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Access to rights-based support for persons with disabilities 2017, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Persons with disabilities belonging to groups that have been historically discriminated against or disadvantaged (such as indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities and persons living with HIV/AIDS) are disproportionately affected in accessing support arrangements and services. This also applies to migrants, persons living in conflict situations, internally displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers, stateless persons and prisoners with disabilities, as humanitarian responses tend to overlook their support needs. Moreover, there is a strong link between belonging to a racial and cultural minority and experiencing coercion and institutionalization. Policies and programmes to ensure access to support must seek to overcome the impact of the multiple and aggravated forms of discrimination faced by persons with disabilities belonging to these groups in accessing support.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Annual Report of the WG on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice 2012, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In view of the broad thematic scope of its mandate, covering discrimination against women in law and in practice, the Working Group has identified four thematic areas of focus, namely, political and public life; economic and social life; family and cultural life; and health and safety. The Working Group regards violence against women and the intersection of various grounds of discrimination as cross-cutting in all of its work. It is paying particular attention to specific groups of women, including but not limited to women living in poverty, migrant women, women with disabilities, women belonging to minorities, rural and indigenous women, older women, girls, including adolescents, women in conflict and post-conflict situations, refugee women, internally displaced women and stateless women.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in political and public life with a focus on political transition 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Since the introduction of the Convention, the world's political landscape has gone through substantial changes. These have been marked, variously in different regions and States, by the dismantling of long-standing totalitarian regimes, democratization and the emergence of new forms of authoritarianism. This period has also witnessed armed conflicts both between and within States, the creation of refugee populations and international involvement in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Technological leaps in the field of information and communications, particularly the Internet, have created a new public and political space, with revolutionary impact on the development and the exercise of human rights, allowing new forms of political expression and mobilization, and facilitating political communication and organization for men and women globally.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to education of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers 2010, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- [The Special Rapporteur emphasizes that teachers and other personnel working with migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers are in need of strong support such as new organizational structures and new teaching forms; this requires action beyond the teacher/school meso-level, towards a more active State, and desegregationist measures at the micro- or community level (e.g. housing policies). More specifically this will involve:] In refugee contexts, training to deal with traumatized learners and psychosocial support and expert counselling for both teachers and refugees.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to education of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers 2010, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur takes this opportunity to emphasize that school learning content and non-formal learning for refugees and asylum-seekers in refugee camps should aim to transmit key life-saving and life-sustaining messages (including landmine and unexploded ordinance awareness, rapid evacuation, skills-based health education, conflict resolution, humanitarian norms, child protection, etc.) in addition to preparation for local integration, repatriation or resettlement. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur specifically draws attention to, and welcomes, the educational work of UNHCR, but encourages increased attention, intensity and breadth in its provision.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to education of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The shortage of teachers is a major obstacle to access and good quality education for refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. Overcrowded and unmanageable classes increase student dropout. Especially in developed countries, schools with a large migrant and refugee proportion are often the most disadvantaged in terms of funds and qualified and experienced staff. In refugee camps, low and/or inappropriate compensation (teachers receiving monetary or non-monetary “incentives” instead of salaries) encourage teachers to work for NGOs or for schools outside the camp rather than in a refugee school.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to education of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- The normative and related investment focus on primary education, directly and negatively, impacts upon the quality, accessibility and availability of post-primary and tertiary education. Two contrasting examples illustrate this point. First, and markedly visible in refugee camps dependent upon international cooperation and investment, is a lack of appropriate infrastructure, learning materials and qualified specialized teachers for post-primary education. Second, and a recurrent individual perspective offered by questionnaire respondents seeking post-primary and tertiary education, were the almost insurmountable barriers to, or lack of, individual support.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to education of migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers 2010, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Systemic and individual barriers to post-primary and tertiary education contribute to the perpetuation and consolidation of disadvantage in education generally, in post-primary and tertiary education specifically and of course in life. Correlated with this is the increasing perception that good quality post-primary and tertiary education for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in post-conflict States, and those who are particularly fragile, is fundamental to recovery from the aftermath of conflict and longer-term, more stable development.