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Gender and all forms of discrimination, in particular racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 2001, para. 1g
- Paragraph text
- [Actions to be taken by Governments, the United Nations and civil society, as appropriate]: The Platform for Action recognized that women face barriers to full equality and advancement because of such factors as their race, age, language, ethnicity, culture, religion or disability, because they are indigenous women or of other status. Many women encounter specific obstacles related to their family status, particularly as single parents, and their socio-economic status, including their living conditions in rural, isolated or impoverished areas. Additional barriers also exist for refugee women, other displaced women, including internally displaced women, as well as for immigrant women and migrant women, including women migrant workers. Many women are also particularly affected by environmental disasters, serious and infectious diseases and various forms of violence against women;
- Body
- Commission on the Status of Women
- Document type
- CSW Agreed Conclusions / Declaration
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2001
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Rights of rural women 2016, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Global food, energy, financial and environmental crises have led to the increased sale and leasing of land owned by the State or other actors to local, national and foreign investors. Such agreements, often accompanied by expropriations, have put rural women at risk of forced eviction and increased poverty and have further diminished their access to and control over land, territories and natural resources, such as water, fuelwood and medicinal plants. Displacement negatively affects rural women in multiple ways, and they often suffer gender-based violence in that context.
- Body
- Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to water (Art. 11 and 12) 2002, para. 16c
- Paragraph text
- [Whereas the right to water applies to everyone, States parties should give special attention to those individuals and groups who have traditionally faced difficulties in exercising this right, including women, children, minority groups, indigenous peoples, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, migrant workers, prisoners and detainees. In particular, States parties should take steps to ensure that:] Rural and deprived urban areas have access to properly maintained water facilities. Access to traditional water sources in rural areas should be protected from unlawful encroachment and pollution. Deprived urban areas, including informal human settlements, and homeless persons, should have access to properly maintained water facilities. No household should be denied the right to water on the grounds of their housing or land status;
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2002
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to water (Art. 11 and 12) 2002, para. 16d
- Paragraph text
- [Whereas the right to water applies to everyone, States parties should give special attention to those individuals and groups who have traditionally faced difficulties in exercising this right, including women, children, minority groups, indigenous peoples, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, migrant workers, prisoners and detainees. In particular, States parties should take steps to ensure that:] Indigenous peoples' access to water resources on their ancestral lands is protected from encroachment and unlawful pollution. States should provide resources for indigenous peoples to design, deliver and control their access to water;
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2002
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to water (Art. 11 and 12) 2002, para. 16e
- Paragraph text
- [Whereas the right to water applies to everyone, States parties should give special attention to those individuals and groups who have traditionally faced difficulties in exercising this right, including women, children, minority groups, indigenous peoples, refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, migrant workers, prisoners and detainees. In particular, States parties should take steps to ensure that:] Nomadic and traveller communities have access to adequate water at traditional and designated halting sites;
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2002
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to water (Art. 11 and 12) 2002, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The Committee notes that during armed conflicts, emergency situations and natural disasters, the right to water embraces those obligations by which States parties are bound under international humanitarian law. This includes protection of objects indispensable for survival of the civilian population, including drinking water installations and supplies and irrigation works, protection of the natural environment against widespread, long-term and severe damage and ensuring that civilians, internees and prisoners have access to adequate water.
- Body
- Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights
- Document type
- General Comment / Recommendation
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2002
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Eliminating discrimination against women in economic and social life with a focus on economic crisis 2014, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Extractive industries, as well as, increasingly, biofuel, agribusiness and real estate projects, are land intensive, and land dispossession has disproportionately displaced women. Women, who make up 70-80 per cent of the world's small-scale farmers, lose their livelihood, often do not receive compensation paid to landowners, who are male, and are the last in line for formal employment in the industries. As primary carers, they are deprived of shelter and the ability to feed their families. The arrival of a transient, largely male workforce also increases prostitution, sexual violence and sexually transmitted disease. Mismanagement of extractive projects can also lead to severe violations of human rights that are manifested in unique ways for women, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence at the hands of security forces brought in to impose order.
