LAND POLICY in LATIN AMERICA
Access to an Adequate Living Environment for Everyone
“Social Production of Habitat for an Urban and Rural World”
“More than 50% of the global population lives in urban areas”
Strengthening the Region’s Social Movements
Socially, Economically, and Environmentally Sustainable Human Settlements and Urban Neighborhoods
CIDAP
(Center for Population Research, Documentation, and Consultancy)
National Campaign for the Right to Decent Housing and Urban Renewal without Evictions: Dignified Housing For Everyone in Peru
July 26th and 27th, 2012, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Lima, Peru
Current Situation
1. International
In 1996, the United Nations passed a landmark resolution that references norms for the promotion of social habitat, redefining the strategies for its development. This can be found in the “Action Plan” of the “Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements” (Habitat II, Istanbul). In the same sense, in 2002, the UN put forward the “International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights” (UN, 2002); that, beyond recognizing the access to housing as a fundamental human right, promotes the real and effective participation of institutions in the housing management process.
The United Nations member countries, united at the Millenium Summit in the year 2000, approved the Millenium Declaration, which expresses the commitment of all countries to work for peace and decent conditions for all human beings, looking to achieve this by 2015. These aspirations are expressed in the following eight objectives:
- Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieving universal primary education
- Promoting gender equality and empowering women
- Reducing infant mortality
- Improving maternal health
- Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Guaranteeing environmental sustainability
- Developing a global partnership for development
According to data and indicators from UN-HABITAT, 95% of population growth will take place in the cities of the developing world (an annual increase of 1.8%) while the rural population will only grow 0.5% (2000-2030). In this sense, it suggests that poverty is becoming urbanized, indicating that between 35% and 40% of poor people are urban.
In this way, they present situations where the provision of basic services is poor or scarce; with inadequate housing, overcrowding, and insecurity of tenure; environmental problems; increased vulnerability; segregation and social exclusion, factors that entail increases in violence and criminality.
2. Argentina
In our country, the document “Millennium Development Objectives in Argentina” establishes goals to comply with the Millenium Objectives.
Objective #8 is “Assuring a sustainable environment”. Its goals are:
● To have achieved in 2015 that all policies and programs in the country have integrated the principles of sustainable development and to have reversed the loss of natural resources
● To reduce the proportion of the population without access to potable water by two-thirds (2/3) between 1990 and 2015
● To reduce the proportion of the population without access to basic sanitation by two-thirds (2/3) between 1990 and 2015
● To have reduced the proportion of the population in slums and shantytowns by one-half (1/2).
The Habitat Network of Argentina (Red Hábitat Argentina) focuses its objectives on contributing to the achievement of the stated objectives, working to generate spaces of exchange and discussion that pertain the subject of habitat (living environment), promoting a legal framework for housing at the national level that contributes to an equal and just living environment in conjunction with the organizations in Latin America that work toward a reduction in poverty and believe that a different Latin America is necessary.
3. Peru
In Peru the right to the city–to have an inclusive, equitable city, without exclusion–and the right to housing—not to be subject to eviction that leaves an inhabitant in the street, without some refuge or shelter—are social rights that are not recognized by the current Political Constitution of Peru.
Before this situation, a group of social movements and national and international institutions promote the National Campaign for the Right to Decent Housing and Urban Renewal without Evictions: Decent Housing For Everyone in Peru, that has as an objective the constitutional reinstatement of the Right to Decent Housing — eliminated in the Political Constitution of Peru of 1993 — and the recognition of the Urban Renewal Law, based on Law # 26300 – The Law of Participation Rights and Citizen Control.
Both citizen initiatives are the result of the participatory process, with the organized inhabitants of Lima and Provincia, that recognize the sentiment of more than 1.5 million Peruvians lacking housing, counted by the Center of Population Research, Documentation, and Consultancy (CIDAP).
The decentralized campaign is realized in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cuzco, Huaraz, and Huancavelica where, through public actions, they project to collect more than 50,000 signatures, necessary to convert both initiatives into law.
Next October, in the city of Cuzco, in the context of World Habitat Day, the Second Meeting of Social Movement of Historical Centers will take place, which has among its activities the presentation of the signed register to the National Office of Electoral Processes — ONPE, accompanied by representatives of Latin American social movements. This campaign also has the support of civil organizations from around the world.
OBJECTIVES
1) To demand the right to the city, the land, the water, and the environment and social goods as well as the right to rural land and housing, participating in the management of available resources available to definitively resolve these problems.
2) To collectively construct a space for learning, that, through the exchange of experiences, permits reflection on the organizational practices necessary to exercise these rights.
3) Strengthening the work of habitat networks and social movements, through a legal framework, urban reforms and the right to the city, looking for possible alternatives for the definitive solution of the habitational problem in our Latin America with inclusive public policy.
CONFERENCE SUBJECTS
1) Legal Frameworks
The National Constitution, The Right to Decent Housing, International Treaties
2) Minutes and Exchange
Experiences of struggle and resistance for housing, land, and water.
Relations with the state. Environmental defense, forced relocation, etc.
3) Forming “Working Groups”
Workshop to evaluate and project future action strategies
4) General Focus:
Synthesis report on the situation of access to urban land in Latin America. The current situation of land policy in the region. Democratizing access to land with services and infrastructure and tenancy regularization. Instruments for land management in Latin America. Laws and landmark legal projects oriented towards land’s social function.
5. The Parliament and Resources
PARLATINO (Latin American Parliament) and the social question of Habitat. Available resources and proposals in the region.
Including:
CIDAP, EL Ceibo TB, Red Hábitat Argentina
INVITED GUESTS
Special Guests:
The regional government representative, municipal functionaries, legislators, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), legislative representatives and deputies, social movements, as well as international organizations.
For reports and attendance confirmation:
The conference is free and open to all interested parties, we ask you to RSVP for space reasons.
Silvia RIOS CIDAP
Phone: +51 9 9866 4900 –Lima-
Email: silviasdlr@gmail.com, delosrios.silvia@gmail.com
Lima, Peru
Fernando Ojeda, Red Hábitat Argentina
+54 11 6848 4088 / +54 11 3548 7312
Email: habitat.net@gmail.com, redhabitat.argentina@gmail.com,
Dina Malmed – Fernando Ojeda
Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Source: Red Hábitat Argentina, by e-mail
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