evictions in the context of urban renewal projects. When no alternative accommodation is provided by the government, undocumented migrants, who often lack access to social security and services, are rendered homeless, forced to move in with friends or relatives or pushed to the outskirts of the city. In some cases, forced evictions are followed by deportation (see A/HRC/14/30, para. 52).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Similar lessons can be learnt from post-disaster situations. Disasters occur in a social context framed by complex issues of power, politics and longstanding vulnerability and poverty, including widespread tenure insecurity. Understanding this complexity is fundamental to developing and implementing successful responses. This is illustrated in the case of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras in October 1998. According to official estimates Hurricane Mitch left 21 cities severely damaged, 82,735 houses damaged, 66,188 houses destroyed and 44,150 people homeless. In addition 123 health centres and 531 roads were damaged and eight health centres and 189 bridges were destroyed. As a result, an estimated 1.5 million people were negatively affected.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- A number of successful rehabilitation and reconstruction initiatives in Honduras, where undisputed land was available at a reasonable distance from livelihood opportunities and facilities, illustrated how settlement development could be an appropriate means to support disaster-affected populations and introduce better practices in areas such as site planning, house design, use and production of building materials, water supply and sanitation and environmental protection. Cases such as El Progreso and Choluteca also included direct involvement by local authorities working in collaborating with other support institutions as well as members of the beneficiary community, all with the help of unprecedented levels of support from donors and relief organizations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Given the urgent, crisis nature of post-conflict and post-disaster situations, the approach of collecting and analysing detailed information, and of direct participation by the people affected, may seem difficult to achieve. This approach is likely to contradict powerful humanitarian and political pressures that emphasize speedy resettlement, rebuilding and re-housing. In post-conflict and post-disaster situations, "quick wins" easily become equated with rapid physical delivery, often with scant consideration, or even awareness, of possible counterproductive longer-term consequences. Getting "policy choices" right in the field of land and housing requires, in normal circumstances, the undertaking of complex analytical processes. In the midst of crises, the need for speedy decisions and practical livelihood support-oriented action may run counter to the need for caution and for intensive consultation with those directly affected.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In spite of these challenges, it is very important to ensure that time and opportunity are made for gathering of information, analysis and assessment of policy choices; and for intensive consultation with, and the involvement of, those affected. People directly affected by conflicts and crises are not mere helpless victims. They are invariably the first people "on the scene" and are often the first to take some form of action. In Honduras following the devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch the immediate post-disaster processes of rescue, relief and stabilization were characterized by remarkable personal determination and great displays of social solidarity, with private and public buildings opening their doors to the displaced and homeless. Communities in different parts of the country self-organized and developed their own survival strategies. Citizens joined neighbourhood or community solidarity groups, which, because of insufficient official assistance and their isolation, frequently carried out emergency tasks on their own initiative. Some of the most basic emergency interventions implemented included search and rescue operations, provision of temporary shelter, sanitation programmes such as the disposal of human and animal remains, and the distribution of water, food, blankets, and domestic items. This was in contrast to the Government's response to the crisis which included immediate centralization of State power and, two days later, the announcement that plans to draft a national plan for reconstruction had been initiated, conducted without transparency in a secretive fashion.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 64.3
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur makes the following recommendations:] The tenure rights of "non-formal owners", namely those without individual, formally registered, property ownership, should be honoured: For those with insecure tenure, measures should aim at strengthening their security of tenure, for instance by granting rights to housing or land at places of origin, either immediately or in incremental stages. When restitution or return is not desirable for the affected persons or is not possible owing to land having disappeared or to compelling safety reasons that prevent the return, alternative housing or land should be granted at another location.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Research conducted by the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP) and the ProVention Consortium in the wake of the 2005 South Asia earthquake found "accumulated evidence that people affected by disasters want to participate fully in the response, even if this means a slower implementation process. However, disbursement pressure - the need to get money out of the door - has in the past partly determined response mechanis."While emphasizing the importance of participation, the study also cautions: "When considering communities […] it is important to remember: not to romanticise the coping capacities and resilience of local people and communities - they often face insurmountable difficulties when responding to major disasters; that often 'communities', particularly in areas of high inequality, are made up of different interest groups, and include marginalised groups who may well have difficulty getting their views represented; cultural 'norms' may also, for example, work against women's rights."
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- From a human rights perspective, investment in upgrading settlements characterized by grossly inadequate living conditions as part of disaster response is not only legitimate but also indispensable, bearing in mind the obligation of non discrimination and attention to the most vulnerable. Moreover, for principled and pragmatic reasons, in a number of contexts it would be important to address the situation from a longer-term perspective: in the context of Haiti, this means a focus on improving conditions in settlements not damaged by the disaster (provided they are not in disaster-prone areas) but with the same urbanistic and vulnerability characteristics as those affected by it.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- A focus on individual beneficiaries and on "deliverables" - food, shelters, health kits - as ends in themselves might divert from the fundamental responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil rights (to housing, water, health, for instance), and the requirement to think of the long term. In Haiti, it was reported that immediate needs had dominated the international community's response and that specific pledges to support permanent housing requirements had therefore been less significant. The Haiti Shelter Cluster of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee reported on the risks of institutionalizing camps and of consuming scarce resources in emergency measures at the expense of more durable permanent solutions were recognized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- These and other proposals to address housing, land and property rights through the active participation of the affected people, and to build on existing community processes, were not taken up by the transitional authorities or the newly independent Government. In the aftermath of the later wave of violence, destruction and displacement of 2006-7, the need for such involvement became prominently recognised. The five pillars of the National Recovery Strategy included one aimed at building trust within communities and between the people and the Government. This was in the context of urgent attempts to achieve the reintegration and return of IDPs displaced by the violence to their communities, with the incentive of cash compensation from the State with which they could repair their homes or settle in alternative areas in cases where reintegration proved impossible. As part of a Dialogue, Communications and Outreach Programme, dialogue teams were established to manage the necessary conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation processes. This required the participation of local authorities, youth leaders and other groupings. The programme, which was still continuing in some communities in May 2010, incorporated the use of customary dispute resolution practices and peacebuilding ceremonies. It is widely regarded as having been successful and necessary for peacebuilding and the safe return of IDPs. Women reportedly participated far more actively than men in the community dialogue and reconciliation process. This was in contrast to the compensation payment process, which had been male-dominated.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Given the lessons of the past two decades, and the institutional reforms already initiated, humanitarian agencies, and one would assume bilateral donors, are now much more aware of the risk of doing unintended long-term harm through well-meaning early action which ends up increasing the vulnerability of the poor. In the area of the right to adequate housing and particularly on the issues of security of tenure, location, cultural adequacy and availability of services, facilities and infrastructure, at least, the time has come for "Do no harm" guidelines to move to a next step where specific tools for timely analysis and proactive interventions ("Do the right thing") are provided at the field level.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- Armed conflicts and natural disasters are a massive and growing problem worldwide. They have devastating consequences for the people affected and cause daunting challenges on a massive scale. Each year conflicts result in dislocation for hundreds of thousands of people. According to calculations by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the total number of people forcibly uprooted through conflict and persecution stood at 43.3 million at the end of 2009, "the highest number since the mid-1990s". This included 15.2 million refugees, 983,000 asylum seekers, and 27.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). At the same time the world is facing natural disasters on an unprecedented scale. During the period 2000-2008 an average of 392 disasters per year occurred worldwide. During 2009 a total of 335 disasters were reported, killing 10,655 and affecting more than 119 million persons, and causing more than US$41.3 billion in damages.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- The impacts of both conflicts and disasters for the individuals, families and communities affected can be devastating. These include the loss of life and livelihoods; destruction of homes, property and infrastructure; disruption or termination of essential services; and the prolonged and sometimes even permanent forced displacement from land, home and community. Although wealth and power do not offer any immunity from these impacts, it is in most cases the poor and socially disadvantaged who are worst affected; and it is also they who are least able to withstand economic shocks and so generally take the longest to recover.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The poor often stand to lose most in disaster contexts because they often have to settle on fragile and exposed land that is highly susceptible to the effects of disasters. When a disaster strikes, their pre-existing vulnerabilities are exacerbated, with women, children and marginalized groups bearing the brunt of the impact. After the disaster, the poor often also find their attempts to return to their homes officially denied on the grounds that return would be unsafe, and/or not permissible as they did not have official proof of a right to live there in the first place. This can have dramatic consequences for the livelihoods of individuals, families and entire communities. In the case of conflicts, the displacement and dispossession of specific groups are often deliberate strategies of one group or side in the conflict against another. This can result in the total destruction and/or secondary occupation of their lands and homes, and obstruction of their attempts to return and reclaim what was theirs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Since the 1990s there has been a growing recognition of the importance of adopting a human rights approach (and the use of human rights enforcement mechanisms) in the resolution of conflicts and peacebuilding. The Secretary-General emphasized that the promotion of human rights is the common thread in the Organization's work in peace and security: "Human rights bodies are involved in early-warning and preventive activities, and human rights considerations are increasingly embodied in our response to crises." He also announced that the United Nations had commenced implementation of a rights-based approach to development, which "describes situations not simply in terms of human needs, or of developmental requirements, but in terms of society's obligation to respond to the inalienable rights of individuals. It empowers people to demand justice as a right, not as charity, and gives communities a moral basis from which to claim international assistance where needed". He then issued guidelines to his Special Representatives on how human rights standards should guide peace negotiations. In 2000 the Report on the Panel on United Nations Peace Operations (the "Brahimi Report") emphasized the importance of incorporating human rights into the work of peace missions. The Panel's key recommendations on a peacebuilding strategy for the United Nations included "a doctrinal shift in the use of civilian police, other rule of law elements and human rights experts in complex peace operations to reflect an increased focus on strengthening rule of law institutions and improving respect for human rights in post-conflict environments". It also recommended that "the ability of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to plan and support the human rights components of peace operations needs to be reinforced".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Another important development was the formulation of the Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons, generally known as the "Pinheiro Principles". These were the culmination of a shift that commenced in the early 1990s "from what were essentially humanitarian-driven responses to voluntary repatriation to more rights-based approaches to return […] increasingly grounded in the principle of restorative justice and of restitution as a legal remedy which can support refugees and internally displaced persons in their choice of a durable solution (whether return, resettlement or local integration)".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The e-consultation highlighted a host of issues which continue to impact the ability of women to enjoy their right to adequate housing or which otherwise have a disproportionate gender impact. In all regions, patriarchy and gender discrimination; poverty; and the impact of globalization, neo-liberal economic policies and privatization surfaced as overarching issues of concern which set the stage for violations of women's right to adequate housing. More specifically, the impact of natural and human-induced disasters, conflict and internal displacement, war and occupation, lack of affordable and low-cost housing, forced evictions, homelessness, domestic violence, lack of women's participation in law and policy-making, lack of access to remedies, inadequate and discriminatory laws, and the application of discriminatory customary law, all emerged as relevant barriers to women's right to adequate housing across regions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- Concerns also emerged which were more regionally specific. In Africa, urbanization, climate change, low levels of financial literacy amongst women, and the rising number of female headed households all emerged as key issues affecting the status of women's right to adequate housing in the African continent today. In Asia, as well as in Africa, the consultation revealed how women are negatively affected by the impact of the agrarian crisis, as well as by "land grabbing", further limiting women's already precarious access to, and control over, land and other natural resources. The e-consultation in Eastern and Central Europe highlighted the importance of recognizing intersectional discrimination as it affects certain groups of women, in particular vis-à-vis the segregation of Roma communities. In the Middle East and North Africa, lack of law enforcement; conflict and occupation; and discrimination against minorities all negatively impact women's right to adequate housing. In Western Europe and North America, key issues highlighted included inadequate supply of public housing and lack of government assistance for housing; lack of affordable housing; domestic violence; and discrimination against women on public assistance, women with disabilities, and women belonging to racial/ethnic minorities, including Indigenous women. And in Latin America, where the e-consultation highlighted many of the issues already mentioned - including discrimination in matters related to housing against indigenous and Afro-descendant women, lack of access to justice, and domestic violence - participants also highlighted the need for better statistical information related to women and housing, as well as the urgent need to close the implementation gap between policy and practice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Each of these advancements in law and policy represents an important achievement which ought to be celebrated. Yet, women throughout the world continue to face entrenched de jure and de facto barriers to the realization and enjoyment of this right. When it comes to women's right to adequate housing, much more needs to be done to ensure the effective domestication of human rights standards and the harmonization of national legislative frameworks with those international standards. In addition, the conceptual tensions which exist between "progressive realization" on the one hand (which is applicable to the achievement of substantive rights contained within the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights versus the immediate obligation of States to ensure that women enjoy their rights to non-discrimination and equality on the other (as guaranteed under both the Covenant and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as other relevant treaties) must be addressed.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- It is clear that the legal and policy barriers to women's enjoyment of their right to adequate housing must be removed, and replaced by laws, policies and programming which take a focused and proactive approach. Legislative and policy measures must be put in place at national and regional levels explicitly prioritizing women's right to adequate housing. In order to assist States and other relevant actors in the development of gender-sensitive housing law, policy, and programming, the Special Rapporteur takes this opportunity to provide some guidance on a gender perspective on the elements of the right to adequate housing, through a gendered lens.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Security of tenure, as a cornerstone element of the right to adequate housing, provides legal protection against forced eviction, as well as harassment and other threats. For women, security of tenure is too often tenuous and secondary because it is assumed to be achieved through their relationship with a male - be it their husband, father, brother, or son. This situation falls far short of the standard, and gaps in protection are easily exposed. For many women, once that relationship with a male family member is severed through death or divorce, they are immediately vulnerable to being forced out of their homes. As we know, this is the case for widows who are routinely "disinherited" after the death of their husbands, as well as for women victims of domestic violence where a woman's housing situation depends on her relationship to her abuser.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 71c
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur calls for a paradigm shift from housing policies based on the financialization of housing to a human rights-based approach to housing policies. In this context, she makes the following recommendations:] The design of housing policies should be based on an assessment of adequate housing needs, taking into consideration the specific conditions in each country, in particular, demographic, geographic, economic and social conditions, and the characteristics and composition of the various disadvantaged groups (including low-income households), their housing conditions and forms of tenure;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Housing law, policy and programmes should also ensure that women have the legal literacy and legal resources needed to effectively claim and enforce their rights within the context of eviction. Women must "have the right to relevant information, full consultation and participation throughout the entire [evictions] process, and to propose alternatives that authorities should duly consider" and in the event of eviction "[w]omen and men must be co-beneficiaries of all compensation packages. Single women and widows should be entitled to their own compensation."
