UN meeting urged to discuss right to housing<\/p>\n
By Sima Gunawan<\/p>\n
ISTANBUL, Turkey (JP): Hundreds of activists, including some
\nIndonesians, staged a demonstration here yesterday, demanding the
\nUN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat) II put \"the right of
\nhousing\" in the Habitat agenda.<\/p>\n
They gathered at the Galata Bridge of Istanbul to protest
\npoints relating to the right to housing, which they claimed were
\n\"missing\" or \"too weak\" in the existing agenda text. Three
\ncyclists, members of Droit au Logement (Right to Housing) group,
\nwho arrived from Paris, joined the protest.<\/p>\n
Some members of the Jakarta-based Jelambar group also took
\npart in the demonstration. Earlier this week they told an NGO
\nforum about forced evictions in Jakarta and screened a video on
\ndemolitions in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the demonstrators planned to march to the NGO
\nForum building but the police stopped and dispersed them.<\/p>\n
The existing text of the Habitat agenda says \"we reaffirm our
\ncommitment to the progressive realization of the right to
\nadequate housing, as set out in numerous international
\ninstruments and we recognize the fundamental obligation of
\ngovernments to enable people to obtain shelter and to protect and
\nimprove dwellings and neighborhoods\".<\/p>\n
The right to housing is one of the hottest issues in the UN
\nConference on Human Settlements. The Non-Aligned Movement
\nbelieves that the right to housing is a basic human right. This
\nis supported by Europe. But some countries, particularly the
\nUnited States and Japan, disagree. The U.S. has said that the
\nright to adequate housing is a component of existing human
\nrights.<\/p>\n
The U.S. apparently refuses to recognize the right to housing
\nas a basic right as it is concerned about legal suit from poor
\npeople who demand free public housing.<\/p>\n
Recognizing the right to housing as a human right will
\napparently pressure developed countries to provide housing loans
\nto developing countries, activists said.<\/p>\n
In yesterday's demonstration, NGOs demanded that the Habitat
\nagenda clearly affirm the right to affordable and accessible
\nquality housing as a legally enforced human right to be enacted
\nin the Constitutions and legislations of all UN member states.<\/p>\n
They also demanded affirmation on the obligation of national
\ngovernments to commit sufficient resources to realize the right
\nto housing by the immediate reallocation of funds away from
\nweapons of war to build world habitats for peace.<\/p>\n
Governments should be committed to the productive use of
\nabandoned or unused buildings and idle lands to meet people's
\nhousing needs, especially for the poor, activists said.<\/p>\n
The activists also demanded that governments end forced
\nevictions.<\/p>\n
\"Unavoidable relocations must include notification,
\nparticipation by affected populations, accessible rehousing,
\nbasic services and employment opportunities, and due process of
\nlaw,\" NGOs said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The other demands included the providing of regulations and
\ncontrols to guarantee security of tenure, combat housing and land
\nspeculation, and fight housing discrimination. An international
\nfunding mechanism should be set up to guarantee support for
\nlocally-based financial institutions for poor people who need
\nhousing. The NGOs also demanded that Habitat II adopt and submit
\nthe International Convention on the Right to Housing.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/un-meeting-urged-to-discuss-right-to-housing-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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