News on the Rapporteurs

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 […]

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.

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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.

Press Release: “Israel’s policies violate right to housing and need urgent revision”

Published in Monday February 13th, 2012 In News on the Rapporteurs

Raquel Rolnik, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, has said that “after the recent privatization, deregulation and commercialization of public assets in Israel, urban and housing policies have made it increasingly difficult for low income families to obtain affordable accommodation, violating their right to adequate housing.”

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Cambodia: Resolution of Boeung Kak Lake dispute in sight

Published in Thursday February 2nd, 2012 In News

TN reader Bronwyn was kind enough to update my earlier post on the standoff between the Cambodian government and the World Bank over resettlement assistance to residents of the Boeung Kak Lake area of Phnom Penh. It seems that the Bank’s announcement that it had frozen funding for projects in Cambodia pending resolution of the dispute caught somebody’s attention.

The report on the mission to Argentina is already available

Published in Wednesday February 1st, 2012 In News

The report on the 2011 visit to Argentina is already available. The Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik was invited by the government of that country to verify the situation of the right to housing in the country. In the report she presents her conclusions and recommendations to the government.

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Press Release: UN Special Rapporteur to visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Published in Wednesday February 1st, 2012 In News

GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, will visit Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 29 January to 12 February 2012. Among other issues, the mission will examine challenges in access to adequate housing and housing affordability, the situation of groups vulnerable to discrimination, forced evictions and access to construction materials.

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Download the booklet and brochure about women and the right to housing

Published in Wednesday February 1st, 2012 In News

Since December last year, the Rapporteur’s site has made available a booklet and brochure about women and the right to housing in four languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic). The material aims to show how violations to the right to housing especially affect women.

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Brazil: UN housing expert urges authorities to suspend Pinheirinho evictions

Published in Monday January 30th, 2012 In News

GENEVA – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, on Friday called on Brazilian authorities to find a peaceful and appropriate solution, including housing alternatives, for those evicted this week from the Pinheirinho settlement in São Jose dos Campos city, São Paulo.

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