RES/15/8 Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living

GE.10-16626

Human Rights Council Fifteenth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council*

15/8 Adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming all its previous resolutions as well as those adopted by the Commission on Human Rights on the issue of adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, including Council resolution 6/27 of 14 December 2007,

Reaffirming also that international human rights law instruments, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, entail obligations and commitments of States parties in relation to access to adequate housing,

Recalling its resolutions 5/1 on institution-building of the Human Rights Council and 5/2 on the code of conduct for special procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council, of 18 June 2007, and stressing that the mandate holder shall discharge his/her duties in accordance with those resolutions and the annexes thereto,

Recalling also the principles and commitments with regard to adequate housing enshrined in the relevant provisions of declarations and programmes adopted by major United Nations conferences and summits and at special sessions of the General Assembly and at their follow-up meetings, inter alia, the Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements and the Habitat Agenda1 and the Declaration on Cities and Other Human Settlements in the New Millennium, adopted at the twenty-fifth special session of the Assembly and annexed to its resolution S-25/2 of 9 June 2001,

* The resolutions and decisions adopted by the Human Rights Council will be contained in the report of

the Council on its fifteenth session (A/HRC/15/60), chap. I. 1 A/CONF.165/14.

Concerned that any deterioration in the general housing situation disproportionally affects persons living in conditions of poverty, low-income earners, women, children, persons belonging to minorities and indigenous peoples, migrants, the elderly and persons with disabilities,

Noting the work of the United Nations treaty bodies, in particular the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in the promotion of the rights related to adequate housing, including its general comments Nos. 4, 7, 9 and 16,

1. Acknowledges with appreciation the work of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, including the undertaking of country missions;

2. Decides to extend for a period of three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, in order that he or she may, inter alia:

(a) Promote the full realization of the right to adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living;

(b) Identify best practices as well as challenges and obstacles to the full realization of the right to adequate housing, and identify protection gaps in this regard;

(c) Give particular emphasis to practical solutions with regard to the implementation of the rights relevant to the mandate;

(d) Apply a gender perspective, including through the identification of gender- specific challenges to the realization of the right to adequate housing;

(e) Pay special attention to the needs of persons in vulnerable situations as well as those belonging to marginalized groups;

(f) Facilitate the provision of technical assistance, including through engagement with relevant stakeholders;

(g) Work in close cooperation, while avoiding unnecessary duplication, with other special procedures and subsidiary organs of the Council, relevant United Nations bodies, the treaty bodies and regional human rights mechanisms;

(h) Submit a regular report on the implementation of his or her mandate to the Council and the General Assembly in accordance with their annual programme of work;

3. Notes the work on the basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and displacement and the need to continue to work on them, including through consultations with States and other stakeholders;

4. Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide all necessary assistance to the Special Rapporteur for the effective fulfilment of his or her mandate;

5. Notes with appreciation the cooperation extended to date to the Special Rapporteur by different actors, and calls upon States:

(a) To continue to cooperate with the Special Rapporteur in the discharge of his or her mandate and to respond favourably to his or her requests for information and visits;

(b) To enter into a constructive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur with respect to the follow-up to and implementation of his or her recommendations;

6. Decides to continue its consideration of this matter under the same agenda item.

31st meeting 30 September 2010

[Adopted without a vote.]