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Adequate housing requires availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure, including access to water and sanitation; heating, cooling, and lighting; energy; washing facilities; food storage and refuse disposal; as well as emergency services. Taking into account women's perspectives on these issues is vital given the fact that women tend to spend more time at home, and are often disproportionately burdened with household chores which depend directly on the availability of such services, materials, facilities and infrastructure. There are interesting precedents for this type of gender-sensitive planning, as in the housing project Frauen-Werk-Stadt developed by the City of Vienna. This housing project received international acclaim for being a "housing project for and by women" and was designated a best practice for urban settlements by UN-Habitat and UNESCO.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 71g
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur calls for a paradigm shift from housing policies based on the financialization of housing to a human rights-based approach to housing policies. In this context, she makes the following recommendations:] States should promote alternatives to housing policies based on private credit and ownership, including through the development of a private rental sector. Adequate legal, financial and tax conditions should be created in order to encourage the supply of social rental housing as well as other forms of collective and individual tenure;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Women's access to and control over land is also a critical issue which connects in very real ways to women's right to adequate housing. At national levels, advancements in this area are also taking place. In Tajikistan, a joint effort of UNIFEM (now UN-Women) with the Government of Tajikistan, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other partners resulted in the establishment of the Coordination Council dealing with women's ownership issues, whose key task was to mainstream gender in Tajik land reform. In 2004, seven changes were made to the clauses of the national Land Code which previously discriminated against women. Changes in the Land Code made it mandatory that all family members - women included - are now listed on land use certificates when families receive pieces of land from former collective farms. Over the course of a few years, those changes coupled with media campaigns, the provision of free legal advice, and the collection of sex-disaggregated data, resulted in raising women's land ownership from 2 to 14 per cent.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Women must also be made aware of their right to adequate housing, both as it is recognized under domestic legislation as well as under the international human rights framework. This right should be actively promoted so as to ensure that women know what it entails in all aspects. However, it is also important to go beyond "rights awareness" so that women are actually able to know and understand what services are available locally to assist them in claiming their rights and holding actors accountable for violations of these rights. With the foundation of rights awareness, women must have a seat at the table of decision-making, so that they are able to effectively and meaningfully able to participate in all aspects related to the formulation, design and implementation of housing law, policy and programming.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- In order to ensure proper enforcement and implementation, it is also important for the legal system to be accessible to women and itself gender-sensitive, and that it is specifically enabled to protect women's right to adequate housing. In this regard, it is vital for women to have access to affordable or free legal aid which can assist them in seeking justice and enforcing their right to a remedy. Women must also be able, should they so choose, to file legal complaints against the State as well as private and third-party actors for gender-discrimination in housing and other violations of women's right to adequate housing, and to have those complaints decided by a fair and impartial tribunal.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- In some cases, administrative barriers or difficult requirements prevent low-income households from benefiting from subsidies. Enrolment remains low when people find it difficult to travel to apply to the programme because of time constraints, transportation expenses or disabilities. Having to produce expensive documentation of their eligibility for the programme, such as birth certificates or proof of residency, also increases their transaction costs and, thus, restricts enrolment. Inefficient land registration systems in many developing countries have sometimes created severe backlogs in title registration, circumventing the security of tenure of subsidy beneficiaries.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- For low-income households, ensuring a high degree of security of tenure in the private rental market is of the utmost importance since poor tenants cannot afford the costs associated with a change of dwelling or with challenging evictions and cannot compete in a completely unregulated private rental market (even when receiving housing benefits). It is therefore also necessary to ensure that regulation and accountability are respected in order to prevent economic de facto evictions and to enable low-income households to access affordable rental housing in urban areas that are well located.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- On the positive side, the design of housing itself can certainly encourage greater equality vis-à-vis enjoyment and use of domestic space. An example of new ways of thinking about domestic space from a gender perspective can be seen through the development of housing projects which seek to promote non-hierarchical and more flexible uses of the home. For example, creating personal workspaces inside the home can support women who are more likely to engage in home-based income-generating activities. Another interesting development which can be found in certain policies relates to the design of kitchens, a traditionally female space which is often cramped and separated. The design of housing from a gender-sensitive perspective can better promote family integration, as well as a more equitable sharing of household responsibilities between women and men through openness and shared use of spaces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- The main purpose of community land trusts is to lock the value of the land in order to preserve the long-term affordability of housing for low- and middle-income households. Such affordability and location aspects are therefore one of the main pillars of community land trusts, and purchase or rental prices are usually below market value (typically 20 to 65 per cent), essentially because the leaseholder only pays for the home and not the land. In exchange, homeowners accept limitations when reselling their homes, usually committing to a maximum 25 per cent profit of the original price paid. This allows future low- to moderate-income households to access the same property at an affordable cost and help the community to resist gentrification processes and development-related displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Culturally adequate housing allows for the expression of cultural diversity, yet too often women are excluded from being able to shape that cultural identity and to participate in traditional cultural decision-making structures. In order to ensure that women's voices and visions are reflected, women must be able to effectively participate in defining what adequate housing means to them within their particular context, and to ensure that housing addresses not only their practical, material needs, but also their needs vis-à-vis autonomy, equality and dignity. In order to achieve this, women must be seen as partners in the creation and interpretation of cultural norms related to housing and land. The Kenya Legal and Ethical Issues Network on HIV and AIDS (KELIN) has spearheaded innovative efforts specifically designed to utilize cultural structures to protect women's rights, including to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The existing gaps are complex and difficult to overcome as they are deeply rooted in culture, discriminatory social attitudes and practices, as well as weak or gender-blind systems which delay progress in the realization of the right, and fail to effectively make visible the existing barriers. Those challenges require more than ordinary efforts to enforce laws and put policies into practice; additional actions directed to provoke those changes in cultural patterns are required, and this can be obtained particularly through the combination of awareness-raising and public education, as well as through legal enforcement and legal aid, and provision of appropriate resources through the adoption of specific budgetary measures.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In Latin America, a successful example of housing cooperatives on a national scale is the mutual aid cooperatives in Uruguay, which are promoted by the Federation of Mutual Aid Housing Cooperatives. The Uruguayan legislation recognizes collective tenure, and the regulation of the housing cooperatives is encompassed in the 1992 General Cooperative Law. Since 1965, around 600 Federation cooperatives have been consolidated in Uruguay, and around 20,000 families are living in houses and apartments built through mutual aid. Mutual aid cooperatives have been introduced and adapted in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries over the past 20 years through various initiatives.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Conversely, when access to secure housing or land is provided, the potential for social and economic progress is immense-a fact recognized globally. Tenure security means a lot to families and individuals. It gives people certainty about what they can do with their land or home; and it offers them protection from encroachments by others. It often protects, increases and enables access to public services and benefits. It increases economic opportunities. It is a basis for women's economic empowerment and protection from violence. The relevance of the issue, not only to human rights but also to development, is evident.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In recent years, some Governments have looked towards non-profit organizations to provide housing for the poor and to limit Government involvement in the housing sector. Such institutions range from charities and housing associations to educational bodies. However, the social housing sector is substantive only in a handful of countries, mainly in Western Europe. As a result of cuts in funding to public housing and the ongoing global economic and financial crisis, waiting lists for social housing are increasing and the provision of affordable housing is not sufficient to keep up with the demand. In England, housing waiting lists augmented by 76 per cent between 2000 and 2011; in France 1.2 million applicants are registered on waiting lists for social housing, and in Italy there are 630,000.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Further questions remain as to the exact circumstances under which evictions may be carried out, with a view to restricting their occurrence. According to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and as reiterated in the basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and displacement, evictions can take place only in the "most exceptional circumstances". Jurisprudence from national and regional bodies that has developed since this language was adopted could be used to more clearly define what the phrase "most exceptional circumstances" entails. For example, the "just and equitable" jurisprudence from South Africa as well as European Court of Human Rights jurisprudence regarding proportionality are highly pertinent in seeking to better understand this phrase and in identifying what constitutes a public purpose of the type that is often cited as reason to evict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Another issue is the lack of coherence and harmonization among the multiplicity of laws and regulations bearing upon urban security of tenure, leading to legal uncertainty, lack of implementation of key provisions, even unwanted impacts such as evictions. Rights of adverse possession provided for by law might also be limited or denied by subsequent regulations, or in implementation. In addition, even when planning laws provide for the regularization of informal settlements, questions of sustainability relating to the increase of land prices and full availability of services remain.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Given that tenure can take a variety of forms and that States must ensure security of tenure to all, irrespective of tenure type, what are States' obligations with respect to ensuring that all forms of tenure that are legitimate under international human rights law are protected equally? Guidance is incomplete in this regard. United Nations and regional human rights bodies have focused only on a limited range of forms of tenure-mostly private property, indigenous communal ownership or use, women's access to land, property or inheritance, informal tenure (mostly in cases involving Roma), and occupancy tenancy rights (in countries that were previously part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has stressed that discrimination on the grounds of property status or place of residence is prohibited under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Property status includes those holding real property (for example land ownership or tenure) and those who lack it. The Committee further clarified that the exercise of Covenant rights, such as access to water or protection from forced eviction, should not be conditional on, or determined by, a person's current or former place of residence, or land tenure status, such as living in an informal settlement. Furthermore, the Committee has noted that States parties must give due priority to those social groups living in unfavourable conditions by giving them particular consideration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- In the Uruguayan model, security of tenure is ensured by a contract between the cooperative and the member ("contrato de uso y goce" of the Federation of Mutual Aid Housing Cooperatives), which is not time bound. Each family enjoys usufruct rights that can be inherited or sold back to the cooperative. The value of the member's share is paid back to him by the cooperative in two instalments over a period of three years and comprises the value of labour hours; maintenance of the common areas; the repaid amount of the loan; and the repaid interest. This prevents a high member turnover and protects the cooperative from gentrification processes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- In addition, governments often engage in partnerships with private housing or service providers or community-based organizations to administer programmes. Private landlords, landowners, real estate agencies, service and utility providers and other relevant private actors have significant effects on the right to adequate housing. It has become increasingly important that these diverse actors engaged in the implementation of State obligations with respect to the right to adequate housing be fully aware of the nature and scope of these obligations. Some advances have been made at the international level towards a better understanding of the responsibilities of businesses and private actors, but the obligation of States to regulate businesses so as to ensure that their actions are consistent with the right to adequate housing is critical to the effective implementation of the right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- While the Special Rapporteur believes that it is important to emphasize the ultimate responsibility of States to ensure compliance with their international human rights obligations so that there is no "contracting-out" of fundamental human rights guarantees, she also recognizes that effective implementation requires that all levels and branches of government be cognizant of, and fully committed to implementing, the State's obligations. The implementation of the right to adequate housing relies on local governments, community organizations and private actors, often acting in partnership, affirming such implementation as a joint commitment and a collaborative project.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Significant increases in the supply of private rented housing are therefore necessary to help empower lower income tenants in the rental market and relieve affordability problems. In addition, demand-side policies are required to increase the affordability of the rental sector for the poor. Although most Governments have focused their efforts on increasing individual homeownership, there are some good examples of supply- and demand-based policies aimed at encouraging the small-scale private rental sector and increasing rent affordability for low-income households. Such interventions include taxation, direct or indirect subsidies, and regulation. State policies towards the informal rental sector also affect the accessibility of the poorest to rental arrangements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- In undertaking these tasks, the Rapporteur wishes to underscore the importance of cooperation with key international actors and partners to enhance the protection of the right to adequate housing at the global level. In the coming months, the Special Rapporteur intends to devote time and effort to engaging with States in all regions, and also with United Nations agencies and entities, including UN-Habitat, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur values and will continue to nurture the long-standing cooperation that the mandate holder has developed with civil society organizations, community organizations and regional and international networks around the world, notably those with a focus on the right to housing, women's housing and land rights, the "right to the city", economic, social and cultural rights and strategic litigation and, in general, organizations focused on the living conditions of people in situations of poverty or exclusion. She also wishes to consolidate channels of cooperation with tenant associations and with emerging movements and groups that will help to ensure that the mandate addresses housing rights issues as they arise. She hopes that the mandate will also give rise to new relationships, particularly through her missions and her participation in various forums, with constituencies that play an active role in the development of their communities, such as unions and community associations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Tenure should be secured in situ unless there are exceptional circumstances that justify eviction consistent with international human rights law. Regulations aimed at protecting public health and safety and the environment or at mitigating risk for the population should not be used as an excuse to undermine security of tenure. In situ solutions should be found whenever it is possible to: (a) mitigate and manage risks of disaster and threats to public health and safety; or (b) balance environmental protection and security of tenure; except when inhabitants choose to exercise their right to resettlement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 4a
- Paragraph text
- [Property has a vital social function including adequate housing of the urban poor. States should balance property rights with the social function of property in designing and implementing housing and other relevant policies. In particular, States, including relevant authorities, should promote access to secure and well-located housing for the urban poor through, inter alia, the following measures:] Conduct citywide audits of vacant and underutilized land, housing and buildings;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 4b
- Paragraph text
- [Property has a vital social function including adequate housing of the urban poor. States should balance property rights with the social function of property in designing and implementing housing and other relevant policies. In particular, States, including relevant authorities, should promote access to secure and well-located housing for the urban poor through, inter alia, the following measures:] Conduct assessments of spatial needs to house the urban poor, including homeless persons, taking into account current and anticipated trends;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- States should establish, in consultation with communities, a local dispute resolution mechanism, which is socially legitimate and culturally appropriate, to address disputes that arise during these processes. Dispute resolution mechanisms should be impartial, fair, competent, transparent and human rights-compatible, and affordable and accessible to all. Negotiation and mediation between parties to a dispute should be encouraged wherever possible in order to promote mutually beneficial outcomes that secure the tenure rights of all parties.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Community land trusts (CLTs) are held by non-profit community-controlled organizations that acquire land for the purpose of providing affordable housing. Lands are removed from the speculative market to preserve affordability and made available through long-term leases for housing, businesses, urban agriculture and community facilities. CLTs have increased in popularity since the 1980s, especially in the United States where over 260 have been established. Community organizing, and land donations and financial support from municipal governments, are key to their success.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Homelessness is at the end of the housing spectrum and must be understood as a prima facie violation of the right to adequate housing (i.e., where any significant number of individuals are deprived of basic shelter or housing, a State is prima facie failing to discharge its international human rights obligations). During her mandate, the Special Rapporteur intends to organize consultations and expert discussions to explore various dimensions of this violation of the right to adequate housing, including the obligation of the State to address homelessness.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Possession rights. The legal recognition of the rights of those occupying public, private or community land and housing for a prescribed period, through adverse possession of land and housing, above the rights of absentee owners or the State, is an important measure to ensure that land and housing is being used in the most socially productive manner and to fulfil the right to adequate housing for all. For example, article 183 of the Brazilian Constitution recognizes usucapio of urban land used for a home after five years of possession without interruption or opposition, provided that the possessor does not own any other property.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Use rights. The right of people to use public or private property for their housing needs under certain conditions should be recognized and protected in law and policy. For example, in Trinidad and Tobago, Certificates of Comfort give the holders a right not to be removed from the plot unless resettlement is deemed necessary and an alternative plot is identified and made available. In Mozambique, a right to use and improve State land can be granted to individuals or groups, which allows persons to mortgage or sell their buildings and other improvements on that land.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- To this end, the Special Rapporteur expects to devote a thematic report to the issue of access to justice in relation to the right to housing. In so doing, the Special Rapporteur hopes to: (a) assess and document barriers to access to justice experienced by claimants; (b) consult with government authorities, judges and a broad range of experts on strategic litigation about challenges in ensuring access to justice; and (c) promote research and statistical analysis with a view to providing reliable evidence and indicators of compliance.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Access to social security. Social security is critical to guaranteeing human dignity and the enjoyment of human rights when people are faced with circumstances that deprive them of their capacity to otherwise realize them. Sometimes homeless persons or individuals without a registered address are unable to access social security either owing to eligibility criteria or indirect bureaucratic obstacles. These obstacles amount to discrimination on the basis of tenure status. States should take all necessary steps to remove barriers faced by persons who are homeless or have an ambiguous tenure status in receiving social security, including by ensuring that a registered address and other residence requirements are not a de jure or de facto prerequisite to receiving benefits.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- The urban poor face significant barriers in accessing justice, owing to, inter alia, political influence and corruption in courts and administrative bodies; prohibitive costs of legal representation; absence of legal information; and lack of legal recognition of persons without official identity documentation, including a registered address. States should take all measures to remove these barriers and ensure that the urban poor can access effective remedies through a range of judicial and administrative mechanisms. As an alternative to the courts, land dispute and grievance mechanisms that are inexpensive, accessible, socially legitimate and rule-bound should be established. States should establish, fund and enable legal aid and assistance for the urban poor, in order to address power asymmetries that pervade conflicts over land and obstruct access to justice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Remedies for violations of the right to adequate housing may include restitution, reparation, the provision of alternative adequate housing, rehabilitation of housing or livelihoods, financial or non-financial compensation for loss and damage, and punitive sanctions against the perpetrator. An injunction, precautionary measures or other judicial or administrative intervention may be required to prevent imminent forced eviction or other violation. Remedies may also include repeal or amendment of law or policy and quashing of administrative decisions. In this regard, States should ensure that policies and decisions affecting tenure security are subject to administrative and judicial review. In the case of an unjustified failure of the State to adopt appropriate and timely measures to address tenure insecurity taking into account its use of available resources, redress may include an injunction to devise and implement a reasonable plan of action towards security of tenure for aggrieved groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Achieving the objectives of Habitat III will rely on the unique ability of human rights to effect transformative change through the application of universal norms and guiding principles to specific contexts and in response to emerging challenges. This essentially describes the key features and benefits of a human rights approach. Human rights can effect the kind of spatial, geographic, social and attitudinal change required to address the structural causes of exclusion and inequality, so that cities become places of opportunity and well-being for everyone - where adequate housing, food, water and sanitation, education, employment and health are realized as fundamental rights.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Land administration programmes, housing policies and urban planning. Discrimination on the basis of tenure status is prevalent in land, housing and urban policies. Land administration programmes typically only register freehold rights, while ignoring the multiple other existing tenure forms. Housing policies commonly also promote freehold, with benefits and support, such as access to finance, made conditional on homeownership. Meanwhile, many urban planning processes aim to benefit only those with registered tenure rights and fail to take into account the circumstances of urban poor communities whose arrangements are not legally recognized. These exclusions impair the enjoyment of human rights by those without freehold or other legally recognized tenure rights vis-a-vis other sectors of the population. States should ensure that land administration, housing policies and urban plans protect and secure a variety of tenure arrangements, prioritizing the most vulnerable and marginalized. For example, the Mexico City Housing Improvement Programme offers credit regardless of tenure status.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Land acquisition. Land occupied by urban poor households with an ambiguous tenure status is disproportionately acquired by States for "public purpose" projects, such as infrastructure development, requiring the eviction of residents. This situation may amount to discrimination in the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing on the basis of tenure and economic status. In selecting sites for public purpose projects, States should ensure that the urban poor are not disproportionately affected, and that all alternatives have been considered.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Police procedures. Residents of urban settlements and homeless persons face disproportionate levels of police intervention and use of force without due process. In many countries, police enter homes in poor settlements, sometimes in major operations, without a court order, violating residents' rights to protection against arbitrary interference with their privacy, family and home. Homeless persons, who have no choice but to sleep, eat and conduct other life-sustaining activities in publics spaces are commonly harassed, fined and detained for doing so. Police must follow due process and respect human rights in conducting law enforcement activities, including in urban settlements, and ensure that any use of force is strictly necessary and proportional to lawful objectives. States should decriminalize homelessness and ensure full respect by police of human rights of homeless persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Families
