The UN Human Rights Council, during its 15th session in late September, decided to extend for a period of three years the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing. Concerning the permanency of Raquel Rolnik as Special Rapporteur, initially stablished to end up on April 2011, it will be appreciated by the Council in March 2011, who will decide if her mandate should be extended for an additional period of three years.
Read the resolution:
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 Agenda 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,
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;
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