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur underlines that emergencies do not relieve States from their obligation to take all appropriate measures to ensure the realization of the right to education of all persons in their territories, including non-nationals, refugees or internally displaced groups. Ensuring financial support for primary education in order to guarantee that it continues to be available during emergencies, making secondary education available without discrimination and promoting access to higher education on the basis of capacity are nothing more than the fulfilment of a human rights obligation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Refugees and internally displaced persons continue to face great obstacles when seeking education outside their communities of origin. Data collected by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees within official camps indicated limited and uneven access to education across camps; the overall primary school participation rate of refugee children in camps was 69 per cent and at the secondary level only 30 per cent. Several countries maintain administrative barriers to the enrolment of both refugee and internally displaced children, despite human rights obligations to provide education without discrimination of any kind to all children living in their territories and the relevant provisions of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Short-term financing of projects in situations of prolonged displacement threatens the education, and progression, of many thousands of refugee and internally displaced children; gaps in the financing of education in such situations must be addressed as a matter of priority because of the long-lasting impact of the denial of education to these populations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Financing education and update on education in emergencies 2011, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- The Global Education Cluster developed a Joint Education Needs Assessment Toolkit in 2010, as well as a Short Guide for Rapid Needs Assessments to provide guidance on data collection in emergency situations. The need for further improving monitoring capacities through the definition of a core set of indicators, including estimated numbers of children and youth to be reached, age and gender profiles, patterns of displacement, education materials, teacher and infrastructure requirements needed to guide the estimation of financing requirements has been underlined.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to education
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Access to justice and the right to food: the way forward 2015, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Development-induced displacement is an increasingly widespread phenomenon with devastating impact. An estimated 15 million people each year are forced to relocate and resettle as a result of such interventions. Despite some of the more recent efforts to highlight land dispossession, as yet global institutions have been unable to discourage the practices and processes that undermine land rights, prevent equitable access and establish the context for large and small-scale displacements. The expanding mining sector has contributed to strong economic growth in some countries, with mining and oil concessions dramatically increasing in countries. The industry has however also generated social conflict in many States, particularly in rural areas, with mining activities coming into direct competition with small-scale agriculture. Indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable as they are often forced to leave their land and sources of livelihood. A lack of engagement and opportunities for participation in decisions that affect their lives has left many communities in situations of dire poverty and without access to adequate food and nutrition.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Access to justice and the right to food: the way forward 2015, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- If TNC activities are criminally justiciable and reasonable compensation is enforceable, the issue of extraterritoriality may not arise. However, in cases of indirect violations of the right to food, for instance by way of voluntary displacement or not being able to farm because of a lack of access to necessary resources such as water because of privatization, or seeds because of a monopoly by TNCs, human rights adjudication becomes vital. Consequently, such remedies should provide enforceable compensation and restitution. The remedies currently available for individuals whose economic, social and cultural rights are violated are somewhat limited. Considerable improvements in this regard are essential for cases involving violations of the right to food to be protected from violations committed by foreign and national actors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Gender perspectives on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment 2016, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Child and other forms of forced marriage increase during conflict and among displaced populations living in refugee or internally displaced persons camps. In 2015 the practice has been documented as being enforced by both State actors and non-State or rebel factions in Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, the Syrian Arab Republic and elsewhere, with victims being repeatedly raped, compelled to carry multiple pregnancies and subjected to other forms of physical and psychological violence over prolonged periods. While rape commonly occurs in the context of forced marriage, girls and women can also be forced into marriage as a consequence of rape or fear of sexual violence, as a form of "restitution" or "reparation". Like rape, forced marriage is used as a tactic of war and to fulfil strategic objectives such as domination, intimidation and degradation. It has been recognized as a crime against humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Protection of journalists and press freedom 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Journalists, confronted with attacks, threats and possible imprisonment, are often forced to flee their home countries to avoid risking their lives. Since 2001, more than 500 journalists have reportedly fled their countries of origin, and 454 remained in exile as at June 2010. At least 85 journalists fled their home countries between 1 June 2009 and 31 May 2010, double the number recorded in the previous year. In addition, at least 29 editors, reporters and photographers have fled the Islamic Republic of Iran since June 2009, the highest annual tally from a single country in a decade. Moreover, the exile rate of journalists fleeing Africa has allegedly tripled over the past year, with at least 42 journalists, most of them from Ethiopia and Somalia, fleeing their homes.