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- In some situations, children and youth, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex youth, and women can be vulnerable to violence, requiring access to safe housing and basic services if they are to thrive in the urban context. These groups are often forced into homelessness by sexual and other violence, socioeconomic deprivation, and religious and cultural intolerance within their homes or communities. A sound housing structure does not guarantee safety within housing for these vulnerable groups. When women, children and youth leave their homes, they require both short- and long-term support to secure adequate housing, as they often lack the means to secure housing themselves. In this regard, diverse, culturally appropriate options must be made available.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- LGBTQI+
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- The Millennium Development Goals had a direct and detrimental impact on the development of a rights-based pro-housing urban agenda. Essential aspects of the right to housing in urban centres were rendered invisible, in particular, security of tenure, homelessness, adequate location and affordability of housing and related services - none of which were referenced in the Goals. The focus on housing structures and bathrooms in target 7.D diverted attention from the critical economic, social, governance and environmental challenges of urbanization identified by Habitat II. Moreover, the Millennium Development Goals lacked accountability mechanisms, with no reference to meaningful engagement with rights holders, access to justice or the realization of the right to adequate housing as would have been the case had human rights been used to unite the Goal under a common framework for their implementation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 76e
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur recommends that the urban rights agenda should:] Reflect the experiences of city residents and establish a process of ongoing participation and engagement, particularly with those who currently lack access to adequate housing. Access to justice should be ensured for all aspects of the right to adequate housing. Human rights institutions, ombudspersons and other human rights bodies should be actively engaged in promoting and protecting the right to housing at the city level;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 76i
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur recommends that the urban rights agenda should:] Commit to security of tenure for all households, including all residents of informal settlements. The guiding principles on security of tenure for the urban poor (A/HRC/25/54, sect. II) should be directly incorporated, particularly with respect to strengthening diverse tenure forms, prioritizing in situ solutions, promoting the social function of property, promoting women's security of tenure and ensuring access to justice;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- The allocation of responsibilities to subnational and local governments is rarely static. Various levels of government, development agencies, financial institutions, private actors, community-based organizations and other relevant stakeholders continually redefine the relationships among themselves in order to respond to new challenges or to improve the effectiveness of programmes and policies. While the reallocation of responsibilities may move in either direction - from the centre to the local level or from the local to the central Government - the general trend since the early 1990s has been one of decentralization.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Decentralization - the transfer of authority and responsibility for public functions from the central Government to intermediate and local governments - has been advocated as a means to enhance participatory democracy and transparency. It is generally promoted on the basis of the principle of "subsidiarity", which asserts that public responsibilities should be exercised by those elected authorities who are closest to the people. Decentralization has often been linked to privatization and market deregulation, but such phenomena need not be associated with decentralization and in fact, may run counter to the principle of democratization that is advanced as its primary benefit.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Three types of decentralization have generally been distinguished: a) political decentralization, which transfers power or authority away from the central Government; b) fiscal decentralization, which shifts financial resources to more local governments; and c) administrative decentralization, which moves the administration of programmes and policies to more local authorities. It is generally agreed that all three forms of decentralization need to occur together for successful outcomes, generally moving from transfer of political authority, through transfer of resources to transfer of administration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Decentralization has been strongly promoted in the area of housing. The Habitat Agenda, adopted at the second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in Istanbul in 1996, affirmed that "Governments should strive to decentralize shelter policies and their administration to subnational and local levels within the national framework, whenever possible and as appropriate". Proponents of decentralization in housing related programmes have argued that it enables local participation in housing management and decision-making, avoids excessive bureaucracy, allows sensitivity to local needs, draws on local capacities, increases transparency and local control and allows for more creative and innovative programming.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- Seoul, in the Republic of Korea, has named itself a human rights city, having adopted an ordinance in 2012 to protect and promote human rights for its citizens. The ordinance establishes a Human Rights Division within the city government, human rights policies, a Committee on Human Rights and a Human Rights Ombudsperson to ensure access to remedies for rights violations. The Ombudsman has become a model for other local governments in the country. With respect to housing, Seoul has adopted measures and guidelines, particularly on forced evictions, to protect its residents. The guidelines are based on general comment No. 7 on forced evictions of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and prohibit evictions in winter or at night and require civil servants to be present to monitor any human rights violations when executing an eviction and to provide adequate remedies to those who are evicted, among others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The most recent estimates available indicate there may be 100 million children living in the streets. This is the result of dire situations: abuse at home, extreme poverty, family break-up, and displacement or homelessness. They live perilous lives under a constant threat of violence from the public as well as from police authorities. They are malnourished, have no access to sanitation facilities and often sleep rough. Their vulnerability to sexual exploitation brings with it many threats to life, including sexually transmitted diseases. The indignity and suffering that homeless people and street connected children experience in their daily lives cannot be overestimated. In several studies, children in street situations express a grave bleakness about their lives, indicating that they feel they have no future at all.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 21c
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur has identified a number of common challenges experienced at the local level with respect to the implementation of the right to adequate housing:] Overlapping, unclear and conflicting web of responsibilities: In countries with large and rapidly expanding urban and peri-urban populations, there is often a complex web of overlapping and colliding responsibilities between different levels of government and between local governments. It is very difficult to ensure accountability to human rights obligations if there is a lack of clarity about which levels of government are responsible for what. In many cases there is tension between the interests of national and local and other subnational governments regarding priorities. Those in need of housing are caught in the middle, with no level of government assuming responsibility. In some other cases, lack of clarity or multiple layers create power vacuums and can become a fertile ground for abuse of authority.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 21d
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur has identified a number of common challenges experienced at the local level with respect to the implementation of the right to adequate housing:] Protectionism and discrimination: When communities define themselves around a local identity, there can be a tendency to exclude perceived "outsiders", such as migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and ethnic, religious or other minorities. That often leads to discriminatory barriers in accessing and maintaining adequate housing and related programmes. Scapegoating, stigmatization and discrimination against homeless people can also be more pronounced at the local level, where communities may define themselves as homogeneous and coalesce to drive disadvantaged groups out of local communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Viewed through a human rights lens, from the perspective of those whose right to housing is at stake, those common challenges facing local governments or housing providers can be seen as barriers to the realization of rights. Those who are disproportionately affected by the challenges identified tend to be the most marginalized groups - those whose right to housing is most at risk. It is those groups who suffer most when local governments lack capacity or resources, when there is an absence of local human rights accountability, when local government becomes protectionist and exclusionary, and it is those groups who often confront the most complex web of governmental decision-making and authority, with the least information available to them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- The situation of residents of informal settlements in many cities around the world illustrates how allocation of responsibilities among different levels of government plays out in peoples' lives. For example, a recent study considers the situation of residents of the Mukuru settlement in Nairobi. They live in windowless shacks on privately held land without sewage or water infrastructure. They have been unable to determine title through local governments and therefore lack security of tenure, rendering them ineligible to apply for basic water, sewers or electricity. With the Kenyan Constitution now recognizing "the right to accessible and adequate housing and to reasonable standards of sanitation", the challenge for local residents is to claim their rights within a complex web of regulatory schemes and decisions applied by an array of governmental actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- As noted by the former Special Rapporteur on adequate housing in the report on her mission to Indonesia (A/HRC/25/54/Add.1), as a result of decentralization, significant powers have been partially devolved to the provinces, districts and municipalities. However, the decentralization of planning and land administration did not appear supported by institutional capacity, resources or organizational tools (paras. 10-11). During her mission she identified many of the obstacles to the implementation of the right to adequate housing associated with decentralization when it is not properly informed by human rights, such as "the fragmentation of programmes between various agencies and the inefficiencies of existing coordinating mechanisms" (para. 25) and the limited capacity of local governments to provide alternative housing to people who had been evicted from their homes (para. 51).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Housing First has recently emerged as a dominant model for responses to homelessness in countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The model is straightforward, providing chronically homeless people, for example, those with psychosocial disabilities, with housing and support as needed. There are obvious benefits of keeping people in their communities as opposed to providing treatment services without housing, and this model offers easily measured outcomes. At the same time, concerns have been raised that Housing First may not serve as a generalized model as it tends to focus on visible forms of homelessness and does not address systemic causes of homelessness or ensure rehabilitation and production of affordable housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- State compliance with the right to adequate housing must ultimately be assessed in relation to the circumstances of rights-holders. A human rights framework for addressing the financialization of housing must challenge the way in which accountability to the needs of communities and the human rights obligations of Governments has been replaced with accountability to markets and investors. Mechanisms must be established for rights-holders to be fully heard and engaged in decisions that affect them. States must ensure that financial institutions and investors are responsive to the needs of marginalized communities, behave in a manner that is consistent with the full realization of the right to adequate housing and provide complaints procedures and access to effective remedies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has suggested that the obligation to fulfil incorporates both an obligation to facilitate and an obligation to provide. In the context of the critical relationship between housing and financial markets, the articulation of a State's fulfilment obligation to not only provide housing when needed but also to facilitate the implementation of the right to housing is helpful in capturing the wide range of States' obligations to ensure that financial markets and the actions of private investors work towards the realization of the right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Claims have recently been brought against the Dominican Republic and Panama, for example, on the basis that government decisions to cancel planned luxury developments in order to protect indigenous territories or environmental resources violated investors' rights under bilateral investment treaties. The Government of Mauritius is currently being taken to arbitration by a group of property development companies from the United Kingdom that invested in luxury real estate developments in Mauritius and are now seeking damages for a decision on the part of the Government to change its planning policy to restrict such developments.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- The mere threat of those kinds of claims can have a directive effect on State housing policy. Investment treaty arbitration frequently involves millions of dollars in damages, and thus acts as a disincentive for States to enact and enforce any regulatory measures restricting the profitability of housing or real estate assets purchased by foreign investors. Those whose right to adequate housing may have been infringed by States' failures to regulate the activities and speculative profits of foreign investors, on the other hand, have few if any avenues of redress, and certainly no ability to seek damages in the amounts claimed by private investors. The imbalance in access to remedies creates an imbalance in State accountability and priorities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The housing sector in the global South has not been subject to extensive financing of homeownership. Only about 17 per cent of the population in Botswana, Kenya, Namibia and Zambia, for example, would be eligible for mortgage finance based on existing criteria. Low-income, informal and indigenous communities have nevertheless experienced, first-hand, the power of financial corporations to appropriate land and real estate and to generate vast disparities in wealth by treating housing and land as commodities. The displacement of Garifuna communities by model cities containing luxury developments for tourists and wealthy residents in Honduras is an example of the kinds of displacements of communities and forced evictions that are occurring in many countries (see A/HRC/33/42/Add.2, para. 56). Many local and national governments looking for capital investment have opted to sell land to major developers at the expense of indigenous and impoverished communities and those living in precarious housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- It is also important to supplement data on services used by homeless people with estimates of those who are homeless but do not access services. When homelessness is assessed by counting the number of people sleeping in shelters or using services, improvements in those services may appear to increase the number of homeless, when in fact lower numbers simply reflect some improvements in meeting emergency needs. On the other hand, some cities have denied services as a punitive means of attempting to reduce the numbers of homeless in their jurisdiction. In those cases, lower numbers of people in homeless shelters is evidence of a serious violation of human rights. It is always important, therefore, to look behind numbers. Policies and accountability measures based exclusively on raw numbers are inadequate or incomplete from a human rights standpoint. Raw numbers may perpetuate exclusion and invisibility and fail to identify changes in the nature or experience of homelessness.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Housing and urban real estate have become the commodity of choice for corporate finance, a "safety deposit box" for the wealthy, a repository of capital and excess liquidity from emerging markets and a convenient place for shell companies to stash their money with very little transparency. In addition, corporate tax havens that generate massive amounts of profit immune from taxation, estimated at 30 per cent of global gross domestic product, are particularly attracted to housing and real estate. In most countries, residential investment provides many tax advantages, so that the housing system itself provides a tax haven for the rich (see A/67/286, pp. 11-12).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Some Governments have chosen to encourage a more inclusive approach to private investment in housing in the form of financial incentives to encourage the development of affordable units. The Government of Algeria, for example, finances the development of rental housing for households earning less than 1.5 times the minimum wage, on free government land. It also provides a lease-to-own programme for households with little down-payment capacity. Other Governments require that developers include a proportion of affordable units. The Mayor of London recently announced that builders will be required to ensure that 35 per cent of new homes that are built are genuinely affordable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In many developing and emerging economies, the World Bank and other international and regional financial institutions continue to actively promote the financialization of housing as the dominant strategy for addressing the critical need for housing, despite evidence that such strategies fail to provide housing options to the households that are most in need, and lead to greater socioeconomic inequality. World Bank development programmes concentrate on what they consider to be the building blocks of housing finance such as title registration, foreclosure procedures, lending regulations, long-term funding instruments, and improving the liquidity of mortgage assets in order to reduce the costs of credit-risk underwriting for investors. Those policies, combined in many cases with austerity measures that reduce social protection and housing programmes, have meant that development programmes frequently support the emergence of a financialized housing system that may be at odds with States' obligations to prioritize the needs of those in the most desperate circumstances.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- The excessive financialization of housing is directly related to systemic patterns of inequality in investment treaties and in domestic law that fail to recognize the paramountcy of human rights over investor interests and deny access to justice for those whose right to housing is at stake. Ensuring meaningful accountability of financial institutions and private actors to the right to housing will require a significant transformation of current systems of law and accountability and new avenues of access to justice at the local, national and international levels.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Massive investment of capital into housing markets and rising prices should not be confused with the production of housing and the benefits that accrue from it. The bulk of real estate transactions of that sort do not create needed housing or long-term secure employment. When rented homes or mortgages are owned by remote investors, money mostly flows out of communities and simply creates greater global concentration of wealth. The new corporate interest in developing rental properties from homes sold in foreclosures has also raised concerns that there is a greater incentive to pursue foreclosures rather than modify a loan agreement to avoid an unnecessary eviction. The proliferation of foreign and domestic investment in short-term rental properties, such as for Airbnb, in countries like Portugal, has contributed to escalating prices of housing and changes to the make-up of neighbourhoods, without creating affordable housing or other benefits for the local population.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- What is so stark about the pouring of those vast amounts of money into housing is that hardly any of it is directed towards ameliorating the insufferable housing conditions in which millions live. If even a portion of those amounts was directed towards affordable housing and access to credit for people in need of it, target 11.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure adequate housing for all by 2030, would be well within reach. Financialization under current regimes, however, creates the opposite effect: unaccountable markets that do not respond to housing need, and urban centres that become the sole preserve of those with wealth.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 77d
