COHRE Annual Report 2010

Centre on Housing Rights & Evic tions

Annual Report 2010

Centre on Housing Rights & Evic tions

contentS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE P2 Asia P4 SRI LANKA P13 Africa p17

Executive Director’s Message 2010 was a year of renewal for COHRE worldwide. The organisation established a new management team at its headquarters in Geneva and moved its Africa and Latin America regional offices to Nairobi, Kenya and Bogota, Colombia respectively. New leadership joined COHRE to direct each of our regional programmes.

LATIN AMERICA P26 Europe: ROMA housing rights P31 OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY P37 Credits P39 Annex I P40 Annex II P44 Annex III P48 Annex IV P56 Annex V p60

During the year, COHRE continued to observe a worldwide process of urbanisation accompanied by forced evictions and other housing rights violations on a significant scale. The policies and practices of governments in the countries where COHRE worked were frequently characterised by a disregard for the obligation to protect the human right to adequate housing for the people of their countries. This was especially true with regard to the poorer segments of populations, and especially when housing rights were viewed as impediments to “development” projects, city beautification and urban renewal, as well as preparations to host mega-events (e.g. the World Cup or Olympic Games).

COHRE believes that when people are aware of their rights to adequate housing and organise to take action to realise these rights, more favourable conditions are created for interventions aimed at changing social norms, public policies and institutional practices to promote the respect, protection and progressive realisation of housing rights (by states, courts, private actors and international mechanisms and institutions). When these interventions are successful they result in the increased enjoyment of housing rights for those whose rights were previously ignored or violated. This, in turn, helps change the public consensus in favour of these rights and increases momentum toward permanent legal and policy protections and enforcement of these rights.

In 2010, COHRE carried out its work by linking the international and the local. COHRE used international experience

Annual Report 2010

and law to strengthen policy, law and practice and housing rights groups in particular countries, and used achievements at the country level to inspire change internationally. COHRE opposed housing rights violations, particularly where such advocacy was an entry point for systemic policy change. In order to maximise impact and make it sustainable, COHRE continued to work with local civil society partners, in particular NGOs and social movements.

COHRE also worked to strengthen local, regional and international networks that comprise the housing rights movement. Our role in strengthening the movement in 2010 included: supporting local initiatives and national agendas; helping to shape the housing rights agenda; and connecting housing rights activists with each other and with key policymakers. Ultimately, we contributed to building an international system that is more responsive to needs and demands on the ground to better protect housing rights. All of this is part of COHRE’s work to promote a global cultural norm that protects the right to adequate housing.

In 2010, COHRE’s core activities continued to include research and publication, training national NGOs and government civil servants, advocacy aimed at national governments and regional and international bodies, strategic litigation and legal advocacy, and network building. We focused these activities on six “result areas”, including: preventing large-scale forced evictions: legal security of tenure; women’s equality in the area of housing rights; access to land for the urban poor; access to water and sanitation; and restitution and return.

gaining security of tenure for poor communities in Ecuador, to successfully challenging World Bank and government development plans in Cambodia that threaten the housing rights of informal settlement communities around Phnom Penh, to influencing return and restitution practices in Sri Lanka.

COHRE also made numerous successful interventions before the UN Human Rights Council and several human rights treaty bodies, as well as within regional mechanisms such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights.

Finally, COHRE continued its close collaboration with the UN Special Rapporteur for the Human Right to Adequate Housing to hold governments accountable for their housing rights obligations.

COHRE is proud of the accomplishments that we have contributed 2010’s global struggle for housing rights. Our work would not have been possible without the continued and generous support of our donors and other supporters, for which are we are extremely grateful. We are committed to continuing and improving upon the good work we did in 2010 and to increasing our results in 2011 toward our ultimate goal of achieving housing rights for all.

Salih Booker Executive Director COHRE

The following report provides information on the results COHRE achieved in 2010 at the output and outcome level, as well as highlighting important lessons that we learned in the process.

2010 was a year of important victories – from the adoption of the new Kenyan Constitution that enshrines the legal right to adequate housing, to

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Asia

Highlights In the last year, COHRE Asia implemented more than ten advocacy actions. At the regional level, COHRE continued to advocate in collaboration with regional partners, including Forum-Asia and the Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy (SAPA) Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights. The main objective was to make the ASEAN IntergovernmenCOHRE’s particular concern is tal Commission making housing rights a central on Human Rights part of the human rights agenda (AICHR) more in the AICHR, among civil accessible to civil society, and in the Asian human society organisarights community. tions (CSOs) and make it work to effectively address the concerns of vulnerable and marginalised people in Southeast Asia.

