Housing as a Fundamental Human Right
October 17, 2016
To see housing as a fundamental human right is a relatively new concept with consequences for law, justice and politics. In issue 46: Shelter, Volume published Abla el Bahrawy’s quick scan of the first formulation of this universal right and its further development into an action agenda in consecutive UN-Habitat conferences to promote and secure this right globally. This agenda is being pushed to the next level (as we speak) during Habitat III, the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, taking place in Quito, Ecuador, from 17 – 20 October 2016. One of the primary outcomes of Habitat III will be the New Urban Agenda (NUA).
The NUA is an action-oriented document intended to help achieve sustainable and transformative urban development. “The NUA will help guide the coming twenty years of UN efforts in regard to human settlement. The importance of the NUA and the urgency of the issues it addresses, from local governance and infrastructure to participation and inequality cannot be understated”, as the Habitat secretariat states in its press releases. For more info, visit the website of Habitat III.