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur suggests that the way forward requires a shift to take hold so that States ensure that all investment in housing recognizes its social function and States' human rights obligations in that regard. That requires a transformation of the relationship between the State and the financial sector, whereby human rights implementation becomes the overriding goal, not a subsidiary or neglected obligation. The Special Rapporteur believes that can be achieved with more constructive engagement and dialogue between States, human rights actors, international and domestic financial regulatory bodies, private equity firms and major investors. In order to create those new conversations and achieve that shift, the Special Rapporteur recommends the following:] Business and human rights guidelines should, on a priority basis, be developed specifically for financial actors operating in the housing system;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Many residential rental properties are now owned by bondholders or holders of public stock with no direct connection to properties. It is difficult to know who is accountable for human rights when the owner of housing is a multibillion dollar fund, bondholders, public stockholders or a nameless corporate shell. Tenants living in housing owned by absentee corporate landlords have complained of sharp increases in rent, inadequate maintenance and conditions as a result of substandard renovations that have been undertaken quickly to flip the home into rentals, and an inability to hold anyone accountable for those conditions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Increased prices of housing and real estate assets have become key drivers in the creation of greater wealth inequality. Those who own property in prime urban locations have become richer, while lower-income households confronting the escalating costs of housing become poorer. Surveys of ultra-high-net-worth individuals show that more than half have increased the proportion of their investments allocated to residential properties, with the most common reasons being in order to sell at a later date and to provide a safe haven for wealth. The "economics of inequality", in fact, may be explained in large part by the inequalities of wealth generated by housing and real estate investments. Buying a home with a mortgage becomes a speculative investment depending on volatile financial markets, which may generate considerable wealth on leveraged equity or, alternatively, deprive households of a lifetime of savings.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Financialized housing markets create and thrive on gentrification and the appropriation of public value for private wealth. Improved services, schools or parks in an impoverished neighbourhood attract investment, which then drives residents out. The transformation of an old railway line in West Chelsea in Manhattan into a public walkway and park has attracted wealthy investors to a mixed income neighbourhood, radically transforming it with luxury housing units costing in the multimillions, and displacing longer term residents. In Vancouver, the opening of new public transport facilities in Burnaby, one of the few remaining areas of affordable rental housing, has quickly led to the development of expensive condominium towers, displacing residents who have not only lived there for decades, but also invested in developing their community.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Despite the growing attention to the importance of business and human rights and despite the fact that housing represents the largest global business sector, very little attention has been paid to the obligations of business enterprises and financial corporations operating in the real estate and housing sector with respect to the right to adequate housing. The "Practical guide to ESG integration for equity investing", for example, makes no reference to human rights in relation to investments in housing and other real estate. The International Organization of Securities Commissions, whose members regulate more than 95 per cent of the world's capital markets, has not addressed the central role that human rights in general and the right to housing in particular should play in the regulation of capital markets.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Policy responses to the financialization of housing have tended to prioritize support for financial institutions over responding to the needs of those whose right to adequate housing is at stake. Spending on bailouts of banks and financial institutions after the 2008 financial crisis far outstripped spending to provide assistance to the victims of the crisis. In fact, many national Governments made substantial cuts to their housing programmes. As noted above, the World Bank continues to promote "financial liberalization" rather than active State intervention in housing provision in emerging economies, despite the evidence that financialization generally increases inequality and fails to address the needs of the millions of households living in situations of homelessness or grossly inadequate informal housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- By contrast, a number of reconstruction projects worldwide have attempted to see the reconstruction process "as an opportunity to promote a local development process" rather than being limited to restoring pre-disaster conditions - the participation of communities being essential in that regard.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur is concerned that victims of violations of rights to adequate housing by local and other subnational governments are often denied access to justice or effective remedies, even where constitutional provisions exist.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 22
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Homelessness for persons with disabilities is also linked to the breakdown of family relationships. A study in Montreal, Canada, of homeless persons with intellectual disabilities found that almost all individuals who lived on the street or in shelters had had no contact with their families since becoming homeless. On mission in Chile, the Special Rapporteur visited a homeless shelter run by the Salvation Army in Valparaiso where many of the residents were persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities who had been shunned or abandoned by their families.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 24
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Water, sanitation and hygiene facilities are often inaccessible and located some distance from the home. Those with mobility impairments may be dependent on assistance or forced to drag themselves along the ground to reach the facilities. In many situations, persons with disabilities are simply unable to gain access to toilets, must defecate in their homes and are often unable to remove waste. Streets or alleys in informal settlements are often sand, gravel or mud, sometimes built into steep cliffs and hill-sides, and are not accessible to persons in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 75
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- In its recent white paper on the rights of persons with disabilities, the Department of Social Services of South Africa called for a comprehensive strategy to realize the right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities consistent with the transformative nature of the constitutional right to housing, including supported community living plans, subsidized housing support, universal design as a requirement in infrastructure grants and a sustainable community-based system for support for independent living. In the white paper, emphasis was laid on the critical importance of strengthening the enforcement of existing legislation, improving access to courts, complaints mechanisms and institutions and strengthening the capacity of institutions such as the South African Human Rights Commission and of organizations for persons with disabilities to support persons with disabilities in gaining access to justice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 31
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Conflict and displacement also give rise to increased numbers of persons with disabilities. In Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Gaza Strip, for example, conflict has contributed to high numbers of persons with disabilities. At the same time, in each of those places, adequate, accessible housing is extremely scarce, with housing stock having been destroyed and a lack of access or specific policies blocking access to the materials and resources necessary to rebuild homes. In refugee camps, poorly lit and remotely located latrines can lead to difficult access and experiences of sexual violence for women with disabilities, while crowded, narrow walkways can result in persons with visual impairments falling into open sewers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 79
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Subnational and local governments have also initiated important efforts to address the right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities. Article XIV (1) of the World Charter for the Right to the City provides for universal realization of the right to housing and emphasizes the need for accessible and suitable locations. In article X of the Global Charter-Agenda for Human Rights in the City, it is recommended that cities adopt regulations to ensure the accessibility of housing for persons with disabilities. Some cities have sought to initiate inclusive zoning policies to prevent restrictions on supportive housing. Others have adopted measures to address affordability, such as housing benefits and/or allowances, grants or loans for required adaptations, lower interest rates on housing loans and reduced housing taxes for families with a family member with a disability.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 36
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- In the Convention, a broad and substantive concept of the right to equality and non-discrimination is affirmed. Prohibited discrimination includes any distinction, exclusion or restriction on the basis of disability that has the purpose or effect of impairing or nullifying the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to adequate housing. As such, the provision extends to any failures to address systemic inequality in access to adequate housing, including those relating to inadequate services, insufficient social protection and a lack of affordable housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 37
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- The right to non-discrimination also requires Governments and private actors to take positive measures to reasonably accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities insofar as such accommodation is “necessary and appropriate” and does not impose a “disproportionate or undue burden”. Reasonable accommodation is not restricted to physical modifications to existing housing. It also includes an obligation to adapt the application of laws and policies. As a component of the right to non-discrimination, reasonable accommodation is considered an immediate obligation of States.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 38
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Equality and non-discrimination are crucial for the realization of the right to housing of persons with disabilities under article 28. States must take positive measures to the maximum of available resources to address systemic homelessness and deprivation of housing, which disproportionately affects persons with disabilities, and to strive towards the full realization of the right to adequate housing for all persons with disabilities. In the Convention, it is made abundantly clear that the right to non-discrimination of persons with disabilities is not simply a negative right, requiring Governments and private actors to refrain from actions that exclude persons with disabilities, but also a positive right, requiring them to take measures to ensure the enjoyment of the right to housing. As Andrea Broderick notes, “the intersection of equality and socioeconomic rights in the [Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities] may provide a key to unlocking the structural inequalities which disabled people, and by extension other marginalised groups, have encountered for too long now”.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- In 1994, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights made an important advance with the adoption of general comment No. 5 (1994) on persons with disabilities. The Committee noted that an estimated 70 per cent of persons with disabilities worldwide lacked access to the services that they required and that “there is no country in which a major policy and programme effort is not required”. It emphasized that States were required “to take positive action to reduce structural disadvantage … in order to achieve the objectives of full participation and equality within society for all persons with disabilities” and that that included the right to support services for living in the community and to housing that was accessible, with additional resources made available.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 66
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- In a decision adopted in 2008, the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered the release of all persons who were imprisoned because of psychosocial disabilities, in keeping with the right to equality, health and a dignified life. The Court directed the Government to enact a law to protect the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities and to arrange health services and other necessary measures. Local and international organizations have continued to exert pressure on the Government to implement the Court’s order in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In a decision adopted in 2012, the Court ordered the Government to provide a monthly stipend, build shelters and appoint a social welfare worker in each district.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- In some countries, Governments have adopted commendable policies to thwart unfair treatment against migrant tenants and prevent discrimination against non citizens trying to rent an apartment. In Canada, the Ontario Human Rights Commission adopted a policy on housing and human rights according to which tenants cannot be refused on grounds of citizenship or refugee status. The policy is also aimed at prohibiting harassment against tenants on those grounds (see A/HRC/14/30, para. 68).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 64.5
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur makes the following recommendations:] Communities and settlements, not just houses, should be rebuilt or resettled: Reconstruction should not only apply to physical structures but should also include or prioritize, as appropriate and according to the needs and requests of affected persons, the rebuilding or setting up of basic infrastructure and services and the upgrading of settlements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In the private market, undocumented migrants find it difficult to rent a house or to access a mortgage in order to purchase a property. When they are able to rent, the accommodation is usually provided at an exploitative price and is in very poor condition; they are relegated to certain neighbourhoods with often insufficient access to facilities or services. However, for those people with irregular status, there is often no alternative but to accept any conditions, even if substandard, and to pay whatever price is requested.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 68a (iii)
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur calls for a paradigm shift from the financialization of housing to a human rights-based approach to housing policies. In that context, she makes the following recommendations:] States should promote various forms of tenure: States should refrain from focusing their housing policies on finance schemes with predominantly regressive effects, such as mortgage interest rate subsidies or tax exemptions;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 68b (i)
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur calls for a paradigm shift from the financialization of housing to a human rights-based approach to housing policies. In that context, she makes the following recommendations:] Rental tenure should be encouraged: A well-functioning rental sector with both private renting and social components is critical to a sustainable housing system. States should therefore support and encourage the development of both a private and social rental sector;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Legislation and gender-sensitive housing law, policy and programming are only the first step. Even where good laws and policies are in place, an important challenge remains in translating them fully into practice. Unfortunately, in terms of implementation, progress has remained slow. Indeed, during the consultation process for this report, it became clear that even in places where good laws exist, discriminatory social and customary norms continue to hinder the enjoyment of women's right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- With these gaps in mind, awareness-raising programmes and campaigns aimed at the general public ought to be launched, so as to challenge discriminatory attitudes which may be widely shared. Such programmes and campaigns should actively promote women's equality in all matters related to housing and land and combat these discriminatory attitudes within the broader society, which should be addressed through media campaigns, public education and outreach, and discussion of these issues within public forums.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Three main housing financing mechanisms (sub-prime mortgage loans, demand-side subsidies and housing microfinance) have been promoted to specifically facilitate the access of lower-income households to housing finance, promoting homeownership. These policies have been implemented in the context of a changing role of the State from supplier of affordable housing to enabler of housing and financial markets.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Housing finance policies based on credit are inherently discriminatory against lower-income households, and at their best increase housing affordability for upper- and middle-income groups. Housing finance policies often "redline" the poor, who are required to pay much higher prices for financial services, exposing them to financial risks inherent to global financial markets and indebtedness.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The focus on the financial aspects of housing has led to the conceptualization of housing as an asset and commodity, distributed only by market forces. However, even when gaining access to credit, low-income groups have no capacity to negotiate credit conditions or housing typologies and are forced to comply with the housing solutions allocated by the economic and profitability considerations of the housing market.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 71d
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur calls for a paradigm shift from housing policies based on the financialization of housing to a human rights-based approach to housing policies. In this context, she makes the following recommendations:] Housing policies should redress discrimination in access to adequate housing and promote the realization of the right to adequate housing for the most disadvantaged groups;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Some innovative planning regulations exist to secure tenure for the most marginalized. A significant example is the Brazilian "Special Zones of Social Interest" (ZEIS). ZEIS is a planning instrument, based on the constitutional recognition of the social function of property, regulating the use and occupation, for social housing purposes, of public or private properties. It is used to recognize existing informal settlements as well as to define unoccupied areas of the city as areas for social housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Finally, an issue relevant to any planning is the role of planning policies and related institutions in supporting initiatives by communities of the urban poor and community-driven upgrading. In many countries, urban poor associations have been very successful in gaining access to secure housing and land. However, community initiatives without clear government support can be limited to areas that are not contested (for example, of low land value) while communities supported can be vulnerable to evictions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur has addressed only some of the areas that present challenges, as well as opportunities, to truly and comprehensively ensure security of tenure, irrespective of tenure arrangements and without any discrimination. There are others. The Special Rapporteur looks forward to continuing discussions with a wide range of stakeholders on the priority areas that States, with the international community, should address, to make security of tenure a reality for all.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- More than ever, civil society organizations are applying international human rights principles to specific national circumstances and using the United Nations human rights system, including treaty monitoring bodies and the universal periodic review, to promote the development of authoritative interpretations and applications of the right to adequate housing that address national and local challenges and clarify States' human rights obligations in these contexts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- The present report has outlined a number of reflections as well as key thematic priorities for the Special Rapporteur at the start of her mandate. She will present her first thematic report to the Human Rights Council in accordance with its annual programme of work, at its twenty-eighth session. The Special Rapporteur welcomes comments, contributions and suggestions regarding the present report and looks forward to engaging in further consultation with States and all relevant stakeholders.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- In the context of housing, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has established that national level housing strategies based on human rights are a critical component of ensuring the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing. The Special Rapporteur notes that subnational and local strategies based on human rights with measureable goals, timelines and complaints procedures, properly coordinated with national strategies, are equally critical to the realization of the right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Effective implementation of the right to adequate housing cannot be achieved without the proactive involvement of local and subnational governments. Just as there are key responsibilities assigned or delegated to local and subnational governments within their domestic spheres of competence, there are also obligations to which they are bound in international human rights law as related to the right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- It remains imperative to promote and continue to develop international norms that are appropriate to subnational levels of government. The reasonableness standard and the innovative approaches to structural remedies that have emerged from domestic courts offer other jurisdictions a useful framework for engaging the obligations of local and other subnational governments to progressively realize the right to adequate housing without discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 9c
- Paragraph text
- [Urban poor individuals and communities are essential actors in strengthening tenure security. States should be accountable to the urban poor for the implementation of these guiding principles by, inter alia:] Guaranteeing free, informed and meaningful participation of the urban poor in the design and implementation of measures to secure their tenure status;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 10b
- Paragraph text
- [Tenure status should not pose a barrier to people in accessing an effective remedy for the violation of human rights. States must ensure access to effective administrative and /or judicial remedies for violations of the right to adequate housing, due to, inter alia:] Discrimination on the basis of any prohibited ground in the enjoyment of security of tenure;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Dichotomies of legal/illegal, formal/informal and deserving/undeserving applied in the global South parallel the criminalization of homelessness in northern countries. The urban poor are made "illegal" and "encroachers" by the denial of fair access to land and legal status or title. People who have been rendered homeless in urban centres are relocated to city peripheries and deprived of economic opportunities and social networks, a process that has been labelled "socio-spatial stigmatization".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 82b (i)
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- [In that regard, the Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations:] [Courts, tribunals and national human rights institutions should:] Interpret and apply domestic law in accordance with the right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities and in particular recognize that the rights to life, liberty, substantive equality and non-discrimination require Governments to address homelessness, provide support for living in the community and respond to the diverse housing needs of persons with disabilities;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Much work remains to be done to harmonize law with practice-both fields have much to learn from each other. The ultimate objective is to ensure that legislation and a wide range of practices and policies are available and effective to recognize, record and protect all forms of tenure that are legitimate under international human rights law, on par with one another, and protect holders of those tenure rights equally.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 2h
- Paragraph text
- [In order to improve security of tenure, especially for vulnerable and marginalized persons and groups living in urban poor settlements, States, including relevant authorities, should take the following measures:] Allocate sufficient funds to ministries, municipalities and local governments for the implementation of these measures; and
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- More recently, international institutions have become increasingly aware of the limitations of strategies based predominantly on the formalization of urban land markets and have recognized that there is a variety of tenure instruments that can be employed. However this trend has not permeated all spheres of practice and policy. A number of agencies and governments still adhere to a preponderant focus on private property ownership, with debatable results.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Other forms of tenure are barely discussed. For instance, collective tenure-other than that held by indigenous peoples-warrants further examination. It is also unclear what State obligations are with respect to tenancy. Should States adopt a framework of tenant protection? How should tenants' rights be balanced with the rights of property owners? What are the limits within which tenants' rights or the rights of holders of other forms of tenure can be ensured?
