2020 – Housing for all – a better urban future

Housing is a fundamental human right. It has also been central in the battle against the spread of the COVID-19 virus where it can be a matter of life and death. The spread of COVID-19 is spotlighting as well as worsening a pre-existing global housing crisis. Without adequate housing, it is impossible to carry out social distancing and good hygiene practices –and around 1.8 billion people, or more than 20 per cent of the world’s population, lack adequate housing.

The International Union of Tenants calls for:

• zero evictions from residential properties,
• affordable housing for all including the homeless
• direct financial assistance and rental payment funds for tenants.

Read more in   International Tenants Day 5th October 2020 concept note. Read IUTs press release here.

Digital celebrations the same day:

• Celebration of International Tenants Day with newly formed Balkan tenants associations. 5th October 2020 15.00 hrs CET. Details here
• Deutscher Mieterbund International Tenants’ Day event. 5th October 2020 11.00 hrs CET. Details here

Celebrations at a glance:

Tentants Day Manifesto, HTO, North Macedonia:

One of the top problems in the past decade in North Macedonia has been the air pollution.

The cost of neglecting the environment has impacted the health of the citizens. It’s been years since the government raised the alarm to start taking action, but unfortunately always too late. Instead of prevention we have intervention of dealing with hard consequences, especially during the winter months. New strategies are taking the lead in placing more attention on the issue but at the same time we are witnessing  multiple bad actions affecting the environment. The capital Skopje is expanding and new buildings are appearing from every side – many of them with not even a single tree in sight.

People are not aware or are not informed enough of their rights. Right to a safe and clean environment and decent living standard. Speaking loud about the problem in the last years was a real step to push the government to take urgent measures to improve the situation, but there is so much more to be done and some of the mistakes will probably live for a very long time along with us.

Tentants Day Manifesto, Bosnia and Hercegovina:

Strategic approach to housing issue for youth in Tuzla and Sarajevo Canton.

An expert document was published intended for representatives of public authorities in Tuzla and Sarajevo Canton. We have been working on this very practical and socially significant analysis for a long time. It can also be said that some comparative conclusions have emerged as a result of work and learning during the last five years of implementation of the pioneering HOLICOB project.

The approach in the analysis is interdisciplinary, and the document can certainly be interesting to all persons interested in the issue of housing – in terms of solving their own housing issue, but also the issue of housing in a transitional society in general.

Report from Tenants Day in Democratic Republic of the Congo

We have the badge of honour to come to your high responsibility, sends you the contents of the report of the celebration of the international day of tenants in Sud Kivu in general.

At home in South Kivu this day went very well in good shape and said good shape without rain or other effects, we celebrated in three big cities of the province in particular: city of Bukavu, city of Uvira which has a distance of 180 km from Bukavu and Shabunda a town with distance of 370km from Bukavu having the border with the province of Maniema all the population was really motivated including the authorities of this area, we respected the date of 05/10/2020 in all these three cities where our organization is located, we invited the authorities who embraced us with joy.

The theme of the day was zero eviction a small debate was held with the authorities on affordable and adequate housing this debate has been two hours of which at the same time we received the invitation to the housing service to discuss it more later this day, the habitat service having been very important to our ceremony invited us to celebrate the world habitat day, the date of which was 07/10/2020, in the annex you will find the photocopy of the invitation that ‘he. have sent us and my Disc9urs which I held on the day of the tenant day celebration.

I have just assured you that I want to start this moved to several corners of the province of South Kivu on 10/15/2020 in order to increase the tenants’ associations and send you the report at the very early end of the tournaments had missed the invitation of 10/05/2020 this day I was with the guests including our authorities because they received the invitation four days before 10/05/2020.

Speech by The Association Coordinator for the Protection and Rights of Tenants in APDLC, at the Celebration of the International Tenant Day – Zero eviction day

“We advocate for tenants in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in general, and in South Kivu in particular, have just celebrated International Tenant Day 2020 in three cities in South Kivu in particular: town of BUKAVU, UVIRA, and SHABUNDA a town located on the border with the province of Maniema, where our thoughts today are focused on vigorously defending the rights of tenants in all kinds of housing threats.

Either with the lessors in the event of a violation of the law of non-professional rental property, we go up in arms and inform the entire population of the Democratic Republic of Congo who listen to us through different media that housing is a fundamental human right that must be protected and plays a very important role in human security, in the spread of various diseases such as Covid l9 and others if there is no housing stability.

For a little history, in all corners of the Democratic Republic of the Congo many people are faced with unaffordable, inadequate housing, illegal evictions in private and public homes, dramatic speculation and eviction of tenants causing several tenant displacements. which is a dangerous element in the spread of disease.

This is how we, the defenders of tenants’ rights, declare on this international tenant day of 05/10/2020; (1) zero tenant evictions throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo. (2) call for better, affordable housing for all, including the homeless

Long live the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Long live the APDLC.

Thank you”