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to health and international drug control, compulsory treatment for drug dependence and access to controlled medicines 2010, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Police crackdowns and other interventions associated with criminalization of drug use and possession also result in displacement of drug users from areas serviced by harm-reduction programmes, decreasing their ability to participate in needle and syringe programmes, opioid substitution therapy (OST) and access to outreach workers. Access to emergency assistance in the instance of an overdose also is impeded, and the incidence of overdose may be increased by disrupting access to regular injecting networks and drug suppliers. Those most affected by displacement often are the most marginalized; for instance, the homeless, who cannot necessarily move indoors to use drugs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- States should give particular attention to persons rendered vulnerable by conflict, such as women, children, older persons, people with disabilities and displaced communities. This requires States to address marginalization arising from social, political and economic exclusion; discrimination against persons belonging to or perceived to belong to a specific community; vulnerability due to ill-health; and conflict strategies that deliberately render certain communities vulnerable. These factors, individually or in combination, may expose certain groups to multiple vulnerabilities and an increased risk of violation of their right to health. Recognizing the diverse vulnerabilities in different communities and empowering them to participate in all decision-making processes that affect their health enable States to fulfil their obligation under the right to health during conflict and also promotes a sustainable recovery from conflict.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Older persons
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The health needs of certain groups are often overlooked in conflict due to limited or suspended services. Older persons are more at risk in conflict due to poor mobility and are less able to travel to health facilities. They may be unable to carry heavy packages of food or containers of water, and often live without family support, which renders them vulnerable to higher levels of malnutrition and disease. Similarly, persons with disabilities, often abandoned by families fleeing conflict, may face greater health and safety risks. Many facilities are unable to provide children with disabilities with the treatment and care suited to their physical developmental needs, hampering their ability to enjoy their right to health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Older persons
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Conflicts often result in displacement of people, within States and across borders. Displaced persons may be deprived of the same rights and underlying determinants as host communities. A large number of displaced persons may be forced to migrate to relief camps that are characterized by dilapidated and overcrowded conditions where basic services are inadequate, contributing to the spread of communicable diseases. Displaced persons may also be forced to migrate to urban slums, which renders them susceptible to vulnerabilities arising not only from a lack of capacity and resources, but also from the unwillingness of the State to address their needs.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- As an aspect of international cooperation and assistance, States should respect, protect and fulfil the right to health of people fleeing from conflict situations. The burden of caring for populations displaced by conflict often falls on States that are least equipped to bear it. In this regard, other States should ensure that they provide appropriate international assistance, including aid, to countries facing an influx of persons displaced by conflict and measures to assist in their resettlement. States should also ensure the availability and accessibility of quality health facilities, goods and services and the underlying determinants of health to such persons, whether or not they are nationals of the State. States should also refrain from policies that violate the right to health such as mandatory detention or deportation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Right to health in conflict situations 2013, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- The right to health framework recognizes that international and non governmental organizations have particular importance in relation to disaster relief and humanitarian assistance in times of emergencies, including providing assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons. International and non governmental organizations may also be involved in conflict as monitors, mediators, peacekeeping forces and territorial administrators. Such organizations should ensure that they take due account of the right to health in their decisions and activities, including by adopting rights-based health policies, paying special attention to the needs of vulnerable groups and ensuring participation of affected communities. They should ensure that robust accountability mechanisms exist, particularly in peacekeeping and peace-enforcement situations. These include effective disciplinary systems, clear operational standards, systems for monitoring and data collection, and accessible independent dispute-resolution systems, especially for international organizations that enjoy immunity from domestic jurisdiction.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Effective and full implementation of the right to health framework, including justiciability of ESCR and the right to health; the progressive realisation of the right to health; the accountability deficit of transnational corporations; and the current ... 2014, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In reviewing whether a State has fulfilled its obligations under the Covenant, it is important to consider that even well-considered policies making use of a State's maximum available resources may lead to poor health outcomes owing to external circumstances, such as an influx of refugees, an outbreak of an epidemic or an economic recession. Even in such cases of resource constraint, States should fulfil their core obligations and other immediate obligations without discrimination. States should not be allowed to use external circumstances as an excuse for retrogressive measures such as cutting certain health-related policies as part of a redistribution of funds from the health sector.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Disaster response appears to differ greatly according to whether it addresses the situation of individual, formally registered, property owners or that of all those with other types of tenure arrangements. It has been noted that in most housing reconstruction programmes, tenure documentation and legal proof of rights are prerequisites for establishing beneficiary eligibility, with the consequence of excluding the poorest and most vulnerable, including those residing in informal settlements with temporary or informal rights of tenure. In a number of countries, displaced renters and squatters often find themselves excluded from permanent housing schemes designed to replace the assets of homeowners.
