The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 15/8, requested the Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing to identify best practices, challenges and obstacles to the full realisation of the right to adequate housing and to pay special attention to the needs of persons in vulnerable situations as well as those belonging to marginalized groups. In her first report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur addressed the implications of certain financial, economic and housing policies on the right to adequate housing, in the context of the recent housing and financial crises. Her report addressed, inter alia, the impact of market-based housing finance policies on the realisation of the right to adequate housing.
In her forthcoming report, to be submitted to the UN General Assembly at its 67th session, in October, the Special Rapporteur will continue her previous work, by examining national policies promoting access to homeownership and affordable housing for the poorest segments of society or other marginalized groups. The report will focus on policies and programmes which aim to promote access to adequate housing for the poor through the provision of credit to individuals and families, through public, private of quasi-private financial institutions (such as private and public banks and other credit institutions including those dealing with microfinance, Government loans corporations, credit unions and savings groups, etc.). These programmes may also include public subsidies or tax exemptions.
For this purpose, the Special Rapporteur has developed a questionnaire to solicit information from States, local authorities and civil society for the preparation of the report. The Special Rapporteur invites States, United Nations departments and agencies, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, individuals living in poverty and social exclusion and other relevant stakeholders to send contributions to the report.
Please submit contributions electronically to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights through srhousing@ohchr.org at your earliest convenience and no later than 1 July 2012.
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