UN-Habitat: Human rights should remain at center of countries' housing policies

Human rights should remain at the center of all housing work – both in the work of the United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-Habitat) and in the policies of its member states, a UN-Habitat representative said during the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

She noted that housing policy is often perceived solely as a construction, production, or economic process, with the housing issue itself being reduced to the number of units being built and material aspects.

"However, without a strong focus on human rights, it is impossible to meet people's real, fundamental housing needs," the speaker emphasized.

The organization's representative paid special attention to the issue of forced evictions, which has been a key focus of UN-Habitat's work at the country level for many years. According to her, the organization is discussing mechanisms for strengthening coordination in this area to make the response system more understandable and predictable for both partners and governments.

The speaker also drew participants' attention to the social and environmental functions of land and housing, emphasizing the importance of this area on the international agenda.

In conclusion, the organization's representative recalled that UN-Habitat serves as the secretariat of the Open-Ended Intergovernmental Working Group on Adequate Housing for All. She explained that this mechanism allows for the integration of technical and political discussions, as well as interaction with Member States on the development of housing policies and programs.