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 17b
- Paragraph text
- [In light of these considerations, the Special Rapporteur proposes the following three-dimensional approach anchored in human rights:] The second dimension considers homelessness as a form of systemic discrimination and social exclusion, recognizing that being deprived of a home gives rise to a social identity through which "the homeless" is constituted as a social group subject to discrimination and stigmatization;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Homelessness disproportionately affects persons with disabilities. In a vicious circle, disability often leads to homelessness and homelessness, in turn, creates or exacerbates impairments and additional barriers linked to stigma and isolation. Of the homeless adults in shelters in the United States of America, 43 per cent have a disability. Persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities are particularly vulnerable to homelessness and its effects.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 34
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- “Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one’s own choices, and independence of persons” is a guiding principle set forth in article 3 (a) of the Convention that is particularly critical in the interpretation of the right to adequate housing. The deprivation of choice of where and with whom to live is often the most critical assault on dignity and autonomy for persons with disabilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing of persons with disabilities 2017, para. 56
- Original document
- Paragraph text
- Persons with disabilities frequently have critical needs in relation to the location of housing in order to ensure access to work, accessible transportation, support services and health-care facilities. Patterns of displacement of low-income communities to the peripheries of cities have disproportionately affected persons with disabilities. Such displacement and isolation are contrary to the right to housing and other human rights of persons with disabilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- States should elaborate and adopt a national housing strategy that establishes the objectives and available resources, time frame and responsibilities for the development of appropriate housing conditions that include the needs of migrants. In addition, States should ensure that laws, strategies and plans of action are implemented in such a way as to address discrimination by public and private actors, in particular with regard to the right to adequate housing, and take account of the situation of documented and undocumented migrants. State policies should include special measures and incentives to change the attitudes of public and private actors towards migrants. States should frequently review the regulations governing housing allocation in the public and private spheres and adopt effective inspection and enforcement mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Measures to ensure access to adequate housing for migrants require effective universal housing policies, in addition to specific policy measures addressed to migrants. Targeted policies are necessary to make up for deficiencies in the market and the public provision of housing and to ensure equal access where embedded discriminatory practices prevent this from happening. Effective targeted policies require a reliable assessment of the housing needs of migrants, conducted in consultation with them. Matching the elaboration of universal policies inclusive of migrants with the adoption of special plans to address their particular housing challenges is thus recommended to help foster the real integration of migrants into the community and to promote the enjoyment of their right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Non-discrimination and equality provisions are thus critical components of the right to adequate housing and crucial for the advancement of migrants. As a key principle of international human rights law, non-discrimination is central to a human rights approach to housing, especially considering the often inadequate housing conditions of migrants. The effective realization of the right to housing through the enforcement of non-discrimination and equality principles is essential to allow migrants to lead dignified lives and participate fully as members of society.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- With regard to the responsibility of private actors to respect human rights, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, John Ruggie, has developed a framework to guide the business and human rights agenda, which is based on three principles: the State duty to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights and the need for more effective access to remedies for victims. Corporate responsibility requires specific human rights due diligence (to become aware of, prevent and mitigate the adverse human rights impact of activities and relationships of companies), and the provision of grievance mechanisms for victims of human rights abuses (see A/HRC/11/13).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Non-discrimination and equality also imply that States have the obligation to recognize and care for the differences and specific needs of groups that suffer particular housing challenges or that have been historically discriminated against in terms of access to housing and essential services by the State or private actors. Therefore, the obligation to ensure non-discrimination requires positive measures of protection to be applied to particular groups, even in times of emergency or financial constraint (see E/C.12/GC/20, paras. 9, 12 and 13).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Migrants' access to housing is deeply affected by their economic status. It is important to make the distinction between: (a) migrants entering the host country as highly skilled professionals, with formal employment, high or middle incomes and access to pension and other social security schemes; and (b) migrants employed in low-skilled, irregular, seasonal and hazardous work, with low wages and no social security. The first group of migrants often have legal and economic access to purchase or rent high-quality accommodation in well-located neighbourhoods with full access to services, infrastructure and facilities. For migrants working in low-paid informal jobs, mostly in construction, tourism, care and domestic work, the situation is very different, as their salaries and irregular working conditions usually hamper their access to the housing market on the same footing as locals. The following section will focus on the housing conditions of the latter group of migrants.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Migrant workers often live in small private rented rooms or flats, properties arranged or provided by employers, slum dwellings, overcrowded houses of relatives and friends or sometimes social housing. They usually face discrimination and numerous obstacles in accessing private and public housing. Lack of information about housing alternatives and schemes, bureaucratic procedures, regulations in the housing sphere and tenants' rights often combine to make it difficult for migrants to pursue adequate housing even when national and local legislation does not prevent them from doing so. Moreover, on many occasions language constraints make these tasks harder or even impossible.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Many migrant workers live in accommodations provided by their employers. In some countries, employers of migrant workers are required to provide them with housing. Such housing often lacks the necessary infrastructure, space and maintenance, however. In some cases migrant workers are housed in unfinished buildings, in shacks, in the open air or in metal containers with insufficient ventilation, electricity and sanitary infrastructure. On occasion, employers request a high percentage of the worker's salary to cover accommodation costs, even if the housing is substandard.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The segregation within the urban structure of the hosting territory is another dimension of migrant housing conditions: stereotyping, xenophobia and suspicion against migrants and the erection of barriers to keep them away from the local community foster the exclusion of migrants from the urban space. Segregation is also a consequence of insufficient access to social housing and services, which denies migrants access to fully serviced neighbourhoods, confining them to unserviced and unplanned areas with poor conditions and insufficient infrastructure and further fragmenting cities and fostering spatial clustering. Moreover, the need for undocumented migrants to remain invisible to authorities and the desire of all migrants to increase protection among members of each national community and to receive assistance from relatives and friends encourages ghettoized urban spaces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- For example, in Johannesburg, South Africa, insufficient affordable housing has led to the concentration of West African migrants in a few inner-city areas and highly skilled migrants in gated neighbourhoods in the north of the city. In Padua, Italy, a fence 3 metres high and 80 metres long was built to separate the Via Anelli neighbourhood, where many migrants concentrated after being denied access to social housing elsewhere. In Berlin, Germany, Turkish "guest workers" are often found in certain neighbourhoods. In Istanbul, Turkey, undocumented migrants tend to be concentrated in a few run-down neighbourhoods in the centre of the city where there are more informal employment opportunities and greater invisibility.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- However, existing guidance with respect to disaster situations has given little attention to the right to adequate housing. When reference to the right is made it is limited, with the right narrowed down to the need to provide shelter, housing or to aspects related to protection. The few attempts to discuss the right in a more comprehensive manner have remained at the level of an individual organization's guidance and not in the form of authoritative policies of broad application. Equally, United Nations human rights mechanisms have, with notable exceptions, not addressed the specificities of disaster situations and their impacts on the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing or other human rights, remaining at the level of generalities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The 2005 Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons ("Pinheiro Principles") go one step further by recognizing a distinct "right to restitution" (covering housing, land and/or other property) for refugees and displaced persons. An important question is whether the Pinheiro Principles apply to post-disaster situations. The intention seemed to have been that they should apply, the central idea behind principle 1.2 being that people who are displaced - regardless of the reason for their displacement - are similarly situated and have a right to return to their places of habitual residence and thereby to restitution. On that basis, some interpret the Principles as applicable to all situations of natural disaster. However, others point out that the Principles are explicitly limited to the "arbitrary or unlawful deprivation" of people's former homes, land or places of habitual residence following displacement.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- This is not to say that the Pinheiro Principles are irrelevant to natural disaster situations. First, they fully apply in actual cases of arbitrary or unlawful deprivation or destruction of housing or land occurring in post-disaster situations, including, arguably, when displaced persons are denied their right to return to their homes (see section IV below), and in cases of unreasonable State failings with respect to disaster preparedness, mitigation or early warning systems. Second, taken as a specification of existing standards pertaining to the rights of displaced persons and refugees to return to their homes, the Principles provide relevant guidance on how best to manage the technical and legal issues associated with housing, land and property restitution, guidance which has since been reflected to varying degrees in policy and practice.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Principles must also be read against the particular context in which they were developed. While drawing on a number of sources, they were shaped by the experience of formal restitution mechanisms operating at the time, in particular in Bosnia and Herzegovina - a context of largely formal registration of private property and of what Yugoslav law called "socially-owned" apartments. The restitution mechanism in Bosnia and Herzegovina, like others, has been criticized for doing little for those who did not own property or did not have recognized formal titles to them, and for being unable to deal with complex, informal systems of tenure with a plurality of customary, state or religious laws.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- A rapid assessment and analysis of pre-existing tenure and property rights systems should be conducted in the immediate aftermath of a disaster or conflict. The aims of this assessment should be: (1) to guide on urgent steps to be taken to protect the right to adequate housing and tenure security of all, but particularly the poorer and marginalized members of society; (2) to identify areas of opportunity where, with the presence and support of bilateral and multilateral international agencies, opportunities could arise for improvement and innovation (for example securing of previously unavailable housing-related rights and entitlements for women); (3) to identify and warn against risk areas where poorly informed actions would result in further housing rights violations. This rapid assessment should be an essential step towards the formulation of a more detailed and comprehensive land management, allocation and registration strategy for sustainable rehabilitation and reconstruction.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Dedicated funding mechanisms or channels should be established to provide resources to initiatives aimed at respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to adequate housing from the very outset of humanitarian operations. In addition, structured capacity-building networks should be created at field level, accompanied by focused operational support. A documented body of evidence on past violations (and their causes) should be produced, made available and developed into guidelines for action.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Credit was increasingly awarded to households that, in normal circumstances, would not be eligible for loans, generating what is known as "sub-prime" loans. Although these lending policies were intended to enable access to housing finance for low-income households previously excluded from the mortgage markets, they are still in effect extremely discriminatory with respect to the poor. Mortgage lenders classify loan applicants according to the risks that they pose to both lenders and investors. Credit scoring facilitates risk-based pricing by allowing lenders to charge higher interest rates for borrowers with low scores (bad risks) and lower interest rates for borrowers with high scores (good risks). Lenders became more willing to issue credit at a relatively high price to higher-risk borrowers. In the United States, a typical sub-prime borrower would pay $5,222 more during the first four years of a $166,000 mortgage than would a similar borrower with a normal mortgage (see A/HRC/10/7).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- The adverse effects of housing credit growth on affordability have also been visible at the macroeconomic scale. Wider access to mortgage loans resulted in higher house prices. In Spain, between 1995 and 2005 housing prices rose 105 per cent, a result of cheap debt and access to global capital for credit (A/HRC/7/16/Add.2, para. 44). A recent IMF analysis confirms the strong positive relationship between house price movements and household credit growth. On average, a 10 per cent increase in household credit is associated with an increase in housing prices of about 6 per cent.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Demand subsidies linked to mortgage finance or savings usually do not target the poor and in effect benefit the better-off (middle- and even upper-middle-income households). Income tax deductions of interest payments or a broad-based interest rate subsidy for mortgage loans tend to be regressive, as they increase with the amount of the loan and benefit those who can afford larger loans more than those with smaller loans. In the Philippines, interest rate subsidies account for 90 per cent of the value of housing subsidies; however, 77 per cent of the country's population cannot afford a formal-sector loan even at subsidized interest rates. Part of these subsidies may also leak out to benefit others in the housing systems and raise the value of existing dwellings and land.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- [Violations of the right to adequate housing can both contribute to and result from armed conflicts and natural disasters. The poorer and marginalized members of society are disproportionately affected. Addressing existing vulnerabilities can play an important role in both preventing and mitigating the impacts of disasters and conflicts. States should therefore:] Urgently step up their efforts to respect, protect and fulfil the right to adequate housing, in all its dimensions, in both urban and rural contexts;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- However, in the 1980s a new finance paradigm emerged, one that appeared to be able to address poverty through the expansion of small, informal-sector income-generating credit: microfinance. Private financial investors became convinced of the profitability of microfinance and came to regard the poor as "bankable". The result has been a dramatic rise since then in the flow of private investment capital (supported by donors, multilateral banks and international organizations) into the microfinance sector and, more recently, into housing finance services adapted to support incremental building processes. The growing commercial presence of major Western banking groups in developing countries and their interest in microfinance (including for housing) has been based on the idea that the "bottom of the pyramid" represents a large untapped market.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- In the past 10 years, a growing number of housing microfinance programmes have been initiated, offering loans to homeowners ranging from $300 to $5,000, frequently with repeat lending opportunities and repayment terms of 1-15 years. In comparison with enterprise microfinance, housing microfinance loans are generally larger and given for longer periods. Housing microfinance loans are also much smaller than mortgage loans, typically granted for shorter terms, and their target population is that not served by formal private or public financial institutions. Owing to their limited scope, housing microfinance loans are used mainly to finance progressive improvements to housing (e.g. building sanitary amenities) and expansions to an existing dwelling, or for the incremental construction of a home.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Housing microfinance is offered by a wide variety of institutions including microfinance agencies, such as Grameen Bank and affiliates of the Accion organization; banks and commercial institutions, such as HDFC Bank in India and the CEMEX company in Mexico (the Patrimonio Hoy programme); and intergovernmental organizations and NGOs specializing in shelter provision, such as the Rural Housing Loan Fund in South Africa and Habitat for Humanity. A distinction can be made between financial institutions offering micro enterprise loans and institutions whose main purpose is improving the shelter situation of the poor, which may or may not be financial institutions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- As is the case with microfinance agencies, most housing microfinance initiatives originate in developing countries and emerging markets. Latin America has the largest housing microfinance portfolio. Housing microfinance is also growing in Asia and, to a lesser extent, in Africa. Examples of lenders include the Kuyasa Fund (South Africa), the Jamii Bora Trust (Kenya), KixiCasa (Angola), PRIDE (United Republic of Tanzania), BRI (Indonesia) and CARD (Philippines). The size of some housing microfinance programmes may be considerable; Grameen Bank, for example, has provided more than 650,000 housing loans. However, housing microfinance portfolios worldwide remain very small relative to GDP and the overall microfinance activity. Housing microfinance is still heavily directed towards existing business loan clients of microfinance institutions and in typical microfinance schemes, the housing portfolio share ranges between 4 per cent and 8 per cent.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Housing microfinance institutions employ diversified and more relaxed collateral strategies compared with traditional mortgage collateral, including co-signers, assignment of future income, payroll deduction, other financial assets such as life insurance, and "social collateral" (borrowers' reputations, or the social networks to which they belong). Some microfinance agencies seek to minimize the need for collateral by using existing client history. Many home microfinance agencies, particularly in Asia and Africa, have savings requirements, which serve both as an assessment of the borrower's repayment capacity and as a means to acquire funds.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The focus on women and the right to adequate housing is not a new topic for the mandate of the Special Rapporteur. Indeed, significant work on women's right to adequate housing was done under the mandate of the Special Rapporteur between 2002 and 2006. The 2006 report on women and the right to adequate housing of the then Special Rapporteur offered the main findings stemming from an important body of thematic research, country missions, regional civil society consultations and information received from Governments and other actors on the status and implementation of this right.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- During that period, regional civil society consultations were held with support from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Those regional consultations highlighted key issues related to women's right to adequate housing, most of which remain relevant today, including women's right to adequate housing and access to land in the context of HIV/AIDS; violence against women and its relationship to housing; the impact of forced evictions on women; gender discrimination in law, custom and practice related to housing (including discriminatory practices with respect to property and inheritance); as well as intersectional discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Those consultations brought to light the specific difficulties that women, in every region, have to face in accessing housing and land. And, to make matters worse, far from being a place of safety and security, the home is too often permeated by violence. Women, those consultations highlighted, were likely to experience physical and sexual assault within the context of forced evictions. They also face insecurity and abuse within their own communities, including domestic violence. While the home should be a place of security, dignity, peace, and equality, for millions of women around the world the right to adequate housing has gone unfulfilled and unrealized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The e-consultation harnessed the participation of approximately 300 organizations, networks, social movements, grassroots groups, advocates, academics, affected women, experts and others from across the world. While many of the issues documented by the earlier reports of the mandate remain relevant today, it is also clear that new challenges have emerged which threaten to turn back the clock for women and their right to adequate housing. At the same time, it is also clear that some notable advances, mainly in the field of new national legislation on women and housing, have occurred in different regions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The impact of housing finance policies on the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty 2012, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Having examined the impact of these policies in various regions of the world, it is the view of the Special Rapporteur that they have largely failed to promote access to adequate housing for the poor. Evidence indicates that housing policies based exclusively on facilitating access to credit for homeownership are incompatible with the full realization of the right to adequate housing of those living in poverty, failing to supply habitable, affordable and well-located housing solutions accessible to the poor.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Similar concerns were also echoed across other regions. For example, in Spain, where foreclosures have soared during the last three years, women participating in the e-consultation reported that poor women and their families have been especially impacted, and that they continue to "experience the devastating effects of the economic crisis at close quarters." As in other countries, those hit the hardest by cuts to social programmes have been those women already marginalized. The consequences of foreclosure for women are similar to what has been documented in terms of the impact of forced evictions, namely increased social isolation, increased exposure to domestic violence, and deepened poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- This negative impact has also certainly been felt by women living in other countries and regions. In Africa, for example, the consultation highlighted that since the onset of the global financial crisis, reductions in foreign aid, as well as foreign direct investments and remittances, have directly resulted in significant cutbacks in national-level housing programmes. In addition, the recent growth in land grabbing and the sale of formerly communal lands to foreign investors has made women's access to land even more difficult, and also jeopardizes directly their rights to adequate housing, water and sanitation, food and health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Gender
