UN level

The right to adequate housing (as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living) is enshrined in many international human rights instruments. Most notable among these are the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (art. 25.1) and the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (art. 11.1).

At the first UN Conference on Human Settlements in Vancouver in 1976 a number of recommendations were adopted concerning housing and human settlements, land and urban planning, infrastructure, development of social services and civil participation. In 1988, a Global Strategy for Shelter up to the year 2000 was adopted, which established the right for all to an adequate shelter and the responsibility of all countries for guaranteeing the settlement of their citizens.

However, housing conditions have deteriorated in many parts of the world and today an estimated one fifth of the worlds population live without adequate shelter. For many, urban life implies unhealthy living with few opportunities to produce employment. Population growth and difficult living conditions in rural areas put further pressure on cities of the world. Considerable measures are needed to create sustainable housing for all.

To agree on such measures the UN General Assembly decided, in 1992, to convene a second World Conference on Human Settlements, Habitat II. The conference was part of an increasing recognition among the human rights community regarding the right to adequate housing. Many governments also adopted or revised housing policies to include various dimensions of human rights. The Second UN Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) in 1996 harnessed this momentum. Th conference took place in Istanbul on June 3-14, 1996. Representatives from 171 states assembled, together with some 8550 registered participants from Non Governmental Organisations. This resulted in The Habitat Agenda, which you can read more about here, and The Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements.