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PRESS RELEASE – UN housing expert makes first visit to the US

Published in Tuesday October 20th, 2009 In News

20 October 2009 – GENEVA — The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Ms. Raquel Rolnik, will visit the United States of America from 22 October to 8 November 2009 at the invitation of the Government.

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PRESS RELEASE – “With and for the poor” planning, the key to protect urban dwellers from climate change

Published in Monday October 5th, 2009 In News

GENEVA (5 October 2009) — “The rapid expansion of informal settlements and the particular vulnerability of low-income groups to the effects of climate change is a major challenge,” warns Raquel Rolnik, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing. In her view, “the theme of this year’s World Habitat Day –‘Planning our Urban Future’- is an urgent call to address the challenges faced by urban dwellers, specially the most vulnerable.”

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PRESS RELEASE – UN Expert warns of mass forced evictions in Nigeria

Published in Thursday August 13th, 2009 In News

(13/08/2009) GENEVA – “Forced evictions can only be justified in the most exceptional cases and in full compliance with international human rights law,” said today United Nations independent expert Raquel Rolnik, while expressing her concern at the mass evictions planned by the Nigerian River State Government, which could leave hundreds of thousands of people homeless over the coming year.

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PRESS RELEASE – UN Expert urges Cambodia to refrain from more forced evictions

Published in Wednesday May 6th, 2009 In News

6 May 2009 – The following statement was issued today by the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik “I am extremely concerned about the threatened eviction of nearly one hundred families in Phnom Penh, the so-called ‘Group 78’. I have once again addressed the Cambodian authorities to remind them that the pattern of evictions, affecting many of the poor, in the country – and the apparent lack of due process in that regard – suggests they may be tolerating, or even perpetrating, the forced evictions prohibited by international human rights standards…”

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PRESS RELEASE – Human Rights Council discusses reports from experts on right to food, safe drinking water and adequate housing

Published in Monday March 9th, 2009 In News

The Human Rights Council this afternoon discussed reports presented by Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Catarina de Albuquerque, Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to safe drinking water and sanitation; and Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context. At the beginning of the meeting, the Council concluded its panel discussion on the right to food.

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PRESS RELEASE – UN expert on housing issues report on the financial crisis

Published in Monday March 9th, 2009 In News

(09/03/2009) GENEVA — The UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, on Monday presented a report to the Human Rights Council on the financial crisis, its causes and its relation to the right to adequate housing.

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PRESS RELEASE – Lessons of the Post Tsunami reconstruction in Maldives are crucial to design international strategies for climate change adaptation

Published in Thursday February 26th, 2009 In News

(26/02/2009) At the end of her official visit to Maldives (18 to 25 February 2009), the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Ms. Raquel Rolnik, pointed out the crucial role the international community must play to support adaptation strategies to face climate change.

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PRESS RELEASE – UN Expert on Adequate Housing to visit Maldives

Published in Tuesday February 17th, 2009 In News

17 February 2009 – The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, will undertake an official visit to Maldives from 18 to 26 February 2009 at the invitation of the authorities.

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PRESS RELEASE – An ambitious climate change agreement must protect human rights of all, warn UN experts

Published in Saturday February 7th, 2009 In News

GENEVA – “It is a matter of human rights,” stated a group of United Nations human rights experts* just before the opening of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. While there is a growing consensus on the adverse impact that global warming is likely to have on the environment and economic growth, the serious threats it poses to the full enjoyment of a broad range of human rights still need to be properly understood and addressed.

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PRESS RELEASE – Forced evictions in Cambodia make thousands of people homeless

Published in Friday January 30th, 2009 In News

The following statement on the latest in a series of forced evictions in Cambodia was issued today by the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik. “More than 130 families were forcibly evicted during the night of 23 and 24 January 2009 from Dey Krahorm, in central Phnom Penh to make way for a private company to redevelop the site.

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