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Urgent progress must be made if women are to see improvements in their actual housing situations. However, what we have seen is far from what is required. In fact, within the context of the global financial crisis there has been a worrying move away from human rights standards, such as those requiring allocation of the maximum of available resources towards the realization of the right to adequate housing, or prioritizing marginalized women in all matters related to housing law, policy and programming. Rather, the trend has been towards increased privatization and further deregulation of the housing market, a move which leaves millions of women at the periphery, unable to access adequate housing. This situation not only perpetuates women's poverty, it also reinforces women's second-class status and gender inequality itself.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- While the financial crisis looms heavy, it is important to recognize that some significant legal, policy and judicial progress has been achieved in recent years which increasingly recognizes and protects women's right to adequate housing. This section highlights some of the recent successes in the fight for women's equal right to adequate housing, including on issues related to inheritance, divorce, land and property at international, regional and national levels. While not meant to be a comprehensive account of all of the advancements that have been made, each of the laws, policies, frameworks, decisions and/or judicial decisions highlighted below has had positive attributes from the standpoint of women's right to adequate housing, as well as their right to equality.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- At the international level, the newly created UN-Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, has incorporated a specific goal on increasing women's access to economic empowerment and opportunities. This focus seeks, inter alia, to promote the adoption and implementation of laws and policies that expand women's economic assets and security, including laws and policies to guarantee equal access to land and property. In addition, the recently created Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice has been tasked by the Human Rights Council with promoting and exchanging views on best practices related to the elimination of laws that discriminate against women or are discriminatory to women in terms of implementation or impact. Doing so will contribute to ending gender discrimination in all parts of the world, as well as to ending systemic violations of women's right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the most recent concluding observations adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on Israel for the first time made explicit reference to women's "right to adequate housing." In those concluding observations, the Committee also for the first time made explicit reference to the practice of "forced evictions", urging Israel to "revoke its policies allowing for and refrain from the practice of forced eviction and house demolitions, which negatively impact on the physical and psychological well-being as well as the development and advancement of Palestinian and Israeli Arab women." These recommendations help to conceptually link the contents of general comments 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing and 7 (1997) on forced evictions of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to the non-discrimination and equality protections guaranteed under the Covenant.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Women's right to adequate housing is often denied or ignored within the broader context of family and marriage law. Equality in matters of inheritance is often denied for women and girls on the basis of custom and tradition, whether within the context of the death of a spouse, parent or other relative. This has important ramifications, as inheritance is a primary means by which wealth and resources are transferred within societies, as well as within families. To be excluded from the process of inheritance reinforces women's lack of autonomy and equality, and jeopardizes in a very direct way their right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In applying the law, the courts also have a critical role to play. In Kenya, recent judicial decisions referencing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women have put to rest the persistent conflict between customary legal systems which deny women inheritance of family property on the one hand, and the guarantee of gender equality under the Kenyan Constitution on the other. In the Ntutu case (2008), for example, the Kenyan High Court heard arguments by the sons of the deceased that "Masai customary law of succession … does not recognize the rights of the daughters to inherit the estate of their fathers." Here, the Court applied international human rights law, international covenants and treaties which have been ratified by Kenya, and noted the previous decision of Rono vs. Rono. The Court found "the customary law which shall abrogate the right of daughters to inherit the estate of a father cannot be applicable as it shall be repugnant to justice and morality," and upheld the right of the daughters to inherit equally from the assets of the estate.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Women's right to equality in matters of inheritance is also relevant within the context of Sharia law, the application of which particularly affects women in the Middle East and North Africa. While Sharia law generally supports women's rights to acquire, hold, use, administer and dispose of property, women and girls receive a lesser share than their male counterparts when it comes to matters of inheritance (generally half of what a male in the same position would be entitled to receive). Customary practices and traditional structures can also contribute to further aggravating the situation. A prime example is that women are often forced, due to social pressures, to renounce their already reduced share of the inheritance in favour of male members of the family. In order to discourage this practice, in the occupied Palestinian territory, the Deputy Supreme Judge of Palestine of the Head of the Upper Council of Sharia Jurisdictions issued a notice in 2011 in which he instructed relevant authorities to apply certain conditions before legalizing a woman's renunciation of her inheritance share, including that at least four months pass after a person's death before a renunciation of inheritance can be registered. The notice also instructs the relevant authorities to verify the real value of the inheritance share, relying on an official report by three experts authorized by the municipality or local council. This new protocol is aimed at helping women to retain their inheritance shares and protecting women from losses as a result of reduced valuations of those shares.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- As such, when seeking to define affordability, it is important to take into account the gender disparity in income and access to financial resources, and to prioritize the allocation of social or public housing to those who are unable to meet the cost of housing, often women. Within the context of increased privatization of social services, it is also vital that the cost of housing itself be defined to include costs associated with realizing the right to adequate housing, including vis-à-vis rights to water and sanitation, energy supply, etc. Within the framework of housing law, policy and programming, women's access to the financial resources needed to obtain adequate housing - including loans, credits, and/or vouchers, etc. - ought to be reflected.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- The implementation of housing law, policy and programming often requires that adequate budgetary support be put in place in order to ensure effectiveness. In order to ensure that there are adequate financial and human resources allocated, processes of participatory budgeting which are inclusive of women's voices should be used. Women should be active participants in open and transparent budgeting processes related to all aspects of housing law, policy and programmes as well as land use plans. Gender-sensitive, detailed budget analysis of current housing programmes and land use plans should also be employed, so as to ensure better accountability of States in promoting and realizing gender equality, and in meeting their international human rights obligations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- In order to continue to advance the recognition, protection and enjoyment of women's right to adequate housing, as well as women's rights to non-discrimination and equality, States should adopt reinforcing strategies. These strategies should be targeted both at the articulation of domestic law, policy and programming which uphold women's right to adequate housing, as well as at effective implementation. In order to better protect and realize women's right to adequate housing, the Special Rapporteur offers the following recommendations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 63d
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur reiterates that States should design, adopt and implement gender-sensitive and human rights-based law, policy and programming which:] Prioritizes the needs of particularly vulnerable and/or marginalized women, including widows, elderly women, lesbians, homeless women, migrant women, women with disabilities, women who may be single mothers or single heads of household, women living with or otherwise affected by HIV/AIDS, women belonging to minorities, domestic workers, sex workers, illiterate women and women who have been displaced;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur encourages the Committees on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to provide continued normative advice on women's right to adequate housing, including on issues related to inheritance, land and property, and to pay special attention to conceptual tensions between the immediate obligations of States to ensure women's right to equality and the "progressive realization" obligation of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Special Rapporteur also encourages the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to adopt a general recommendation on women's right to adequate housing, including issues related to inheritance, land and property.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- In the late 1970s, a dramatic shift occurred in housing policies, starting with North America and Western Europe, followed later by some countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa and by formerly planned economies. The shift, calling for the transfer of activities from State control to the private sector and for unrestricted markets, soon gained hegemony, shaping the policies of States, international financial institutions and development agencies. The effects of the approach on housing policies, hence, on the right to adequate housing and related human rights across the globe have been striking. The new role of the State as "enabler" led to creating conditions and institutions to support housing finance systems to promote homeownership under the neoliberal dogma of reliance on private property and market forces.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The informal rental sector is a crucial component of the housing sector in developing countries and is also increasing today in many European cities, filling a gap created by the current housing policies that do not adequately address the housing needs of low-income households. Unfortunately, slum upgrading programmes have largely ignored the impact on tenants and have sometimes even failed to notice that most target settlements even contain tenants. In some cases, the upgrading programmes even prohibit owners from letting upgraded properties. Such situations are incompatible with the obligation of States to promote the right to adequate housing, inter alia, by facilitating the "self-help" efforts of disadvantaged groups. However, there are a few reliable programmes that include direct subsidies and cheap loans to owners who need to repair their properties and to owners who wish to extend their property to accommodate additional tenants.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- However, during the past two decades new mortgage products were designed specifically for borrowers with low incomes or poor credit history who were not eligible for regular mortgage finance, generating sub-prime loans. Although those lending policies were intended to enable access to credit for low-income households, they are extremely discriminatory: the poorer the credit taker, the higher the interest he/she has to pay. High-interest loans led to ever-increasing household indebtedness, economic insecurity, mortgage arrears and repossession rates. Poor households were forced to reduce expenditure on other essential needs, like food or medicines, in order to meet their housing debt.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In some countries, however, notably, Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and over the course of many decades, in some cities like New York and San Francisco in the United States (see A/HRC/13/20/Add.4, para. 44), rent regulation has had favourable effects on stabilizing the rental sector and maintaining access by low- income households to urban housing that is well located. In Switzerland, rental investments have been maintained even though rent controls reduce the housing costs of long-standing tenancy, and legislation prevents arbitrary eviction and the exploitation of temporary shortages. In Quebec, Canada, a consistent and well-established regulatory system, with a reasonable balance between protecting tenants and encouraging investment, has been retained. In Uruguay, the Government has introduced a different tool to balance the interests of landlords and tenants, through a fund that provides guarantees to cover costs arising from the non-payment of rent and service payments (Fondo de Garantía de Alquileres).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The discrepancy between income levels and soaring housing and rental prices coupled with increasing unemployment have led to more payment default, foreclosures and homelessness. These processes are exacerbated by the adoption of legal and institutional adjustments aimed at facilitating foreclosures, which have been promoted in recent years as "imperatives for developing a housing finance system". The crisis has disproportionately affected the poorest and most vulnerable, who were the last to join the mortgage markets and the first to suffer the consequences of the crises owing to their low resilience to economic shocks and low repayment abilities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- The capital-grant-subsidy has been the most frequently promoted programme to target low-income households. The approach offers cash subsidies by private companies to cover part of the price of a dwelling for sale. The Chilean experience has been considered the model for other countries, widely replicated in Latin America (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of). Outside of Latin America, the capital-grant approach has been implemented on a large scale in South Africa since 1994.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Women and their right to adequate housing 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Awareness-raising and public human rights education are critical to the advancement of women's de facto enjoyment of the right to adequate housing, and must take place at multiple levels. Participants in the e-consultation from different countries and regions emphasized this point repeatedly, noting how "there is clearly a need for rights education at all levels of society so that access to adequate housing is understood and accepted as a basic human right" and how "we need information campaigns, not only among women but also among those in power too. … training policymakers, police officers, judiciary on women's land and housing rights is also something gravely lacking …".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- As mentioned earlier in the report, the availability of public rental housing in many developed countries has diminished substantively or disappeared altogether. Most developing countries have never had a substantive stock of public housing, and those that have privatized it. A partial exception is the Republic of Korea where, in 2002, the Government announced a plan to build 1 million public housing units for rent over the next decade. Similar attempts have been made in recent years in Indonesia as part of a national programme for 1,000 Towers, some of which were intended for low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa), albeit with mixed results.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- A collective organization enables cooperatives to take on complex housing and infrastructure projects that would otherwise not be possible for an individual household. Community funds provide financial and technical support for the purchase of land parcels and communal infrastructure (such as roads, drainage, water and sanitation). The process typically involves negotiations with other stakeholders, such as the original owners of the parcel and the Government. In the Scandinavian model, the "mother" (also known as "parent" or "secondary") cooperative association is responsible for building housing developments, which are then sold to "daughter" (also known as "subsidiary" or "primary") cooperatives. Financial risk for members is limited to their daughter cooperative.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- There is no doubt that forced eviction constitutes a gross violation of a wide range of internationally recognized human rights. Providing protection against such practices is thus a core function of security of tenure. Forced evictions have been addressed by human rights mechanisms and courts at all levels in considerable detail. Extensive guidance is available as to the prohibition of forced eviction and the strict procedural safeguards that must be followed in situations in which evictions are carried out, including meaningful consultation with affected communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Questions remain as to what types of measures should be taken to "provide the greatest possible security of tenure" to occupiers of houses and land. No explanation is given as to what could qualify as greatest possible security of tenure, or how this should be determined bearing in mind the diversity of national contexts. For instance, should principles of reasonableness and proportionality be used to ascertain what level of security of tenure is appropriate in a given context? This question of a threshold of security of tenure has also attracted little attention from regional and national mechanisms and courts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Analysis of two alternative housing policies: rental and collective housing 2013, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Despite the decline in support for rental housing, the absolute number of tenants worldwide is rising. Across the world, approximately 1.2 billion people (around one third of the urban population and one sixth of all people in the world) live in rented accommodation, the great majority in towns and cities. In many European countries the private rental sector, including informal, is playing a growing role for the poor, owing to inadequate access to social housing and greater constraints in accessing ownership. In developing countries, the largest proportion of tenants is in urban Africa; in Asia, tenants comprise approximately one third of the urban population.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Fundamentally, tenure insecurity is a political economy issue-the laws, institutions and decision-making processes relating to the access and use of housing and land are highly influenced by existing power structures within society. Thus it is increasingly recognized that land administration and urban planning cannot be considered purely technical matters. They can be manipulated to serve private interests, with major risks of exclusion and discrimination. This is especially problematic when the rule of law is absent or out of reach of the poorest and most vulnerable.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- An obvious need, confirmed by consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, is for more specific and comprehensive human rights guidance on security of tenure. As shown in section III above, existing legal and policy guidance is incomplete and sparse. Many questions remain as to the precise State obligations with respect to conferring legal security of tenure, and the scope and content of security of tenure under international human rights law. In this regard it must be emphasized, however, that people already have a right to security of tenure, as part of their human right to adequate housing-what needs clarification is how this right can be recognized, protected and realized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The right to adequate housing has been the focus of extensive commentary. It was the subject of two general comments (Nos. 4 and 7) by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights before any other Covenant rights were similarly interpreted, and it is now one of the most considered economic, social and cultural rights. At the same time, as we move into the fifteenth year of the mandate and despite considerable efforts by civil society to ensure its realization, the well-elaborated norms and commentary on this right have not necessarily been translated into substantive progress.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Reflection on work undertaken in first 14 years of the mandate; outline of opportunities and priorities 2014, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The global extent of the phenomenon of homelessness is neither well known nor well documented. Global figures are scarce, and country-specific data are often incomplete and usually not comparable with those of other countries owing to differences in definitions and methodologies. The Special Rapporteur is concerned that at the domestic level, this statistical invisibility of a population can mean its neglect in the design of public policy and an absence of adequate responses. At the global level, it may conceal an acute global human rights crisis being faced by millions.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Freehold ownership. Individual ownership confers full control over housing and land, subject to law and local regulations, as well as adverse possession rights and the State's expropriation powers. This quality makes it a desirable form of tenure for many households. Since ownership rights are generally expensive to acquire, housing finance is often necessary. Tenure security is jeopardized when owner-occupiers are unable to cope with loan repayments and default on their mortgages. Foreclosures by banks and other credit institutions pose a serious threat to the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing, with the poorest disproportionately affected. States should take all measures to protect security of tenure of owner-occupiers and prevent the loss of homes and homelessness as a result of foreclosures.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Settlement land information systems should be simple, affordable, accessible and transparent. People should have opportunities to contest, clarify or query recorded tenure arrangements through an appropriate process including public display of maps. Unlike conventional cadastres, settlement land information systems should reflect varied and overlapping tenure rights - not only freehold - and the spatial realities that exist in urban settlements. For example, the Social Tenure Domain Model, developed by the Global Land Tenure Network (GLTN), enables the recording of multiple forms of individual and collective tenure, overlapping rights, and irregular spatial units in urban settlements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Business enterprises should take all relevant steps to ensure that: (a) there are no adverse impacts on security of tenure as a result of or in connection with their activities or business relationships; and (b) any adverse impacts are addressed, including through the provision of remedies to affected persons. Business enterprises should ensure transparent, free and fair negotiations regarding any transfer or modification of tenure rights with full respect for the right of people or communities to accept or reject offers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Local authorities should conduct a citywide assessment of existing tenure categories and the degree of security of tenure that each provides. The assessment should ascertain the underlying causes of tenure insecurity, such as inadequate urban planning, exclusionary zoning and building regulations; market forces; the political economy; or cultural and social factors, including discrimination. Authorities should identify settlements and groups throughout the urban and peri-urban area that lack tenure security and other aspects of the right to adequate housing, including homeless populations. They should also identify areas subject to gentrification and sudden raises in rents and housing prices that could produce future tenure insecurity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 27f