- Body
- Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and practice
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Gender
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Impact of climate change on the right to food 2015, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Climate change mitigation strategies that aim to reduce emissions from land use may also have a negative impact on food production methods. The clean development mechanism was established to encourage industrialized States to fund carbon reduction projects in developing countries. It has generated many projects and in 2012 it was estimated to have generated approximately $215 billion for developing countries. Yet the mechanism has been criticized for failing to ensure human rights protections and to prevent the approval of projects that have negative human rights impacts, including on food security, owing to a lack of a rigorous impact assessment procedure for prospective projects. Activities have been proposed that would change land use patterns to reduce carbon emissions or promote carbon capture and storage; it is claimed that such projects have led to the displacement of small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples and that farmers may not be directly compensated for the carbon credits derived from their activities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right to food
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- 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. 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
Contemporary challenges to freedom of expression 2016, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- The right to freedom of opinion and expression must be respected "without distinction of any kind" (see article 2 (1) of the Covenant). Members of some groups, however, often face particular discrimination when it comes to the implementation of restrictions on expression. The Special Rapporteurs on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, on the situation of human rights defenders and on the independence of judges and lawyers address issues pertaining to human rights defenders and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), often in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Given their focus and detailed reporting, I will not highlight here our shared concerns about restrictions imposed against NGOs, human rights defenders environmental activists, refugees and lawyers. Instead I will highlight several other groups whose expression is particularly subject to repression.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Activists
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the context of natural resource exploitation projects 2015, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- The Special Rapporteur notes that requirements to obtain prior authorization before gatherings related to the exploitation of natural resources - such as information sessions, consultations, public hearings and the like - not only infringe on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, they also impede the right of affected communities to access information and participate in decision-making. In Uganda, non-governmental organizations working on oil issues are reportedly required by authorities to seek permission, in particular from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development before they can meet with grassroots communities, although the authorities have made efforts to remedy this situation.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association in the workplace 2016, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Without assembly and association rights, workers have little leverage to change the conditions that entrench poverty, fuel inequality and limit democracy. The need to maintain paid work is all-consuming; so many workers toil long hours for low wages in unsafe and unhealthy environments, risking disease, injury and death. They work without basic social protections such as health care, education, pensions or, in the case of trafficked workers, the right to choose or leave employment. The impact of the lack of assembly and association rights is compounded for migrant workers by harsh immigration laws, unscrupulous labour recruitment organizations, militarized labour systems and rights-restricted structures in export processing zones. Migrant domestic and agricultural workers, often excluded from labour law protection both at home and abroad, are doubly exploited and marginalized.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Occupational health 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The right to a healthy workplace environment is an integral component of the right to health. It requires States to improve all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene, including housing, sanitation, nutrition and access to safe water. For example, there are significant concerns regarding environmental and industrial hygiene in agricultural work. These concerns are exacerbated by fact that many agricultural workers, particularly migrant workers who are involved in agricultural work in large numbers, are socially and economically disadvantaged and often lack adequate resources to protect their own health. The improvement of environmental and industrial hygiene is therefore critical to achieving the full realization of the right to occupational health, especially for agricultural workers. In many instances, the work environment is indistinguishable from the home environment. As a result, many agricultural workers reside in crowded and substandard accommodation with poor sanitation and inadequate access to safe and potable water. Many of them are also exposed to environmental hazards such as pesticides or other pollutants because of the proximity or overlap of their homes to their worksites. These conditions significantly contribute to the increased rates of infectious diseases seen amongst these workers. The right to health requires that States give particular attention to the needs of vulnerable and marginalized groups in the formulation and implementation of occupational health laws and policies. This includes an obligation to monitor and evaluate occupational health risks and diseases affecting vulnerable groups.
