News

UN Helps Land Commission in Liberia

The UN-Habitat Liberia Friday donated vehicles to the Land Commission of Liberia describing its work as crucial to the resolution of land disputes in the country. The donation came as the Land Commission was carrying out a pilot project in five counties that will lead to the resolution of land disputes in the country.

The Roma who were evicted to live by a landfill site in Romania

Two years ago the local authorities of Cluj-Napoca forcibly evicted around 300 people – mostly Roma – from Coastei Street in the centre of the Romanian city. Since then, most of them have been living close to the landfill and a chemical waste dump in an area on the outskirts known as Pata Rât, where they were moved by the municipality. Soon after their eviction, Romani people started a long struggle for justice.

Eviction of traditional dwellers in forests opposed in India

The members of Karnataka Rajya Moola Budakattugala Okkuta staged a protest against the eviction of forest dwellers who have been residing inside the forest, for generations, in front of Deputy Commissioner’s office in Mangalore on Monday. The protesters shouted slogans against the eviction of the traditional forest dwellers. Addressing the protesters, Federation Vice-President M Sundar said that that the authorities should issue title deeds for the forest dwellers.

‘Squatters are not home stealers’

On 26 September, Alex Haigh became the first person to be jailed under section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act. His crime was one of which countless thousands of people could now be guilty: squatting. A 21-year-old from Plymouth, Haigh was arrested for living in a house in Pimlico that had been empty for over a year. He had come to London seeking work as a bricklayer; now he has a criminal record.
When section 144, which makes it an offence to squat in a residential building in England and Wales, came into effect at the beginning of September, many people agreed with it, including 52% of Guardian readers in an online poll. But is squatting really a menace or a burden to society? Might it even be beneficial? And when we talk about squatting, what do we really mean anyway?

Battle to balance urbanisation with ecological sustainability in China

By the time you finish reading this article, more than 400 Chinese people will have left the countryside and put down new roots in a city. China’s cities, which already house a tenth of the world’s population, are swelling every minute. It is the largest migration in human history, and is a driving force behind China’s demand for everything from steel to sugar to electricity. Perhaps more surprisingly, cities have become a key front in the country’s fight against pollution and efforts to shift toward more sustainable growth.

Haiti quake survivors face eviction from camps says Oxfam

Tens of thousands of homeless earthquake survivors living in camps sprawled across the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince are at risk of eviction, Oxfam said on Monday. Some 78,000 living in camps on property owned by schools and churches and on private land face eviction by landowners and local authorities wanting to reclaim their land. “Thousands of people are in a very precarious situation and at risk of finding themselves on the street with nowhere to go. This government should ensure the security and protection of displaced people against violence, intimidation and unlawful threats to evict families,” Andrew Pugh, Oxfam’s country director in Haiti, said in a statement.

Why land is at the centre of all scandals in India

Recent estimates indicate that the size of India’s shadow economy may vary from 25% to 50% of the country’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). Among the 176 nations ranked in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (2012), India stood at 94, which was a lot worse than Brazil and China. India’s property sector is possibly the worst offender. Barun Mitra, the founder and director of the Delhi-based Liberty Institute, has calculated that all the land transactions, including those related to natural resources like mining, generate $20bn (£12.54bn) to $40bn of illegal money each year.

When Low-Income Tenants Face Eviction

In “Tipping the Scales in Housing Court” (Op-Ed, Nov. 30), Matthew Desmond makes a compelling case for assisting low-income tenants facing eviction by providing them with lawyers. It’s sound social policy and a strong showing of decent morality. The issue of evictions is embedded within the context of a broader goal: ensuring and increasing housing stability.

UN experts urge Hungary to uphold Constitutional Court decision to decriminalize homelessness

Two United Nations experts on extreme poverty and housing today urged the Government of Hungary to uphold the recent Constitutional Court decision decriminalizing homelessness, to amend the anti-homeless legislation and to adopt a national housing strategy, which will take into account the needs and views of the homeless and those inadequately housed, in conformity with international human rights obligations.

Forced Evictions From African Cities

December 07, 2012 Africities 2012 – is an international summit taking place in Dakar, Senegal, where delegates, including local government officials, city mayors, property developers and private companies from around the world, will discuss urban development in African cities. Amnesty International is attending the summit to remind delegates of their obligations under international human rights […]