Statement for World Habitat Day 2005
Everyone's right to a secure place where to live in peace and dignity -strategic axis of the World Campaign for the Right to Housing prompted by HIC in the 90s- reaches today greater complexity and new dimensions in advance of the serious impacts of the economic globalization and the neo-liberal policies that prompt it.
New HRAH Violations Database
World Habitat Day, 3 October 2005, the Habitat International Coalition's Housing and Land Rights Network Has Launched a New Right to Adequate Housing Violations Database
Demand UN Habitat to withdraw the award to be given tothe city of Jakarta
The award will humiliate urban poor people of Jakarta and other cities in Indonesia. Under the leadership of Governor Sutiyoso, Jakarta has been transformed into a city of eviction and confiscation against urban poor people.
Not to proceed to give Mr Sutiyoso the award
Jakarta Metropolitan City will receive the award in behalf of the city from UN-Habitat for his achievement in "slums improving and building new infrastructure to create an inclusive, cosmopolitan city". Although Governor Sutiyoso has a terrible record of violating the housing and livelihood rights of the urban poor of Jakarta.
2005 Right Livelihood Awards Honour Pioneers For Justice, Fair Trade And Cultural Renewal
The 2005 Honorary Right Livelihood Award goes to one of Mexico’s greatest living artists and community philanthropists, Franscisco Toledo.
UN Secretary General on the occasion of World Habitat Day 2005
'The build-up of slums and informal settlements occurs in large part because of policies and exclusionary practices that deny public services and basic facilities - including water, sanitation, health and education - to informal settlements that are deemed illegal. Moreover, community-based efforts to redress such problems often face political and bureaucratic obstacles. But evictions and demolitions are not the answer to the challenges of rapid urbanization. We must have pro-poor, participatory urban development in which women and men are empowered to manage their communities, and where development is carried out with respect for human rights and in accordance with international law.'
Urgent Action: La Parota Dam, Mexico
TOMÁS CRUZ ZAMORA of the community of Huamuchitos, Bienes Comunales de Cacahuatepec, was murdered on 18 September by Cirilo Cruz, after participating in an Assembly of communal farmers and rural residents opposed to the construction of the Parota Dam, held in the municipality of Acapulco, Guerrero.
Human Rights of Tsunami Survivors in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka Being Violated
Eight months after the tsunami, resettlement and rehabilitation in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka are far from satisfactory, and in many cases, show little regard for the human rights of the tsunami survivors, says a report published by the Housing and Land Rights Network.
Mainstreaming the culture of peace
As defined by the United Nations, the Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations-
UN expert finds corruption and suspect land grabs affecting the poor in Cambodia
Large-scale land grabbing in Cambodia, inadequate legal protection for tenants, poor water and sanitation, and bias against women and indigenous people are among the major issues cited by a United Nations human rights expert on housing after a visit to the South-East Asian country.
Afghanistan – Housing for Poor & Homeless Women
Housing for a million women planned. Lack of shelter is a huge issue in Afghanistan as millions of returned refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) slowly seek to pick up their lives, only to find their villages and streets destroyed. Many households are headed by women who suffer badly from poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunity.
2005 World Summit: Sustainable Development Remains Central in the International Development Agenda
Despite taking half-hearted and lukewarm steps towards speeding up implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to eradicate poverty, the 2005 World Summit held last week in the United Nations Headquarters in New York has reinforced sustainable development, says Sustainability Watch network.