- Paragraph text
- [States should also facilitate in situ tenure solutions, wherever possible, for those people residing on privately owned property where the inhabitants have no other adequate housing option. Options for securing tenure for inhabitants, either on an individual or collective basis, include:] Expropriation of the property with payment of compensation and subsequent granting of use, rental or other secure tenure rights to the inhabitants. This option should be considered only as a last resort when other measures have been unsuccessful, given the high fiscal cost to the State.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Economic Rights
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Contrary to dominant discourse on tenure, freehold titles are not the sole instrument of tenure security. Often, policies that promote individual freehold simultaneously reduce support to other tenure arrangements. Such policies risk excluding and undermining the tenure status of large segments of urban and peri-urban populations, particularly the poorest, leading to retrogression in the enjoyment of the right to adequate housing. Conversely, policies favouring diverse tenure forms can improve secure access to housing for different population groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Where settlements pose risks to environmental resources, like parks, coastlines, rivers, lakes and wetlands, States should explore options in consultation with affected people to protect both the environment and the tenure security and livelihoods of inhabitants. For example, participatory land readjustment and incremental upgrading of settlements along water bodies, including improved sanitation and waste disposal services, can address both concerns. The local government of Surabaya in Indonesia has taken successive measures in this direction, via the Settlement and Urban Infrastructure Strategies (SPPIP) programme, established in 2010. This programme improved the infrastructure conditions (pavements, drainage, waste-management) in the Bozem Morokrembangan region, including of households located along the riverbank areas.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Measures to regulate financial markets and institutions. The deregulation of financial markets, along with policies prioritizing homeownership, has had adverse impacts on many urban-poor households. Sub-prime loans, payment defaults and foreclosures have led to tenure insecurity and evictions in several countries. Often, financial institutions, including microcredit institutions, charge higher interest rates to the poor to mitigate the heightened risk of default. In some cases, lenders have aggressively targeted low-income households for loans with exploitative terms, without explaining the terms and conditions, and ignoring their ability to repay. States should prohibit predatory lending practices and adopt regulations to ensure that mortgage payments are commensurate with income levels and do not compromise the satisfaction of other basic needs. Regulations should also mandate the full disclosure and communication of loan terms to applicants in accessible formats and languages.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Regulatory safeguards should be put in place to protect households facing default and foreclosure, including prohibiting eviction until the household has access to alternative adequate housing. In England and Wales, a pre-action protocol for possession claims obliges lenders and borrowers to follow procedures aimed at ensuring that repossession is a last resort after all reasonable attempts to resolve the situation have failed. In Richmond, California, the municipality voted to use its powers of eminent domain to seize mortgages of households that have defaulted or are at risk of default, when the investor refuses to sell. Under the scheme, the City pays the investor the current market value for the mortgage, often considerably less than the amount owing, and then supports affordable refinancing options for the homeowner. A decree-law in Andalucía, Spain, currently under appeal, allows the local Government to expropriate empty residences that have been repossessed by banks and developers in order to house families who have lost their homes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Access to basic services and facilities. People without an officially recognized tenure status are often denied access to basic services and facilities. In some situations, public and private service providers, including of water, sanitation and electricity, require the presentation of title as a prerequisite for connection or delivery. In other situations, access to social facilities, such as school enrolment, is conditional on a registered address. States should take measures to ensure that access to basic services and facilities, whether publicly or privately provided, is not dependent on tenure status, official registration of residence, or the presentation of title.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- While some of these principles focus on immediate obligations, the implementation of many measures is, by nature, a progressive process. States must demonstrate that they are taking deliberate, concrete and targeted steps as expeditiously and effectively as possible, including through the design and implementation of a plan of action for strengthening security of tenure. States should conduct baseline surveys of tenure security, develop quantitative and qualitative indicators and set benchmarks against which to monitor progress, evaluate outcomes and inform decision-making. Indicators and benchmarks should be designed to measure progress in, inter alia: (a) promoting a variety of tenure forms; (b) the degree of security they confer; (c) securing the tenure arrangements of marginalized groups; (d) reducing discrimination; and (e) achieving more equitable access to urban housing, including reductions in the number of vacant plots and buildings and the proportion used to house low-income households.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The collection of official data. Individuals without legally recognized tenure, including those living in urban settlements, homeless and displaced persons, are often not covered in censuses and other official data collection. When their information is ignored, their lack of legal tenure status effectively denies them official recognition as members of society. This exclusion exacerbates their invisibility in policy design and budget allocations essential to the realization of their human rights. States should ensure that such individuals are counted and included in all official data collection processes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- When visiting residents of informal settlements, one is invariably struck by the human capacity to create vibrant communities with dignity and beauty despite the gross lack of almost everything. This capacity can be better harnessed; residents of informal settlements usually can identify the structural causes of their conditions, and they know well their needs and the barriers to meeting their needs. Frequently, they have a vision for their future and the future of their communities and can develop effective and targeted solutions. Engaging residents to participate in realizing their right to adequate housing is consistent with a human rights framework. For this to happen, local and national governments must be willing to recognize these communities as legitimate participants in urban democracy and as drivers of their own well-being.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The right to adequate housing and other related rights must sit at the centre of an agenda for cities. Housing is a cornerstone right, indivisible from all other rights and fundamental to an approach that begins with the dignity, equality and security of the human person. Narrow interpretations that focus on housing as a commodity or housing that provides a roof over one's head have been rejected under international human rights law. Rather, the right to housing has long been understood as the right to live somewhere in peace, security and dignity. The right to adequate housing and to non-discrimination are themselves transformational, creating not only goals for which to strive but also a framework of action and accountability through which the goals can be realized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Access to adequate housing in the urban context is linked to a wide array of laws and programmes that go beyond traditional notions of housing policy. As the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has noted, it requires "coordination between ministries and regional and local authorities in order to reconcile related policies (economics, agriculture, environment, energy, etc.)." Trade and investment agreements, constitutional provisions, conditions attached to funding agreements, land use restrictions and municipal by-laws, for example, all may affect the capacity of cities to ensure access to housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 76j (i)
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur recommends that the urban rights agenda should:] The implementation of an urban rights agenda must include the following baseline human rights requirements: (i) A commitment to realize the right to adequate housing with clear goals and timelines for: a. Reducing and ultimately eliminating homelessness; b. Ensuring security of tenure and prevention of all forced evictions; c. Providing the full protection of law for residents of informal settlements; d. Ensuring access to adequate housing for all, including for residents of informal settlements;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Centrality of the right to adequate housing for the development and implementation of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted at Habitat III in October 2016 2015, para. 76j (iv)
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur recommends that the urban rights agenda should:] The implementation of an urban rights agenda must include the following baseline human rights requirements: The use of human rights-based indicators to monitor the implementation of the urban rights agenda, measuring both the process of implementation and progressive outcomes. Indicators should focus not only on housing quality but also on access to justice for all aspects of the right to adequate housing, including security of tenure, non discrimination and positive obligations of governments towards marginalized groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- The international human rights obligations of a State extend to all levels of government and to any exercise of governmental authority. "All branches of government (executive, legislative and judicial), and other public or governmental authorities, at whatever level - national, regional or local - are in a position to engage the responsibility of the State Party". That finds expression, in the context of federal States, in article 28 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and article 50 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which affirm: "The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- There is significant diversity among States as to how responsibilities with respect to housing and related programmes are allocated among different levels of governments. Within a range of domestic contexts and unique histories, however, it is clear that local and other subnational levels of government usually carry critical responsibilities linked to the implementation of the right to adequate housing. As noted by UN-Habitat, national housing strategies require local level implementation, reviews of laws and regulations, planning, and financial instruments and formulation, mobilization of stakeholders, and adoption of local housing strategies drawing on local innovation and know-how.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- General patterns demonstrate that certain responsibilities are often exercised more effectively by national level governments while other responsibilities tend to be better suited to local governments. National level governments are often better placed to ensure a fair distribution of resources, so that areas with fewer resources and greater needs are not simply left to fend for themselves. National level governments usually have greater capacity to develop and enforce national standards, to monitor and compare programmes and outcomes in different regions and localities, to finance housing programmes, regulate mortgages and credit, fund housing subsidy and income support programmes, and oversee taxation and resource allocation. To varying degrees, national governments may also attempt to influence or direct the policies of local and other subnational governments through incentives, conditions, priorities or required outcomes linked to the provision of funding for locally administered programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Local governments, on the other hand, tend to be assigned responsibilities for provision and management of services such as water, sanitation, electricity and other infrastructure; land-use planning, zoning and development, which relates to decisions regarding evictions, displacement and relocation; implementing programmes to upgrade informal settlements and inadequate housing; enforcing health, safety, environmental and building standards; providing local emergency shelter; putting in place or implementing disaster risk reduction and response policies; and regulating the use of public space. Even if programmes are designed and fully or partially funded by central governments, it is often local authorities that decide where housing will be built or upgraded, and determine who will be allocated housing units or receive social benefits or housing subsidy based on prescribed criteria.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- In federal systems, on the other hand, local or other subnational governments often have primary and autonomous responsibility for virtually all aspects of programmes and policies related to the implementation of the right to housing. The role of the national level governments in those situations may be largely one of leadership and coordination. Germany, for example, has transferred all responsibility for housing to the Länder. The national level Government convenes an annual meeting of Länder which brings together key players and facilitates national coordination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- In November 2012, the Province of Buenos Aires adopted a law on fair access to habitat (Ley de acceso justo al habitat) which guarantees the right to housing and to a dignified and sustainable habitat, along the lines of the provincial and national constitutions and several international human rights treaties. The law establishes a link between the public policy on housing and the way in which different public and private stakeholders are involved, including real estate companies. It requires steps to be taken to address the lack of adequate housing for people living in poverty or with special needs, and creates mechanisms to regulate speculation around land prices. It articulates both the right to adequate housing and the "right to the city" as core principles alongside the social function of land and property, democratic decision-making in the city and the importance of equitable distribution of benefits and costs of city growth, including in relation to infrastructure.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Madison County in Wisconsin, United States of America, adopted a city resolution in 2011 recognizing housing as a human right. The resolution requires Madison to promote fair housing and refers to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, to which the United States is party. The city is therefore required to eliminate policies with a racially discriminatory impact. The resolution calls for an assessment of affordable and accessible housing needs and an adequately funded, responsive housing strategy. Those types of initiatives are particularly important in a country that has not ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and raise the possibility of subnational governments affirming direct accountability to international human rights norms even where the State has not ratified them.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Human rights city initiatives are complementary to, but distinguishable from, the "right to the city" as laid down in the 2005 World Charter on the Right to the City. Rather than being based on existing international human rights law, that movement was born of the idea that the freedom to make and remake our cities and ourselves is one of the most precious yet most neglected of our human rights. The Right to the City project is therefore more extensive than human rights city initiatives and includes values such as the social production of housing/habitat and the rights to "sustainable and equitable urban development", the right to transport and public mobility, and the right to the environment. At the same time, the World Charter on the Right to the City includes an explicit provision on the right to adequate housing which is generally in keeping with the right as articulated in international human rights law.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Brazil was a pioneer in establishing a City Statute, Law 10.257 of 10 July 2001, creating the basis to tackle urban inequalities, and introducing the concept of the social function of the city and property. According to the Statute, the municipalities have broad capacities to set the basis for an urban order that addresses social exclusion and spatial segregation, focusing on housing but also on a wider range of social and environmental issues faced by cities. While its implementation has not always appeared to live up to the expectations originally created, the Statute has shown the importance of shifting the paradigm around urban reform towards a people-centred perspective, with local governments having a central role, and combining social mobilization, legal reform and institutional change.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Japan has yet to recover and continues to see ever-growing numbers of homeless people. Unemployment rates tripled in a 10-year period in Argentina, resulting in a large number of households being unable to pay their mortgages, rent or utility bills. In Spain, Ireland and Greece, thousands of low-income and poor individuals suffered foreclosures or debt-related evictions and were thus forced out of their homes into encampments or into overcrowded accommodation with relatives and friends, or were left homeless. In these circumstances, increased suicide rates are not uncommon. In the United States, suicides spurred by severe housing stress - evictions and foreclosures - doubled between 2005 and 2010. Europe also saw a 6.5 per cent increase in suicides between 2007 and 2011. In States where social programmes were made available to those affected, similar spikes in suicide rates were not seen.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- For women and children victims of domestic violence the home ceases to be the safe haven it is meant to be and becomes the most dangerous place, in some cases leading to their death. Factors such as overcrowded residences, poor habitability and lack of accessible services (water, electricity and sanitation) increase the incidence of domestic violence. Many women in such situations are unable to remove the perpetrator from the house, owing to a lack of family, community and State supports. Further, many women are prevented from leaving violent situations because alternative housing and financial supports are unavailable. Those who do manage to leave home become vulnerable to homelessness and consequently may suffer further violence.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- There are numerous ways in which the housing conditions of people with disabilities collide with their right to live in dignity and security and to life itself. Independent living requires that persons with disabilities have a choice as to where and how they live. The failure of States to provide the supports required for independent living has meant that people with disabilities often live in deplorable conditions. They may be compelled to live with family members in circumstances of abuse or isolation, where they may be ostracized by their communities. When living in informal settlements, they often have no access to sanitation facilities, or have to use facilities without adequate supports or equipment, putting them at risk of disease. For those with limited mobility, lack of adequate supports results in their being virtual prisoners, trapped in their homes, a potentially lethal situation, particularly in natural disasters and emergencies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Many people with disabilities live in institutions because community supports to ensure independent living are unavailable. Many are institutionalized without their consent. Conditions in such institutions are invariably overcrowded. Residents are often prevented from having outside social or family relations and, in some cases, are forced to remain in isolation cells for long periods (see A/HRC/28/37). In some countries, such as the Republic of Moldova (see A/HRC/31/62/Add.2, paras. 48-52 and 61-72), residents are "controlled" through the use of physical restraints and the administration of large doses of psychiatric medications and tranquilizers. Some residents are forced to sleep in locked "cage beds" (hospital beds turned into small cages). Violence is commonplace. Together, these conditions heighten the risk of death.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- In its general comment No. 4 on the right to adequate housing, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights rejected definitions of adequate housing that focused on physical shelter and instead adopted a definition linked directly to the right to life. The Committee stated the following: The right to housing should not be interpreted in a narrow or restrictive sense which equates it with, for example, the shelter provided by merely having a roof over one's head or views shelter exclusively as a commodity. Rather it should be seen as the right to live somewhere in security, peace and dignity.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 21b
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur has identified a number of common challenges experienced at the local level with respect to the implementation of the right to adequate housing:] Insufficient knowledge and capacity regarding the right to adequate housing and related human rights: Local and other subnational government officials are often unaware of their obligations under international human rights law with respect to adequate housing and may at times lack any institutional or legislative framework of accountability for their decision-making. They may also lack institutional or technical capacity to administer programmes efficiently, to contend with corruption, to regulate land speculation, to ensure sustainable practices or to maintain and repair infrastructure.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- However, these advances towards a more inclusive paradigm are negated in other parts of the draft comment. The draft states that although article 6 imposes both short-term and long-term obligations, claims under the Optional Protocol to the Covenant can only invoke the former. Communications would be restricted to circumstances where the right to life is directly violated by acts or omissions of States, or where there is an imminent prospect of a direct violation. In other words, the draft bifurcates the right to life into two categories: justiciable rights and unenforceable policy aspirations. These restrictions would limit access to adjudication and effective remedies for those whose right to life has been violated by systemic patterns of neglect that require longer-term strategies and programmes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- In a few cases, the Committee has considered how homelessness creates a serious threat to life, health and personal integrity for individuals in vulnerable circumstances. Surprisingly, however, the Committee has been reluctant to engage with homelessness as a violation of the right to life. Instead it has found that State action leading to homelessness may constitute cruel and inhuman treatment, contrary to article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, or unlawful interference with the home, contrary to article 17. While recognizing the interdependence of civil and political rights with the right to adequate housing, the Committee has largely confined this recognition to a traditional negative rights framework of treatment, punishment or interference and has not engaged with substantive obligations to address homelessness and inadequate housing as violations of the right to life.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Yet the negative rights framework in which the Human Rights Committee has articulated the convergence between rights in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the right to adequate housing continues to restrict State accountability to situations where homelessness results from State action such as deportation or eviction. It allows States to ignore, with impunity, their obligations to address living conditions such as those in the Roma settlement in the Georgopoulos case, described as "an insult to our humanity". This means that a child rendered homeless by deportation or eviction is considered a victim of a violation of rights and entitled to an effective remedy, but a child born into the same circumstances of homelessness may not be. It is critical, therefore, that violations not be restricted to circumstances of direct "interference". Those whose right to life is denied by conditions of socioeconomic deprivation must also be entitled to effective remedies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- A refusal to hear, adjudicate and provide remedies for the category of claims to the right to life arising from systemic deprivations such as homelessness has immense consequences extending beyond the United Nations treaty monitoring system. It reinforces a negative rights practice which continues to deny access to justice for many of the most serious violations of the right to life in many jurisdictions. Often, the negative rights framework limits the types of cases for which victims are likely to have access to legal counsel, affects the kinds of arguments that lawyers are likely to advance, determines the cases courts are likely to hear and limits the remedies that might be sought and granted.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- The narrowing of the right to life to a negative rights framework has deprived millions of already disadvantaged individuals of the full protection of this core right. In many domestic contexts, the right to housing may not be enshrined in law and cannot be claimed directly, whereas the right to life appears in most constitutions. In this context, a narrow interpretation of the right to life may prevent someone who is homeless or suffering severe housing inadequacy from making any human rights claim whatsoever. On the other hand, where the right to adequate housing is explicitly protected as a self-standing constitutional right, it is more effectively enforced by courts when connected to the right to life. Making this connection allows courts to better assess whether adequate resources have been allocated and reasonable measures taken in accordance with core human rights values.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- From a human rights perspective, the Special Rapporteur advocates a flexible and contextual approach to defining homelessness that recognizes experiences and understandings of homelessness among different groups and in diverse circumstances. A human rights definition should focus attention on the most desperate situations while ensuring that those who are homeless identify those circumstances themselves, define their needs and are recognized as actors in effecting change to fully realize their right to adequate housing. The social dimensions of homelessness are also central to a human rights definition.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Those who are homeless are constructed as a social group. Worldwide, their identity is created and then reinforced by people who have more money, more power or more influence. It is a vicious circle. Laws, policies, business practices and media stories depict and treat homeless people as morally inferior, undeserving of assistance and authors of their own misfortune, and blame them for the social problems they come to represent. Once stigmatized, their needs are further neglected and inequality and discrimination further entrenched.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Homeless people are subject to constant intimidation and harassment by authorities and the general public; they are denied access to basic services or places to shower, urinate or defecate; they are rounded up and forced out of cities and relocated to uninhabitable places; they are walked over and passed by; they are subject to extreme forms of violence, including hate crimes and sexual violence; and they are often the subject of vilification. At the same time, some forms of homelessness remain totally invisible and neglected, in particular in parts of the global South, where homelessness remains relatively unacknowledged or where the distinction between very precarious housing conditions and homelessness may not be easily drawn.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The humiliation homeless people suffer in their daily lives cannot be underestimated. Take for example, the experience of women who lack adequate sanitation facilities, especially during menstrual cycles, or of families who are treated like "human waste", forced to establish their households on or next to a garbage dump. Homeless people have told the Special Rapporteur, often through tears, that more than any material security, what they yearn for is to be "seen", to be recognized and treated by society as human beings with inherent dignity and respect.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- National and local laws often make homeless people into lawbreakers, rather than protecting their rights. Laws are created to render homeless people invisible, to displace them from land or housing and destroy their makeshift shelters. In many places punitive measures such as fines or incarceration are imposed for activities linked to basic survival, including constructing any kind of shelter out of cardboard. Laws enable authorities to "rescue" street-connected children, depriving them of their liberty without due process or respect for the social networks upon which they rely.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Such laws are often framed under the guise of public health and safety but, in reality, the aim is to "beautify" an area for the promotion of tourism and business or to increase property values. Examples are countless: in Zimbabwe, an operation to "sweep out the rubbish" through demolitions of shanty towns in 2005 left up to 1.5 million people homeless in the middle of the winter. In June 2014, the Mayor of Honolulu introduced new measures to crack down on homelessness because tourists want to see "their paradise, not homeless people sleeping". In Medellín, Colombia, during the World Urban Forum, the homeless population was transported outside of the city. In Australia, "move on" laws permit authorities to "disperse" homeless people "where a person's mere presence could cause anxiety to another person or interfere with another's 'reasonable enjoyment' of the space".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The favouring of profit over people's human rights through the unequal allocation of land, property, housing and related services in cities is a major driver of homelessness. Unregulated or underregulated financial and other market forces, and unfettered land and property speculation resulting in escalating land values, all contribute to the inequality of wealth distribution and homelessness. These systemic inequalities are compounded by direct discrimination against people who are poor, often pushing them to precarious housing conditions, including into informal settlements or on occupied land, and ultimately into homelessness. Many municipalities use planning and zoning laws or regulations to prevent construction of shelters or affordable housing in their communities. Homeless people are often denied opportunities to live in central locations; instead, they are compelled to live in remote, isolated and poorly serviced areas where there are no jobs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Homelessness is caused by the interplay between individual circumstances and broader systemic factors. A human rights response to homelessness addresses both. It understands that homelessness may be linked to individual dynamics such as psychosocial disabilities, unexpected job loss, addictions or complex choices to become street-connected, and that a major cause of homelessness is the failure of governments to respond to unique individual circumstances with compassion and respect for individual dignity. A human rights approach must also, however, address the overarching structural and institutional causes of homelessness - the cumulative effect of domestic policies, programmes and legislation, as well as international financial and development agreements that contribute to and create homelessness. In her consultations, the Special Rapporteur found that inequality and the conditions that breed it are the most consistently identified causes of homelessness.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Rapid global urbanization has resulted in an astonishing accumulation of wealth for a few, accompanied by increasing poverty for many. Reliance on private market housing supply to respond to urbanization needs has meant that new housing supply has targeted mostly the rich, creating inflated real estate values, speculation and significant deficits of affordable housing. People who move to cities often have no choice but to live in informal settlements where millions suffer, in varying degrees, from poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water, overcrowding and makeshift structures. Instead of ensuring access for people in need of housing, land regulations, planning and zoning have rendered informal settlements "illegal", favoured commercial development over housing and failed to respect the social function of land as a public good. The legacy of colonialism in some countries has embedded inequality in land and property.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 49f
- Paragraph text
- [State obligations in relation to homelessness have been clearly articulated and can be summarized as follows:] States have a firm legal obligation to regulate and engage with non-State actors so as to ensure that all of their actions and policies are in accordance with the right to adequate housing and the prevention and amelioration of homelessness. Regulation of private actors should include requirements on developers and investors to address homelessness and work in partnership to provide affordable housing in all developments;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Discrimination is both a cause and a consequence of homelessness. Those who face discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, place of origin, socioeconomic status, family status, gender, mental or physical disability, health condition, sexual orientation and/or gender identity and age are more likely to become homeless and, once homeless, experience additional discrimination. The intersections of other grounds of discrimination with homelessness vary in different countries. In some, for example, racial inequality intersects strongly with homelessness. In Brazil, African-Brazilians make up only 7 per cent of the population of wealthy areas and yet make up the majority in informal settlements. In the United States of America, black families are seven times more likely to be homeless than white families.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The ongoing legacy of discriminatory customary and statutory laws on divorce, inheritance and matrimonial property - as well as social practices that attribute housing to male heads of households and the resultant poverty - deprive women of security of tenure and render them particularly vulnerable to homelessness. When women are widowed, separated or divorced, need to leave violent households or flee situations of armed conflict or natural disasters, or are evicted from their homes, they face significant risks of becoming homeless. Divorced and widowed women in Bangladesh and Lebanon, for example, are reported to be living in dilapidated shacks in dangerous informal settlements and women fleeing violence in Kyrgyzstan and Papua New Guinea are left with few housing options.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights have developed important jurisprudence recognizing the obligation of the State to protect the special relationship between indigenous peoples and land in addressing violations in which, for example, members of indigenous communities have been "violently forced from their homes and traditional lands into a situation of ongoing displacement". In addition, in considering the plight of street-connected children, the Court has explained that the right to life requires States to take positive measures to ensure access to the conditions needed to lead a dignified life, recognizing that the right to life belongs "at the same time to the domain of civil and political rights as well as economic, social and cultural rights".
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights has affirmed that the right to adequate housing is implied in the African Charter by its articles 14 on the right to property, 16 on the right to highest attainable standard of mental and physical health and 18 (1) on protection accorded to the family. It considers that forced evictions leading to homelessness are contrary to the Charter, and has urged all States to report on measures taken to address homelessness and to appoint an independent national body to monitor State compliance with the right to adequate housing.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Beyond national measures of homelessness, there is also a need for global indicators. Addressing homelessness should be a central part of global development goals. While the Sustainable Development Goals omit any explicit reference to homelessness, target 11.1 of the Goals commits States to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrading slums by 2030. Measuring and committing to reduce and eliminate homelessness with clear benchmarks and timelines will be critical to the successful realization of this target.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- There are, however, serious challenges in measuring homelessness, both within States and globally, that need to be addressed. It has proven difficult to secure accurate and comparable data from all States in order to develop reliable global data. The Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs has noted that data on the number of homeless households is scarce in all regions. Initiatives to count the number of homeless people have often emerged organically from local communities and address variable local conditions and challenges in different ways. Local governments, service providers, ombudspersons and human rights institutions can play important roles in ensuring that data are accurate and inclusive. This, however, makes it challenging to develop common measures across cities and internationally.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Financialization of housing and the right to adequate housing 2017, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- In some instances, courts have played an important role in holding financial institutions liable for predatory and discriminatory lending practices, albeit without reference to international human rights obligations. In a recent case, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States ruled in favour of a lawsuit brought by the city of Miami against Bank of America and Wells Fargo for discriminatory predatory lending practices linked to the mortgage crisis. The Constitutional Court of South Africa recently considered a case involving a fraudulent scheme by investors and a finance company leading to hundreds of homeowners suffering losses of homes and savings. The Court rejected a claim by banks that would place responsibility on the homeowner for repayment of an unpaid debt due to the bank, holding that there is an obligation on the part of well-resourced powerful banking groups to check on the legality of what their clients are buying before lending money and earning interest on it.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Year
- 2017
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- For this reason, the Special Rapporteur underlines the critical importance of qualitative evidence, including, for example, oral testimony, photographs or videos. A human rights-based measurement of homelessness should focus on prevention and on addressing underlying causes, and qualitative information capturing actual experiences often reveals more about how to prevent or solve it than numbers alone. It is also vital to understand the trajectories into and out of homelessness, with longitudinal analysis of how people become homeless, how long they are homeless and how they escape from it to supplement point-in-time counts.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- IASC has further asserted that "Human rights have to be the legal underpinning of all humanitarian work pertaining to natural disasters. There is no other legal framework to guide such activities, especially in areas where there is no armed conflict". This shift is also about longer-term sustainability. It helps the relevant actors to plan for what follows beyond the initial relief and stabilization operations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Failure to take timely appropriate measures can have serious consequences for the people affected. In post-conflict contexts the situation can be even more complex, as obstacles in the way of return and recovery can also include threats of violence against a returning family or group/s, secondary occupation of land and houses, among others.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In high-profile or "complex emergency" cases, conflicts and disasters elicit international interventions and massive relief responses from a variety of institutions and States. In recent years, given the overwhelming scale, frequency and complexity of unfolding crises, there have been signs of a creeping sense of donor fatigue.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Strategies to address homelessness are, ironically, often tainted with prejudice and stigmatization. For example, in August 2015, the office of the Mayor of New York introduced a mobile telephone application called Map the Homeless that allowed users to take snapshots of homeless people and report them to the police. Social media hashtag labels included #AggressivePanhandling and #Violent.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Widespread and severe discrimination and stigmatization on the ground of homelessness has rarely been addressed effectively by national human rights institutions or subjected to effective judicial or administrative remedies, and only rarely recognized in domestic legislation as a prohibited form of discrimination.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The proliferation of trade and investment agreements has dramatically altered State accountability, with the interests of large corporate investors prioritized over obligations to protect human rights and ensure the sustainability of local enterprises and communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Homelessness as a global human rights crisis that demands an urgent global response 2016, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur's consultations suggested that, while effective policy responses depend on particular circumstances, effective strategies must always be multi-pronged, engage a range of policies and programmes and address simultaneously social exclusion and housing deprivation. Most importantly, strategies must be led by stakeholders, combining social mobilization with legislative and policy reform.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Within the flexible framework established by the Committee, local and subnational governments have been made accountable to the right to adequate housing under domestic law in a variety of ways, ranging from constitutional rights through legislative and administrative requirements to rights-based housing strategies.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In her report on her mission to the United States of America (A/HRC/13/20/Add.4), the Special Rapporteur observed that many migrant families were living in conditions of severe overcrowding, particularly in Los Angeles.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Year
- Item does not have this property
Paragraph