Housing and Land Rights Now Campaign 2006
Stop evictions! Stop Privatization of Habitat!

In this edition:

1. Housing and Land Rights Campaign 2006
2. Preparative towards WSF of Nairobi 2007
3. HIC Evaluation
4. Team HIC-GS
5. Highlighted events

Habitat International Coalition calls social movements, NGOs and academic institutions to mobilize against the current wave of forced evictions and privatization of habitat around the world. Evictions are carried out in the name of public good (urban renewal, city beautification, mega projects of development) while a considerable number of people have been displaced. Public policies in a globalizing economy increasingly reduce housing to a mere commodity, and measure human settlements in business terms, leaving millions of impoverished families aside from habitat policies, plans and programs.

Homeless, tenants, displaced people, migrants, slum dwellers, neighbours, all of us are concerned with housing and land issues, with our right to housing, to land, to the city. Let's move together the first week of October 2006. Our message is:

NO to forced evictions and displacements!
NO to privatization of housing, land and utilities!

YES to everyone’s right to adequate housing and land!

Get involved. It’s easy!!!

Let us know your initiatives and join this world mobilization!

Worldwide, help make people's voices heard!

Contact HIC regional and thematic coordination!

Let us know your campaigns!

Main contact: gs@hic-net.org

More information: http://www.hic-net.org/

During July and August, the WSF has called for a consultation on current activities, campaigns and actions in order to prepare the next Forum of Nairobi 2007. From October 10 to 12, HIC-GS will participate in WSF International Council meeting in Parma (Italy). The outcomes of both activities will facilitate the design of HIC at WSF 2007. By now some criteria are proposed:

• To create a continuum open space for networking activities during the whole week Forum, particularly to analyse the implementation of the strategic lines with different allies and to facilitate the participation of HIC bodies and members in the WSF events around the topics HIC is working with: habitat and i.e., women, people’s centred alternatives (SPH), privatization on land, housing and services, megaprojects and rights to the city.

• To highlight the land issues in the initiative of Human Dignity and Human Rights Caucus (HDHRC) strengthening the human rights movement; promoting/ increasing alliances among global and local partnerships on the issues through mutually supportive and reciprocal action; demonstrating the continuum of struggles at global, regional and local levels; giving voice to those suffering HRs violations; mobilizing people and facilitate their participation in the events and the continuing struggles.

• To facilitate internal debate in HIC General Assembly and Board meeting, especially on the outcomes of HIC evaluation, organizational matters and the reinforcement of HIC campaigns.

HIC is going through an evaluation that shall facilitate a participatory reflection process on the mission, objectives, strategies, impacts and relevance of HIC as a global coalition of civil society organizations, focussing on four HIC bodies: Francophone Africa, General Secretariat, HLRN and Latin America.

An analysis of the main objectives, results and activities of HIC international bodies, as well as a reflection on their structural and operative functioning shall help to identify the coalition’s strengths and weaknesses as well as the main lessons learned from HIC s long-standing experience.

This analysis and an assessment of the overall global political and economic framework conditions for HIC activities shall be used to identify future challenges at the strategic, organisational and operational level.

Based on the lessons learned from past experience and the identification of future challenges, conclusions and recommendations for HIC future strategic focus, and for enhancing its organisational structures, core activities and operations shall be developed.

HIC General Secretariat is changing its team and tasks distributions.

• Andrea Carrion, due to personal reasons, is leaving HIC-GS at the end of August having assumed the assistance to all the HIC-GS activities during 2 years and a half. HIC-GS takes advantage of this Bulletin to thank her strong and unconditional collaboration.

• Fernando Jiménez, from May 15 to July 31, has been supporting the preparation, implementation and reports of HIC activities at WUF, especially the Roundtable and the booth. He’s now back to other Chilean housing struggles.

• Marie Bailloux, in charge of membership and of translations, is on leave for some months.

• María Antonieta (Neta) Mendizábal is new and assuming the coordination of HIC-GS communicational platform (neta@hic-net.org) since August the first.

• Juan Necochea is new and assuming the assistance of HIC membership management and supporting elections processes (juan@hic-net.org).

• Pedro Lira, our internal IT man, is still in charge of the administration of HIC dues and other contributions, sharing half time at HIC-GS.

• Marcelo Jiménez is still our external IT man. Look at the new version of HIC website www.hic-net.org that he prepared with Andrea.

• Gladys Silva is still our external administrative support, sharing a third of her working time with HIC-GS.

• Priscila Palma is still in charge of the accounting for HIC-Misereor Program as part of the outsourcing contract with SUR Corporación de Estudios Sociales y Educación.

• During August HIC-GS received Vassiliki Andreadou, from France, for a one month internship.

“Workshop: Social Production of Habitat and Sustainable Cities Program, SCP/LA21, September 14 to 16, 2006, Nairobi”. As a follow-up of the SPH Program, the German agency InWent is sponsoring an exchange of concept and practice on how to develop sustainable housing in African cities. HIC participation is to focus the people’s centred action to ensure housing and land rights.

“Thematic session on NGOs at Africities: Implementation of target 11 of objective 7 of the MDGs”, September 19 in Nairobi. Enda-RUP/HIC with other networks such SDI are inviting to a reflection on how to respect housing and land rights in the context of the Program “Cities without Slums”.

Symposium “HIC: 30 Years and Beyond”, Den Haag, September 28, at VNG building. As the Secretary General of the International Union of Local Authorities-IULA, together with others representatives of the civil society, Han van Putten managed to keep the “spirit of Vancouver 1976” going and launched the idea of setting up a world-wide network on human settlements. Since there HIC is a Dutch based international network that now wants to pay a tribute to the different actors in The Netherlands still supporting the defence of housing and land rights.

London Tenants Federation 2006 Conference: ‘Tenants’ Vision for Housing in London’ on Saturday 30th September 2006. The conference is part of the HIC Housing and Land Rights Day Campaign 2006. Events include debate on development of international links between tenants organisations, visits to London housing sites and mapping of London community. Venue: Friends Meeting House, Euston

“HIC-AL at MINURVI”, (Iberoamerican meeting of housing and urban authorities), Montevideo, October 3 to 5: HIC regional events on Social Production of Habitat and Housing Policies, sponsored by the German agency InWent; and coordination with other thematic networks, such as Selvip and Cyted.