- Body
- 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
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- In Honduras, in the wake of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the groups disproportionately affected included poor women, peasants and indigenous groups, many of whom had been living under insecure tenure conditions and in vulnerable areas exposed to strong winds, flooding and landslides (see A/HRC/16/42, para. 32). In Colombia, the floods throughout 2010 and into 2011 were said to have disproportionately affected those already displaced by conflict, particularly indigenous and Afro-Colombians, who tended to live in remote areas subject to violence from armed 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)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- At the same time, ambitious plans for "redevelopment" and luxury tourism emerged, including for those coastal areas closed off to residents for safety reasons. One tourism board announced at the time that the tsunami offered an opportunity to make of its country a "world class tourism destination". It was reported that while displaced persons were prohibited from returning to their homes, the same prohibition did not apply to hotel complexes. In some places, land developers simply used the opportunity to grab land, especially from the most vulnerable communities. Luxury hotels sprang up in many coastal areas. Communities and civil society organizations complained that the creation of zones was used to arbitrarily evict poor coastal dwellers and indigenous communities to the benefit of businesses and new tourism facilities.
- Body
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Similar distortions were seen with respect to the construction market. In one case, it has been reported that in some cities a few companies were given a monopoly over construction materials, to the detriment of local small businesses, and in another, the reconstruction process led to increased prices by suppliers and construction companies, stymying individual reconstruction efforts. Likewise, the outsourcing of transitional shelters by humanitarian agencies to international contractors might divert potential financial resources for displaced persons who could be supported to build their own shelter. The results in the latter instances are also less likely to be culturally appropriate.
- Body
- 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
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Restrictive measures must also conform to the principle of proportionality. This calls for a balancing act between the rights of those affected with the interests of the State in mitigating the damage and ensuring public safety. With respect to tsunami prevention for instance, any regulation preventing residents from returning to beachfront areas must be shown to be the least restrictive means of achieving public safety objectives. A State would have to show that other safety measures such as warning systems or dykes are not available or effective.
- Body
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to adequate housing in disaster relief efforts 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- As mentioned above, the earthquake in Haiti highlighted the largely inadequate housing conditions and the precariousness and insecure tenure of informal settlements. The international community, by focusing on people displaced in camps, and by offering conditions superior to those enjoyed by many Haitians, inadvertently made camps attractive places. While systematic reconstruction accompanied by the provision of services in neighbourhoods of return is not forthcoming, there is thus little reason for poor families to leave the camps where housing and services are provided free of charge. Although understandable from an emergency perspective, a narrow focus on the plight of internally displaced persons and temporary solutions becomes, amidst a difficult socio-economic and tenure context, an obstacle to long-term recovery, and in some cases may result in further development problems. Such situations are bound to become more frequent, with increased urbanization, much of which occurs in an unplanned manner (see A/64/255, paras. 13-21).
- Body
- 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
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph