News

Roma families at immediate risk of eviction in Serbia

Published in Tuesday March 20th, 2012 In Social movement news

Around 1500 Roma people are at risk of being forcibly evicted from their homes in Belvil, an informal settlement in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, at any time from 19 March. They have not been given information about resettlement and may be resettled in inadequate conditions or left homeless.

Tags , ,

Rio+20: “No global goals without accountability” – an open appeal from over 20 UN experts

Published in Monday March 19th, 2012 In News on the Rapporteurs

Geneva, 19 March 2012 In an open letter to world Governments, a group of 22 UN independent human rights experts called on States to incorporate universally agreed international human rights norms and standards with strong accountability mechanisms into the UN Rio+20 sustainable development conference’s goals, as the Rio+20 first round of informal-informal negotiations began today in […]

Brazil: Navy Surrounds Quilombo Community Slated for Eviction

Published in Thursday March 15th, 2012 In In the media

Quilombo Rio de Macacos in Bahia, one of the oldest communities of descendents of slaves in Brazil, woke up enclosed by military police threatening their eviction on Sunday morning, March 4, 2012.

Istanbul sees history razed in the name of regeneration

Published in Thursday March 15th, 2012 In In the media

Turkey’s cultural capital is undergoing a huge construction programme that is driving out communities Constanze Letsch in Istanbul Thursday 1 March 2012 23.00 GMT A few hundred metres from the bustling Taksim Square in Istanbul, the sound of jackhammers reverberates through the street: demolitions in the nearby neighbourhood of Tarlabasi are under way despite legal […]

Left Forum will host its annual conference at Pace University, New York City, on March 16-18

Published in Monday March 12th, 2012 In Social movement news

The Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik will participate in a panel on Housing Rights in the Left Forum annual conference, in New York, on March 17, from 10ham to 11:50am (Session 1, room LHS).

Slum Dwellers Are Defying Brazil’s Grand Design for Olympics

Published in Monday March 5th, 2012 In In the media

It was supposed to be a triumphant moment for Brazil Rio de Janeiro, March 4th 2012 Gearing up for the 2016 Olympic Games to be held here, officials celebrated plans for a futuristic “Olympic Park,” replete with a waterside park and athlete villages, promoting it as “a new piece of the city.” There was just one problem: […]

Tags , ,

Special Rapporteur visits Barcelona and talks about economic crisis and right to housing

Published in Friday March 2nd, 2012 In In the media

(Español) Raquel Rolnik, culpó ayer a la banca de la burbuja inmobiliaria que se ha producido en España y otros muchos países desde 2009. “La toma del sector inmobiliario por los bancos se traduce en que su último objetivo sea la revalorización y demuestra que la burbuja no es fruto de una política no deseada”, afirmó.

Tags , ,

Press release: Bangladesh open-pit coal mine threatens fundamental rights, warn UN experts

Published in Tuesday February 28th, 2012 In News on the Rapporteurs

GENEVA (28 February 2012) – “The Government of Bangladesh must ensure that any policy concerning open-pit coal mining includes robust safeguards to protect human rights. In the interim, the Phulbari coal mine should not be allowed to proceed because of the massive disruptions it is expected to cause,” said today a group of United Nations independent experts.

Press Release: Hungary’s homeless need roofs, not handcuffs – UN experts on poverty and housing

Published in Friday February 17th, 2012 In News on the Rapporteurs

GENEVA (15 February 2012) – Two UN human rights experts on extreme poverty and on housing called on Hungary to reconsider recent legislation which criminalizes homelessness, and threatens those living in the streets with prosecution that can lead heavy fines or to prison.

2014 World Cup Match: FIFA-1, Brazil-?

Published in Thursday February 16th, 2012 In In the media

The wealthy international soccer organization forces tax and labor-law exemptions on the next host of the games.