Urgent action
Global Call for The World Day for the Right to the City: Stop Forced Evictions

October 31th 2017 – The World Day for the Right to the City: Stop Forced Evictions

The Global Platform for the Right to the City members, friends and allies from all around the world, gathering in Nairobi, Kenya,

Declare the 31th October of every year the World Day for the Right to the City and make a global call for the right to the city, and the universal opposition to forced evictions and displacements that are dramatically impacting both on our urban and rural communities.

Forced evictions are a gross violation of legally recognized human rights. According to international standards and commitments, such as the General Comments 4 and 7, national and local governments (including Executive, Legislative and Judiciary powers) are asked to (1) take preventive measures; (2) ensure sufficient protection; and (3) guarantee that safeguards of all human rights are taken prior, during and after evictions. Forced evictions are a threat to a peaceful and decent life. Forced evictions cause terror and suffering for the most disadvantaged, with devastating consequences for children and women[i].

One year ago, at the Habitat III conference held in Quito, 197 states approved the New “Urban” Agenda, where they reaffirmed their commitment to prevent arbitrary forced evictions and displacements and provide dignified and adequate reallocation[ii]. States also recognized that property and land in cities and human settlements must fulfil their social function, a fundamental component of the right to the city[iii].

Nevertheless, despite those commitments, these gross violations are still happening all over the world. The New Urban Agenda embraced the Right to the City vision, understood as the right of all inhabitants (present and future; permanent and temporary) to use, occupy, produce, govern and enjoy just, inclusive, safe and sustainable cities, villages and settlements defined as common goods. Forced evictions, fuelled especially by the unlimited development, are a clear threat to that shared vision.

Today, as a Global Platform integrating a broad range of institutions and actors,we express our solidarity with the people who face forced evictions, displacements, and loss of their homes, lands, and livelihoods.

Today, we salute the courage of hundreds of organizations, as well as the consistency of national governments and local authorities when they protect human rights legally recognized, and their different but relentless struggle around the world for the right to the city and social justice in urban and rural areas.

Today, and according to our different roles and competences, we commit to work together to denounce and urgently stop Forced Evictions, and to support the affected communities.

In this sense, we – social movements, non-governmental organizations, networks and forums, academic institutions, public sector, local authorities, foundations and international organizations- urgently call upon states to respect their commitments under the global agendas and human rights treaties, guarantee the social function of land and property, implement the right to the city and immediately prevent and remedy forced evictions.

We welcome the UN Special Rapporteur’s commitment on this front and call upon UN Habitat to assume urgently its responsibilities, providing the tools needed to deal with forced evictions, in particular by reintroducing the “forced evictions” indicator in the “ Slum Index” and restoring the UN Habitat Advisory Group on Forced Evictions, with concrete capacity to intervene.

We will continue monitoring and denouncing the forced evictions as gross human rights violations. We will also continue mobilizing to defend our territories and livelihoods.

STOP FORCED EVICTIONS AND DISPLACEMENTS!

RIGHT TO HOUSING AND RIGHT TO LAND NOW!

RIGHT TO LIVE WITH DIGNITY AND IN PEACE IN OUR COMMUNITIES!

RIGHT TO THE CITY FOR ALL!

October 31 marks the first anniversary of the Habitat III commitments. We’d like to propose this day as the World Day for the Right to the City. Every October 31 we’ll remind governments of their commitments to ensure equity, resilience, sustainability, social justice and respect for the environment in human settlements.

We invite you to join and share this call on your social media using #StopForcedEvictions and #RighttotheCity. If you or your organization wish to subscribe the call, please send an e-mail to contact@right2city.org

[i] The right to adequate housing (Art.11.1): forced evictions : 20/05/97. CESCR General comment 7

[ii] New Urban Agenda, pars 31, 107 and 111.

[iii] idem, par. 13 a)

 

List of cases:

