Connecting across Habitat Rights and the Right to the City

HIC

Civil society and local governments join forces with UN Special Rapporteurs in a first roundtable to discuss possible paths for joint work 

On Friday, December 4th, the Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C), Habitat International Coalition (HIC) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) co-hosted, as part of the #CitiesAreListening process, the roundtable “Connecting across Habitat Rights and the Right to the City”: a starting point to strengthen cooperation between Special Rapporteurs, civil society organizations and local and regional governments under the framework of Human Rights related to Habitat and the Right to the City.

This first roundtable counted with the invaluable participation of Mr. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation; Mr. Felipe González Morales, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of migrants; Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz, UN independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing

How do the priorities of Special Rapporteur mandates intersect with Human Rights related to Habitat and the Right to the City? And with those of civil society organizations and local and regional governments more generally? 

The roundtable began looking at the main priorities of each mandate holder and at their intersections with the Habitat Rights and the Right to the City approach. Below, you can see a summary of the main points raised during their interventions.

SRs to share their 3 mandate priorities

LRGs and CSOs to share their priorities

SRs to share highlighted mechanisms for cooperation 

Responses on mechanisms for cooperation by CSOs and local government organizations 

Closing remarks by Lorena Zárate, Adriana Allen and Emilia Saiz