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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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Climate change and internal displacement 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Other actors have also enriched the discussion by focusing on specific rights or the impact of climate change on particular groups. In addition to posing a direct threat to the right to life, the effects of climate change are expected to have negative implications for basic rights relating to food (A/HRC/7/5), housing (A/64/255), water and health, and affect the overall right to an adequate standard of living (A/HRC/10/61, paras. 21-38). Some of these analyses have highlighted the link between the lack of access to these rights and displacement. In the context of climate change, internally displaced persons are also a growing category of persons considered to be especially at risk, given the adverse material, social and psychological consequences commonly associated with displacement. These risks are heightened by the fact that the most serious effects of climate change, including displacement, are predicted to disproportionately affect poor regions and countries and populations already in a vulnerable situation owing to poverty and other factors.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Climate change and internal displacement 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- The importance of displacement, and in particular internal displacement, within the climate change debate is well established and now calls for specific strategies and measures to address it. Already in 1990, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that the greatest single impact of climate change might be on human migration. The Panel estimated that by 2050, 150 million people could be displaced by climate change-related phenomena, such as desertification, increasing water scarcity, floods and storms. Since then, while estimates have varied, it has generally been accepted that the effects of climate change will indeed result in large-scale movements of people, mostly within the boundaries of affected States, and that developing States in the southern hemisphere are likely to be the worst affected.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
General Conclusion On International Protection 1999, para. (d)
- Paragraph text
- Recognizes that the presence of massive refugee populations in urban and rural areas in developing countries puts considerable strain on the economy and environment of these countries, and that increased attention should be paid to alleviate this negative impact; and calls on UNHCR to play its catalytic role to mobilize assistance from the international community to address environmental degradation in refugee-hosting areas as well as the economic and social impact of large-scale refugee populations;
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 1999
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Children At Risk 2007, para. (h) xiv
- Paragraph text
- [Further recommends that States, UNHCR and other relevant agencies and partners undertake the following non-exhaustive prevention, response and solution measures in order to address specific wider environmental or individual risks factors:] Facilitate the provision of child-friendly information on the conditions in places of return to enable refugee and internally displaced children, in particular those unaccompanied and separated and others at heightened risk, to participate in decision-making on their return; promote respect for protection of children's inheritance rights; and provide, where possible and appropriate, child- and gender- sensitive/adapted reintegration support on integration and participation in the communities to which they are returning, targeting and recognizing the specific needs of the returning child;
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2007
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Children At Risk 2007, para. (h) xvii
- Paragraph text
- [Further recommends that States, UNHCR and other relevant agencies and partners undertake the following non-exhaustive prevention, response and solution measures in order to address specific wider environmental or individual risks factors:] Whether in the context of resettlement or local integration, facilitate the integration of refugee children through targeted support in schools, particularly for adolescents, and through providing language classes and education on the culture and social structures in the host country for refugee children; provide support for refugee children at heightened risk that is targeted at addressing their specific needs; and where integration is being implemented, facilitate, as far as possible, the naturalization of refugee children in accordance with national laws and regulations;
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2007
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Women And Girls At Risk 2006, para. (d)
- Paragraph text
- In certain cases, the presence of one factor or incident may alone be sufficient to require an urgent protection intervention. In others, the presence of a combination of individual and wider protection environment factors will expose women and girls to heightened risk. In still others, if women and girls have been subjected, for instance, to SGBV in the area of origin or during flight, this may leave them at heightened risk in the place of displacement. Continuing assessment is required to monitor threat levels, as they may change over time.
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2006
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Children At Risk 2007, para. (h) viii
- Paragraph text
- [Further recommends that States, UNHCR and other relevant agencies and partners undertake the following non-exhaustive prevention, response and solution measures in order to address specific wider environmental or individual risks factors:] Encourage the inclusion of all children in education programmes and strengthen children's capacities, including by enabling their equal access to quality education for girls and boys in all stages of the displacement cycle and in situations of statelessness; promote learning and school environments that are safe, do not perpetuate violence, and promote a culture of peace and dialogue; designate child- friendly spaces in camp and urban environments; and promote access to post-primary education wherever possible and appropriate, life-skills and vocational trainings for adolescents and support recreational activities, sports, play and cultural activities;
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Environment
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2007
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Children At Risk 2007, para. (c) i
- Paragraph text
- Calls on States, UNHCR and other relevant agencies and partners to put in place modalities, as appropriate, for early and continuous identification of children at heightened risk. Risk factors that put children in a situation of heightened risk can include both risks in the wider protection environment and risks resulting from individual circumstances, taking into account the cumulative effects of being exposed to several risk factors, such as:] Wider environmental risk factors including, but not limited to: an insecure environment; lack of access to child-sensitive asylum procedures; situations of displacement, particularly protracted situations; statelessness; lack of sustainable solutions; poverty and families' lack of self-reliance opportunities; inadequate access to and use of services such as education and health care; disruption of family and community support structures; prevalence of traditional practices that are harmful to children; discrimination, intolerance, xenophobia, and gender inequality; and lack of documentation of the parent-child relationship through birth registrations and issuance of birth certificates; and
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Equality & Inclusion
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2007
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Children At Risk 2007, para. (h) xvi
- Paragraph text
- [Further recommends that States, UNHCR and other relevant agencies and partners undertake the following non-exhaustive prevention, response and solution measures in order to address specific wider environmental or individual risks factors:] Facilitate the integration of internally displaced children in places of settlement through targeted action in support of their integration as fully included members of the community, including by taking measures to address discrimination faced by internally displaced children;
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2007
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
Conclusion On Children At Risk 2007, para. (h) xviii
- Paragraph text
- [Further recommends that States, UNHCR and other relevant agencies and partners undertake the following non-exhaustive prevention, response and solution measures in order to address specific wider environmental or individual risks factors:] Enhance the use of resettlement as a protection and durable solutions tool for children at risk; where appropriate, take a flexible approach to family unity, including through consideration of concurrent processing of family members in different locations, as well as to the definition of family members in recognition of the preference to protect children within a family environment with both parents; and recognize UNHCR's role in the determination of the best interests of the child which should inform resettlement decisions including in situations where only one parent is being resettled and custody disputes remain unresolved due to the unavailability or inaccessibility of competent authorities, or due to the inability to obtain official documents from the country of origin as this could jeopardize the safety of the refugee or his/her relatives; and
- Body
- Executive Committee of the Programme of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Document type
- ExCom Conclusion
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2007
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
Paragraph
The protection of sources and whistle-blowers 2015, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Basic protections are critical to an effective right to freedom of expression, accountability and democratic governance. Individual cases of disproportionate treatment and retaliation against sources and whistle-blowers have been in the public eye over recent years, relating to intelligence agencies, asylum programmes, public health, environmental protection, corruption in the business and financial sectors, international organizations and many other domains. The Special Rapporteur has avoided mentioning specific cases in the present report. Moving forward, the principles identified in the present report will be applied in communications with Governments and international organizations on specific cases. The Special Rapporteur looks forward to a dialogue with Governments to help to improve their legal frameworks and establish effective protection of sources and whistle-blowers.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Date modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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 modified
- Feb 13, 2020
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