  1. Evictions in Manzou Farm http://bit.ly/2yC0PZx
  2. Over 400 families evicted in Chennaiunder the guise of ‘restoration of water bodies’and disaster management http://bit.ly/2g7AzyG
  3. Fattis Mansion Residents Question the Legality of their forced Eviction http://bit.ly/2yCVilA
  4. Otodo Gbame, Lagos, Nigeria. Thousands Displaced as Police Raze Lagos’ Otodo Gbame http://bit.ly/2yChyfg
  5. One million displaced in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Kasai: UN http://bit.ly/2g8tkGU
  6. Italy: Police Beat Refugees During Eviction http://bit.ly/2yD2jD5
  7. Kurds forced to leave historic Turkey’s Sur district hit by violence http://bit.ly/2yC65ML
  8. Negev: Israel razes Palestinian village for 113th time http://bit.ly/2yCniGb
  9. Expelled Mexican Christians forced to live in wine cellar http://bit.ly/2yCn95h
  10. Al-Sharq governerate, Kuwait. ‘Should we leave country’ – Fishermen without homeshttp://bit.ly/2yCG93H
  11. Forced evictions in Kolkata for theFederation of International Football Associations’ (FIFA). Under-17 World Cup 2 http://bit.ly/2xwd4qG
  12. 6 Cas D’evictions Forcees de Douala-Cameroun: Nkomba, PK14-17, Bepanda Axe Lourd, Bepanda Boulevard, Emprise Ferroviaire, et Corres http://bit.ly/2xy32VM
  13. Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo: 11.000 familles paysannes de Bilangalonzo sous éxpulsions (ITE 2016)  
  14. Europe, France: L’expulsions des 400 personne, les familles roumaines des bidonvilles de la Petite Ceinture, Paris – CNDH Romeurope (ITE 2016)  
  15. South America, Brazil, Izidora, Belo Horizonte: 8.600 famílias das ocupações urbanas ameaçadas de despejo (ITE 2016)
  16. Asia, South Korea: Militarisation of Jeju Island – Gangjeong Village Committee against Jeju Naval Base (ITE 2016)
  17. Middle East, Israel/The Occupied Territories of Palestine, Negev: Unrecognized Bedouin villages in Beer Chiva – RCUV (ITE 2016)  
  18. South-America, Ecuador: Comunidad de la Isla de Muisne amenazada con el desalojo con la excusa del Tsunami (ITE 2016)  
  19. South America, Ecuador: Violent evictions and threats for 5.000 families living in Monte Sinai and surrounding areas, Guayaquil (ITE 2016)
  20. South America, Ecuador, Guayaquil: 350 families tenants of the Casas Colectivas under eviction (ITE 2016)
  21. North America, USA: Detroit. The massive eviction of the impoverished by the crisis who fail to pay the water bill due to the privatization of the sector (ITE 2016)  
  22. Asia, India: Expropriation and evictions to make room for a third airport for the national capital, New Delhi (ITE 2017)
  23. Asia, Sri Lanka: Land grabbing for tourism development, Panama Village (ITE 2017)
  24. South America, Argentina: Evictions and gentrification in the historic neighbourhood of La Boca, Buenos Aires (ITE 2017)
  25. Africa, Kenya: Violent evictions of the Masai in the name of protecting wildlife to support elite tourism (ITE 2017)
  26. Europe, Ialy: Fake tourist rentals on the Island of Pellestrina, Venice (ITE 2017)
  27. India: 200.000 people under evictions because live in the submergence area of the Sardar Sarovar Dams, Narmada Valley (ITE 2017)

Signatures:

Abahlali Base Mjondolo

Afrique Solidarité – A.I.S.E.D.

Association des Amoureux du Livre pour le Development Local – ASSOAL

Associaciation des Habitants et Travailleurs de Barake – AHTB

Bunge La Mwananchi

Canadian Housing Renewal Association – CHRA

Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment  – CUBES

Cities Alliance

Coalition des ONG et OCB du Cameroun oeuvrant dans le domaine des etablissements humains – CONGEH

Coalition Nationale pour L’Habitat – CNHa

Dajopen Waste Mangement

Defensor general Defensoría del Pueblo de Buenos Aires

Development Action Group – DAG

Development Indian Ocean Network – DION

Environment et Développement du Tiers Monde – ENDA Tiers Monde

Fondation des Femmes Actives pour la Promotion de l’Education de la Femme et de l’Enfant

Ford Foundation

Grassroots Trust Coordinator

Habitat International Coalition

Huairou Commission

International Alliance of Inhabitants

Kota Kita

Mazingira Institute

MISEREOR

Mungano

Muthurwa Housing Cooperative Society

Observatori DESC

ONG Bethesda

Pamoja Trust

Planact

Polis Institute

Popular Workshop of Urbanism

Réseau National des Habitants du Cameroun – RNHC

Rosa Luxembur Stiftung

SDI

Techo

The Bartlet DPU

The New School

UCLG Committee on Social, Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights

Winsrea

Women in Development & Environment

Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO)

Zimbabwe People’s Land Rights Movement – ZPLRM

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