17 November 2006
The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, Miloon Kothari, will undertake an official visit to Spain from 20 November to 1 December 2006, at the invitation of the Spanish authorities.
During his visit, the Special Rapporteur will travel to several regions, and visit urban and rural locations, including Madrid, Bilbao, Sevilla, El Ejido, Zaragoza and Barcelona.
While in the country, the Special Rapporteur will examine and report on the status of realization of the right to adequate housing and other related rights in the country, paying particular attention to issues of non-discrimination, gender equality, access to and affordability of adequate housing, land, civic services, homelessness and evictions.
Mr. Kothari will engage in dialogue with the Government and civil society on their efforts to secure these rights; and try to identify practical solutions and best practices in the realization of rights related to his mandate. The Special Rapporteur will also attend a number of civic forums that have been organized in different parts of the country.
Mr. Kothari was appointed in September 2000 as Special Rapporteur on adequate housing. His mandate involves reporting annually on the status throughout the world of the realization of the rights that are related to the right to adequate housing, and identifying practical solutions and good practices towards this end. An architect by training, Mr. Kothari has extensive experience in the area of housing and land rights. Since his appointment as Special Rapporteur, he has carried out many missions and visits to countries such as Romania, Mexico, Peru, Afghanistan, Kenya, Brazil, Iran, Cambodia and Australia.
For more information on the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, please consult the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at: http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/housing/index.htm
Leave a Reply