- 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)
- Economic Rights
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Occupational health 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The right to health also requires States to address the prevention and reduction of the population's exposure to harmful substances, such as pesticides, and to assess their health impacts on workers. This is particularly important with respect to migrant workers because they may have limited access to health facilities, goods and services, and may lack access to the justice system. Where there is a real and confirmed hazard, the obligation to protect the right to occupational health requires States to prohibit production, sale and use of these substances. Where there is a reasonable potential for risk, States have a duty to take appropriate measures to reduce or prevent exposure, taking into consideration both the likelihood that harm will result and the extent of that harm. This includes requiring that pesticide labels are printed in all relevant languages, and agricultural workers are provided with adequate training and information regarding the use of pesticides.
- 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)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Migration and the right to adequate housing 2010, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Besides globalization, two recent phenomena affect global migration patterns. As expressed in the annual report of the Special Rapporteur to the General Assembly in 2009 (A/64/255), climate change is a factor influencing migration. As a consequence of environmental degradation, depletion of natural resources and natural disasters, many people around the world find their lives and health threatened, their houses and land destroyed and their sources of livelihood taken away. Affected populations are then forced to migrate to other regions within their countries or to other countries. Migrants may leave voluntarily in search of better lives or may be forcibly evacuated during disasters.
- Body
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- 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. 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
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Post conflict and post disaster reconstruction and the right to adequate housing 2011, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- These tasks are all the more challenging in cases of prolonged, mass displacement. Displacement is a notorious driver of human and particularly housing-rights violations. According to displacement and resettlement experts there are eight major displacement impoverishment risk areas: landlessness, joblessness, homelessness, marginalization, increased morbidity and mortality, food insecurity, loss of access to common property resources, and social/community disarticulation. While the impacts of displacement are devastating for all who are affected, they are most acutely felt by those groups more vulnerable to discrimination, including women, minorities, children and persons with disabilities. If not mitigated through intensive, concerted effort, the consequences are long-term, entrenching patterns of poverty, exclusion, dependency and disempowerment.
- Body
- 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
- Movement
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- The political economy of land deeply influences processes of development, urbanization and housing. Land speculation, as well as large-scale acquisition of land in rural areas-often non-transparent and managed poorly-undermine tenure rights and local livelihoods. Coupled with drought and other climate-related changes, such activities are major drivers of migration to cities, where adequate land and housing is often not available to newcomers, especially the poor. As a result, people settle in housing and settlements with insecure tenure arrangements. Unplanned and exclusionary urbanization has obvious impacts on tenure security.
- Body
- 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
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Mapping and framing security of tenure 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- Informal settlements are by no means the only example of tenure insecurity. In fact, a wide range of individuals and groups may be insecure: refugees and internally displaced persons, affected by or under threat of conflicts, disasters and climate change; people on land set aside or affected by development projects; residents of informal settlements; occupants of valuable land; tenants with or without legal leases/titles, in informal settlements or formal contexts, in rural and urban areas; internal or international migrants; minorities; nomadic communities; groups affected by stigma or caste-based discrimination; the poor, landless, jobless and/or homeless; sharecroppers; bonded labourers; other marginalized groups, such as persons with disabilities or persons living with HIV; children; indigenous peoples; groups with customary land rights; and even individual property owners.
