GENEVA (7 July 2011) – The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Raquel Rolnik, will visit Algeria from 9 to 19 July 2011 to study the effect of the country’s housing policies and programmes on the human rights of its people.
“I will study with great interest the housing policies and different housing programmes put in place by the Government in both urban and rural areas of the country,” Rolnik said.
“During my visit I will devote particular attention to specific groups including women, internally displaced people and migrants. I will also look at the issue of reconstruction after natural disasters.”
Rolnik’s visit takes place against the backdrop of street demonstrations across Algeria expressing the difficulties faced by the population in accessing adequate housing.
Following her visit, the Special Rapporteur will prepare a report containing her findings and recommendations on how to strengthen the implementation of the right to housing in the country. The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2012.
During her mission, Rolnik will meet Government officials, UN agencies and civil society representatives and will visit a number of localities, including in the Wilayas of Algiers, Boumerdes, Oran and Ghardaïa.
A press conference will be held on Tuesday, 19 July 2011, at 10:00 am at the “Maison des Nations Unies” in Algiers.
This will be the first mission to the country by a UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing.
ENDS
Raquel Rolnik (Brazil) was appointed as 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 by the United Nations Human Rights Council, in May 2008. As Special Rapporteur, she is independent from any government or organization and serves in her individual capacity. An architect and urban planner, Rolnik has extensive experience in the area of housing and urban policies.
Learn more about the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteur: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/HousingIndex.aspx
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