Global Report on Human Settlements 2007 - PoA-ISS

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Towards safer and more secure cities
particularly in developing and transitional countries, to
improve their ability to effectively implement measures that
address problems of crime and violence. Such direct assistance
should be part of a package that also includes
continuing and strengthening international cooperation in
tackling various types of organized crime, such as trafficking
of drugs, arms and people — all of which have international
dimensions. There are several examples that have been of
immense importance to particular cities. For instance, assistance
from the US has been a key factor in recent efforts to
mount projects tackling aspects of crime and violence in
Kingston (Jamaica). Likewise, Canada, The Netherlands and
Sweden have contributed to Safer Cities projects supported
by UN-Habitat in several African cities.
One particular type of international support that can
be very helpful is in the field of training and staff development.
There are already several good examples of this
practice. For example, as part of its support for the reform of
the Jamaica Constabulary Force since 2000, the UK government
has been providing financial resources on a significant
scale, mainly to support international police officers working
alongside Jamaica’s force in addressing issues of serious
crime. This latter element has included Metropolitan Police
officers working directly with their Jamaican counterparts, as
well as training being offered by the Metropolitan Police to
the Jamaica Constabulary Force. The relationship between
the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the UK’s Metropolitan
Police suggests that there can be particular advantages in this
relationship – on a continuous rather than an ad hoc basis –
since this offers the opportunity of progressive improvement
rather than short-term gains.
The UN-Habitat Safer Cities Programme has much
potential for expansion, especially by engaging more cities
than it has done to date and, where possible, by helping to
speed up the process in cities that have proved to be slow in
getting to grips with the problems of crime and violence.
There are several things that might help in this context; but
one important issue is the availability of resources, both for
the programme as a whole and for projects in individual
cities. Further international support could be of considerable
value in this context as well.
Forced evictions are the most visible manifestation of
tenure insecurity. The number of people falling victim to
forced evictions each year runs into several millions, and the
human costs associated with such evictions are staggering.
Evicted people not only lose their homes and neighbourhoods,
but they are also often forced to leave behind
personal possessions since little warning is given before
bulldozers or demolition squads destroy their settlements.
And, in many such cases, the entire eviction process is
carried out without having been subject to judicial scrutiny.
Forced evictions are inevitably traumatic: they cause injury;
they affect the most vulnerable; and they place victims at
risk of further violence. Evictees often lose their sources of
livelihood since they are forced to move away from areas
where they had jobs or sources of income. In particular,
women evictees face unique challenges, suffering disproportionately
from violence before, during and after a forced
eviction. Women also often have to manage multiple responsibilities
as the primary caretakers of children, the sick and
the elderly in situations of forced eviction and homelessness.
All of these consequences of forced evictions are
directly linked to the theme of this <strong>Global</strong> <strong>Report</strong>: from a
range of aspects of physical security of the person, to job
security and social security, to the very notion of security of
the home itself. Evictions that result in homelessness are a
serious threat to most, if not all, aspects of human security.
An end to forced evictions is thus a major part of a strategy
to enhance urban safety and security. Chapter 11 examines
how an approach to security of tenure combining international
advocacy with human rights and human security
concerns could prove invaluable in preventing the practice
of forced evictions.
A large and increasing body of international law now
condemns the practice of forced eviction as a gross and
systematic violation of human rights. Despite this, evictions
are a tragically common feature in all regions of the world.
Chapter 11 argues that the right to security of tenure goes
beyond a narrow focus on property rights alone, and
proposes that it is more appropriate to use the term housing,
land and property rights, or HLP rights. Such an approach
would contribute to avoiding the exclusion and inequitable
treatment of, or outright discrimination against, certain
segments of the population, such as tenants, co-operative
dwellers, people living and/or working in informal settlements
without security of tenure, women, nomads,
indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups.
At the international level, four areas stand out for
particular attention. First, there is a need to raise the awareness
of governments and other stakeholders with respect to
what the already existing body of international law implies at
the national and local levels. Chapter 11 suggests the proclamation
of a global moratorium on forced evictions as one
way of addressing this. Such a moratorium would send a
strong signal about the importance of such rights and could
enhance the international public debate with respect to the
right to security of tenure. Second, Chapter 11 calls for the
application of international criminal law to cases of forced
evictions. Third, international cooperation activities should
increasingly focus on supporting local institutions, including,
in particular, NGOs and community-based organizations
(CBOs) that are actively involved in awareness-raising about
HLP rights at the national and local levels. Fourth, as noted
in Chapter 5, there is an immediate need to ensure that
governments are fulfilling their obligations with respect to
monitoring the progressive realization of the right to
adequate housing. Efforts under way to develop indicators
for global monitoring mechanisms on security of tenure,
evictions and other aspects of HLP rights should thus be
actively encouraged and supported.
At the national level, states are obliged to respect,
protect and fulfil all human rights, including HLP rights. The
obligation to respect requires states to refrain from interfering
with the enjoyment of rights, such as when a state
engages in arbitrary forced evictions. The obligation to
protect requires states to prevent violations of such rights by
third parties, such as landlords or private developers. Finally,
the obligation to fulfil requires states to take appropriate