Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms - Brookings

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International Mechanisms | UN Bodies
Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing as a Component of the Right to an
Adequate Standard of Living, and on the Right to Non-Discrimination in this Context
Background This Special Rapporteur is involved in developing international and national standards
on the right to adequate housing and addressing violations of that right. His main activities are
country visits, transmitting letters on individual complaints to governments (including “urgent
appeals” about imminent violations and “allegation letters” where the violation has already occurred),
developing dialogue with governments and civil society, in particular through questionnaires on
particular issues, and reporting annually to the Human Rights Council (page 49).
What you can Do You can submit a communication about violations of the right to adequate
housing and seek the Special Rapporteur’s intervention. Where appropriate, you can also suggest
that the Special Rapporteur undertake a country visit for extended dialogue with the authorities
and other parties on this issue.
evaluation The Special Rapporteur has frequently addressed displacement and the housing rights
of persons who have been displaced in his annual reports and communications to authorities. In
particular, the current mandate holder has been outspoken on displacement due to development 22
and natural disasters, areas in which few human rights mechanisms have responded clearly.
Transmitting individual cases is not the primary focus of his activities, however, and in the past, his
volume of correspondence has been lower than other Special Procedures. Nevertheless, IDPs and
concerned NGOs should consider submitting communications, either about individual or largescale
cases, of forcible evictions, failure to provide adequate shelter to those who have fled their
homes, and failure to provide assistance in returning to homes left behind.
Who may submit communications Anyone may submit communications to the Special Rapporteur.
competence The Special Rapporteur is empowered to consider issues of adequate housing in any
UN member state.
exhaustion of Domestic remedies The Special Rapporteur does not require exhaustion of
domestic remedies.
Duplication of Procedures The Special Rapporteur does not bar duplication of procedures.
Time issues The Special Rapporteur has no formal urgent appeal mechanism but may be persuaded
to act urgently in a particular case as the situation warrants.
language and format Communications must be in writing and may be in any of the official UN
languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish. There is no required format and
no specific questionnaire for using the mandate, but at a minimum, information provided must
include the name of the person whose rights have been infringed, identification of the perpetrators,
22 E.g. U.N. Doc. E/CN.4/2004/48, paras. 62-63.
Guide to International Human Rights Mechanisms
for Internally Displaced Persons and their Advocates
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