América do Sul e Central

Brazil’s evicted ‘won’t celebrate World Cup’

Published in Tuesday May 27th, 2014 In In the media

Every four years, Brazilians decorate their streets in green and yellow, celebrating the arrival of the most anticipated sports tournament in the country. With the kick-off for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil less than one month away, the country’s passion for football should be pulsating more than ever. But there are some signs to the contrary. “World Cup for whom?” read the words painted on a wall on a street in Sao Paulo.

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People’s right to the city has been eroded by mega-event evictions in Rio de Janiero

Published in Tuesday May 13th, 2014 In Opinion

Brazil has been preparing furiously for the upcoming World Cup and 2016 Olympics. While these developments are thought to represent the country’s growing economy and rising middle class, such “progress” has come at the expense of Brazil’s poorest citizens. Sue Brownill, Ramin Keivani, and Erick Omena de Melo look at the forced evictions in Vila Autódromo to make way for Olympic venues, in spite of the residents’ legal title to their site, arguing that it is representative of global trends of market and state forces eroding people’s right to the city.

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Countries and organizations address the reports presented at the Human Rights Council

Published in Wednesday March 19th, 2014 In News on the Rapporteurs

Read the statements of the 32 countries and 6 organizations that addressed the reports’ presentation.

Launching of the publication “Take Back the Land! The Social Function of Land and Housing, Resistances & Alternatives”

Published in Wednesday March 19th, 2014 In Mobilisation and agenda

(Português) On April 8th, the publication “Take Back the Land! The Social Function of Land and Housing, Resistances & Alternatives” will be launched during the World Urban Forum in Medellín. Find more about it.

Indigenous communities face imminent eviction

Published in Tuesday February 18th, 2014 In Social movement news

Having fought tirelessly against the unlawful Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam, the indigenous Ngäbe communities on the banks of Panama’s Tabasará river are today threatened with forced eviction at the hands of Panama’s notoriously brutal security forces.

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Major Sporting Events and Human Rights: Host nations and cities, sports organising bodies and companies must move faster, aim higher, and show stronger resolve

Published in Thursday February 6th, 2014 In Social movement news

As the 2014 Winter Olympic Games get underway this weekend in Sochi, debates continue to intensify around the responsibilities of host nations, sports governing bodies and corporate sponsors all involved in planning and implementing major sporting events.

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For some in Brazil, World Cup means evictions

Published in Monday January 27th, 2014 In In the media

he mega-event that will play out this summer in a dozen Brazilian cities is driving a frenzy of road construction, airport renovations and other projects. The impact is being felt most strongly among the poorest citizens, including residents of Porto Alegre’s largest favela, or slum, who have come to regard the soccer championship as synonymous with evictions, removals and demolition.

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Four Years After Haiti’s Earthquake, Still Waiting for a Roof

Published in Thursday January 23rd, 2014 In In the media

Collecting bottles to recycle is the livelihood of at least a dozen people in this camp that about 800 families call home, located in Carrefour, on the southern edge of Port-au-Prince. Four years after the earthquake, there are still about 300 internally displaced person (IDP) camps mostly scattered around the capital region, and in a large new slum on desertic slopes outside the city.

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U.S. Government Holding World Bank and IADB Accountable to Ensure Reparations for Chixoy Dam Victims in Guatemala

Published in Wednesday January 22nd, 2014 In In the media

From 1975-1985, the WB and IADB partnered with repressive and genocidal Guatemalan regimes of General Lucas Garcia, 1978-1982, and General Rios Montt, 1982-1983, investing close to $1 billion in the Chixoy dam “development” project. Thousands of Mayan campesinos were illegally and forcibly evicted from some 32 communities, while over 440 Mayan Achi villagers were massacred in the Rio Negro community. The survivors have been suffering in poverty, abandonment and trauma ever since.

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Owning the future: Haitians taking the lead in reconstruction

Published in Tuesday January 14th, 2014 In Social movement news

Four years have passed from the tragic earthquake that killed over 200.000 people and left Haiti in one of the worst crisis of recent times. Although much remains to be done, international aid agency Oxfam acknowledges that there have been positive strides towards reconstruction and development.

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