- Body
- 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
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- States should take immediate and progressive measures to confer legal security of tenure on individuals and communities currently lacking protection. States should undertake human rights impact assessments of proposed measures, in the housing, land and financial sectors. These assessments should examine potential effects on all existing tenure forms and on groups vulnerable to eviction, including market-induced displacements. If there is risk of exacerbating tenure insecurity, alternatives should be considered or, as a last resort, mitigation measures should be developed. Based on these assessments, States should take legislative and programmatic measures to secure diverse tenure forms, prioritizing arrangements for those facing barriers to the full realization of their housing 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)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Guiding Principles on security of tenure for the urban poor 2014, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- If a business enterprise causes or contributes to adverse impacts on security of tenure, including through its business relationships, it should immediately take all relevant steps to address it. If an impact is current or ongoing, the business enterprise should immediately cease the activity causing it. If an adverse impact, such as a forced eviction, has already occurred, the business enterprise should provide remediation through legitimate processes and in consultation with the affected individuals or groups to ensure that the remedy is comprehensive and legitimate in their view. When people have been forcibly evicted or displaced, remedy should include return of the land, housing and resources to the victims and compensation for any losses, including of livelihood. When return of the land and housing is impossible, for example, when it has been destroyed, or when the business enterprise is not in a position to ensure its return, all possible steps should be taken to ensure other forms of reparations, such as secure alternative land and housing of the same or better quality and 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)
- Environment
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 2015, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The mandate on adequate housing regularly receives allegations that identify local, municipal and other subnational authorities as pertinent to the claims made by individuals and communities. Those submissions raise concerns of imminent threats, including alleged forced evictions, forced displacement or development-basis eviction without application of existing international standards; restrictions and other discriminatory practices on access to housing by specific populations groups, including refugees, asylum seekers, undocumented migrants, and ethnic, religious or other minorities; and changes in housing subsidies and welfare programmes directly impacting on people living in poverty, the unemployed, persons with disabilities or women. Complaints also refer to the lack of affordable housing, substandard housing, fuel poverty, and denial of or inadequate services, including water, sanitation and electricity.
- Body
- 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
- Movement
- Poverty
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
The right to life and the right to adequate housing: the indivisibility and interdependence between these rights 2016, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Since 2008, an average of 26.4 million people each year have been displaced by natural disasters, including mudslides, earthquakes, floods, typhoons and tsunamis. The likelihood of being displaced by a disaster today is 60 per cent higher than it was four decades ago. Not surprisingly, a key factor of vulnerability is rapid, unplanned and poorly governed urbanization. The poorest and most precariously housed are disproportionately affected by natural disasters, often experiencing tragic consequences; they are also the least able 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
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Extractive industries operating within or near indigenous territories 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Several indigenous and non-governmental organizations reported that the forced emigration of indigenous peoples from their traditional lands - either because of the taking of those lands or environmental degradation caused by resource extraction projects - has had an overall negative impact on indigenous cultures and social structures. One non-governmental organization dramatically described the migration process as the transition of "ecosystem people" into "ecological refugees". One civil society respondent from India described the negative effects of the continuous reallocation of a significant number of Adivasi and other tribal peoples as a result of large-scale developments projects, particularly dams. Many of these projects provided very little or no compensation for those forced to relocate. This problem was reported to have an especially negative effect on Adivasi women, who have apparently experienced loss of social, economic and decision-making power when removed from their traditional territorial- and forestry-based occupations.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Conservation measures and their impact on indigenous peoples’ rights 2016, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- In India, Adivasis and tribal peoples have been evicted from tiger reserves for decades, often without any form of reparation. This continues to occur despite the Forest Rights Act of 2006, which only allows displacement from "critical wildlife habitats" if scientifically determined that the habitat is being damaged irreversibly and that co-existence is not possible. The Forest Rights Act stipulates that even then, displacement can only be carried out after obtaining free, prior and informed consent. In practice, however, displacement from protected areas continues across India through a combination of misinterpretation, coercion, and inducement. Reportedly, tribal peoples have faced prosecution for "offences" in protected areas, such as the traditional practice of collecting honey.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Ethnic minorities
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
Internal displacement in 2010: What are the major challenges? 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- Natural disasters displace more people than any other cause but their displacement tends to be shorter than conflict or violence-related displacement. The effects of climate change are likely to further increase the numbers of the disaster-displaced. Not only is climate change expected to increase the magnitude and frequency of sudden-onset disasters such as storms or flooding, but it is also likely to exacerbate slow-onset disasters, including droughts, desertification, and rising sea levels, that also force people to move. As a result of the effects of climate change, between 50 and 250 million people may move by the middle of the century on a permanent or temporary basis. Many of them will move voluntarily as part of adaptation strategies of families and communities, yet others will have no other choice but to leave their homes. Most of these displaced will stay within their country as internally displaced persons.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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