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COHRE’s particular concern is making housing rights a central part of the human rights agenda in the AICHR, among civil society, and in the Asian human rights community.

In Cambodia, COHRE submitted legal advice and comments to the draft National Housing Policy and other draft legislation and procedures related to land and housing, and co-organized the fifth National Advocacy Conference (NAC) on good governance and natural resources.

Nine public protest letters highlighting housing rights violations were sent

by COHRE to government officials in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and to the AICHR. As a result, COHRE received two responses from the Philippines government informing it of the positive steps the government has taken, including the relocation of some Navotas City R10 residents to Montalban City in July 2010. COHRE visited the relocation site to find the families satisfied with the arrangement.

Seven trainings were conducting by the Asia program in Cambodia and Indonesia, targeting a total of 320 participants, including government housing officials, civil society organisations and commu-

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ASIA nity members under threat of eviction.

In the case of Indonesia, a workshop that targeted 60 government officials allowed COHRE and its NGO partners to submit recommendations to the Jakarta provincial government. Trainings in Cambodia benefited 200 participants, the majority of whom came from poor urban and rural communities experiencing land disputes and under threat of eviction. These trainings helped communities gain a better understanding of their land and housing rights enshrined in domestic and international laws.

Furthermore, the quality of their mobilisations and lobbying to government officials improved markedly. COHRE’s main partner in Cambodia, the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF), conducted trainings with 19 communities threatened with eviction, including Boueng Kak, Stung Meanchey, Boueng Trabeck, 104 and Boueng Chhuk; and supported 30 local advocacy actions and public protests. The majority of the participants were women. Women were also prominent in the mobilisations to present their demands to the government.

Regional and International Advocacy Lobbying governments through influencing national human rights action plans COHRE attended the regional workshop and conference regarding developing National Human Rights Action Plans (NAC) in Southeast Asia, under the auspices of the Tehran Framework for Technical Cooperation in Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific. During this meeting, COHRE raised awareness among government participants about its work in upholding housing and ESC rights in

the region. Discussions with government representatives and civil society groups from Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines includThe ASEAN Intergovernmental ed possible forms Commission on Human Rights of cooperation in (AICHR) was created in October relation to making 2009. Since its creation, it has housing and ESC been criticised for its lack of power rights a priority in to investigate human rights violatheir respective nations in the region. COHRE issued tional human rights a statement of recommendations plans. The workto AICHR during its last meeting in shop also emphaKuala Lumpur asking it to: 1. address sised the importhe wide-scope housing violations in tance of reforming the region; 2. urge members to ratify national housing the International Covenant on Ecolegislations to be nomic, Social and Cultural Rights; 3. in compliance with establish protection mechanisms to international stanaddress human rights violations in dards. The meetthe region; 4. address the housing ing proved to be rights needs of women, children and an opportunity for migrant workers in the region; and 5.

COHRE to expand develop additional protocols linked its network of civil to the right to adequate housing that society partners respect international housing and in the Asia Pacific human rights standards. region, including with the Women Council-ASEAN Commission on Women and Children for Cambodia, with whom COHRE Asia has been collaborating to promote housing and women’s rights in Cambodia, including organizing a multi-stakeholder meeting with the theme: “Securing Adequate Housing Rights for Women and All in Cambodia”, scheduled for April 2011.

The Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy (SAPA) Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights The Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy (SAPA) Task Force on ASEAN CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.5

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ASIA and Human Rights held its third regional consultation in mid-September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. COHRE is the focal point for housing rights issues within the SAPA network.1 The two-day meeting, which was organized to coincide with the third meeting of the newly-formed ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), drew more than 60 human rights and civil society representatives from Southeast Asia advocating for a range of human rights-related issues including: Burma, indigenous peoples, people with disabilities, migrant workers, refugees and homelessness. The regional consultation aimed to provide a civil society platform for dialogue, cooperation and coordination on issues pertaining to human rights in ASEAN states, and to analyse good practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives in engaging with the ASEAN human rights mechanism.

In Cambodia, land and housing rights violations have become one of the most prevalent forms of human rights violation following the destruction of the country’s land and property records in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge rule. Tens of thousands have been dispossessed of their lands, dwellings and properties by powerful economic and political forces identified with the country’s elite and their allies in big business. For example, more than 3,000 families living around Boeung Kak Lake in Phnom Penh have suffered or are currently threatened with forced eviction in the context of a land development project that involves filling the lake.

The meeting resulted in the creation of a national and regional civil society advocacy strategy for an independent and effective ASEAN human rights mechanism. COHRE’s intention is to make the AICHR process more accessible to civil society organizations (CSOs) and to encourage AICHR to work actively to address the concerns of the vulnerable and marginalised sectors and peoples in Southeast Asia.

Advocacy on housing rights targets international aid donors in Cambodia COHRE Asia organized a meeting for 60 NGO representatives in Cambodia to talk with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cambodia, Professor Surya Subedi, who was briefed about the general human rights situation in the country. COHRE highlighted issues related to housing rights violations and important national legislation on housing and relocation procedures, including positive elements of the draft National Housing Policy and “Circular Number 3” on the Resolution of Temporary Settlements on Illegally Occupied Land in Cities and Urban Areas. COHRE also met the Swedish Ambassador for Human Rights, H.E Mr. Jan Nordlander and the Swedish Ambassador to Cambodia, H.E Lennart Linnér, and briefed the delegation on the housing rights situation in the country and our work in Cambodia. COHRE and nine other NGOs submitted recommendations on land and housing issues to the visiting German Minister for International Development Cooperation. COHRE also organized a meeting with international NGO members (Misereor, Amnesty International Germany and the German Institute for Human Rights) of the German delegation.

1 COHRE is a member of the SAPA network. SAPA was established to provide a civil society platform for dialogue, cooperation and coordination on issues pertaining to the human rights in ASEAN and analyse good practices, challenges, opportunities and initiatives in engaging with AICHR, other ASEAN and intergovernmental mechanisms.

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ASIA As a result of these meetings, the government delegation promised to take into consideration the NGO recommendations in their subsequent dis-

Indonesia ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) five years ago. Since then, there has been a noticeable shift towards acceptance of housing rights principles among key institutions in Indonesia. Legal aid groups are prioritising litigation of ESC rights; the National Human Rights Commission is increasing its capacity to monitor the implementation of ESC rights; and the government is open to suggestions of key reforms needed to implement Indonesia’s international obligations. However, this shift in perception is yet to translate into measurable gains in the legal framework or for communities affected by eviction. A number of particularly repressive laws continue to be implemented, and large scale evictions are carried out without fair process or adequate compensation. Efforts by the government to develop cities such as Jakarta still regularly go hand-in-hand with the forced eviction of urban poor communities. Despite progress in the recognition and protection of human rights in Indonesia, forced evictions remain widespread and legislation in violation of human rights is used to justify many of them.

cussions with the Cambodian government about German aid in the country. Additionally, the NGO members of the delegation expressed interest in using Cambodia as a case study to advise the German government on human rights conditionality in international development assistance.

National Advocacy

Indonesia Advocacy on the Housing and Settlements Bill In Indonesia, COHRE’s legal analysis on the Housing and Settlements Bill expressed concerns about the bill. COHRE’s recommendations were translated into the Indonesian language, Bahasa, and shared with partner organisation The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), an umbrella group of legal aid organisations with a nationwide network. COHRE requested that a full and proper consultation be held, and recommended that the redevelopment and relocations governed by the law be carried out in accordance with international standards—including references in the law to the relevant factors that constitute ‘adequate housing’ as outlined in General Comment No.4 of ICESCR. The information was used by YLBHI and other Indonesian CSOs in their dialogue with government officials and the drafters of the bill. COHRE also co-funded a national advocacy campaign aimed at instigating consultations with civil society groups.

COHRE’s analysis was highly valued by its partners, who are using the comments to form the basis of a judicial review of the newly enacted law.

Philippines Advocacy through protest letters reaps benefits for at-risk communities In March 2010, COHRE sent a protest letter to the Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The letter expressed concern about the ongoing demolition of houses to make way for the widening of Road 10 (R10) in Navotas City in northern Metro Manila. 2 The initial demolitions affected a total of 900 families, who were either made homeless and were staying along the roadside where their former houses were or where camping outside the office of the Department of Public Works and 2 COHRE, Protest letter to the President of the Philippines, 18 March 2010, http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/100318_philippines.pdf

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ASIA In the Philippines, COHRE welcomed the commitment of the new Philippine government to respect the rights of the urban poor to adequate housing, according to a pledge made by newly-installed President Benigno Aquino Jr. during the May 2010 election campaign. However, COHRE remains concerned that demolitions and forced evictions continued in Manila and Quezon City, and 400,000 families in Metro Manila are at risk of eviction. This includes 60,000 families in the Manggahan Floodway, targeted for displacement, and in the Pasig River area, where the homes of 40,000 families are set to be demolished.

Highways, where they remained at risk of forced eviction. COHRE highlighted that the demolitions were carried out in violation of numerous national and international human rights obligations of the Government of the Philippines, and that they constituted illegal forced evictions. COHRE also raised the possibility of disenfranchisement from the May elections.

The Office of the Vice President of the Philippines acknowledged the protest letter and said that it endorsed the recommendations to the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council’s offices.

Subsequently, the latter informed COHRE that 108 affected families were successfully relocated to Montalban town. COHRE visited the relocation site and spoke to the community members who informed COHRE that they were satisfied with their new homes, but were still concerned about those awaiting relocation from Road 10. The NHA also informed COHRE that in NHA nationwide activities, a Local Inter-Agency Committee composed of all stakeholder agencies and community leaders has been meeting regularly. In all the meetings, the Commission of Human Rights and the Philippine Commission on Urban Poor and local urban poor units were present.

Cambodia Public awareness through a National Advocacy Conference In October 2010, COHRE co-sponsored the fifth National Advocacy Conference with the theme Working Together for Good Governance on Natural Resources. The event was attended by 378 participants and aimed to raise awareness on the right to natural resources amongst community representatives, CSOs, government authorities and policy makers. Keynote speakers included COHRE’s Asia Regional Director and several prominent Cambodia government officials, including the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban

Feedback from participants of the Fifth National Advocacy Conference “The meeting enabled us to raise our concerns and discuss with the government representatives, NGO representatives and other community representatives. Hopefully the government will take action on our comments and try to do more to address our problems.”

—A community leader attending the conference “[The meeting] gave us a chance to better understand the government’s policies and help to reduce poverty, if we could manage natural resources properly and effectively followed the rules.”

—An NGO leader

Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) and the Minister of Environment.

A government official, after addressing the meeting, urged the community leaders “to organize their community with a clear structure and present CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.8

Annual Report 2010

ASIA their problems and issues with their respective local government leaders in a dialogue, so problems are discussed before they become harder to address by national leaders”. COHRE’s message centered on human rights principles, particularly ESC rights. All participants received copies of COHRE’s publication entitled Realising Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Cambodia3 and the accompanying CD, which summarised the 2009 recommendations of the UN CESCR. The conference was a welcome development in Cambodia as it was the first time senior government officials participated in a gathering of NGOs and community representatives to exchange views on land and property rights. Government statements show that there is recognition of the critical role of good governance in ensuring ESC rights of affected communities. While the community representatives who attended the meeting gained a clearer knowledge and understanding of the issues and the Concluding Observations of the Committee on ESC rights, the recommendations from the community have yet to be met with concrete government action.

Advocacy on behalf of the Boeung Kak community continues Advocacy work to settle land disputes amicably and prevent forced evictions was the main focus of COHRE’s work in Cambodia in 2010. COHRE continued its long-standing support to the residents and representatives of the Boeung Kak community.

Community members intensified their protests and mobilisations targeting the Shukaku Company and Cambodian authorities in response to moves by the company to forcibly evict people by pumping sand and water into the area, which flooded many homes. COHRE supported the community through planning meetings and discussions on options for 3 COHRE., Realising Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Cambodia, http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/files/cambodia_-_realising_escr_-_summary_of_recommendations_from_ the_cescr_2009.pdf

relocation (on-site upgrading and land titles or fair compensation). COHRE also joined other NGOs and community leaders in several meetings with World Bank officials to gain support for the community proposal for an on-site upgrading plan agreed upon by the Boeung Kak Lake community.

Many community members have already been forced to leave the lake area due to the continued pumping of sand and water by the company.

Through regular weekly meetings with Boeung Kak Lake community members, held under the auspices of the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF), COHRE facilitated weekly planning and strategy sessions that resulted in more community mobilisations, including a daily protest during the October 2010 visit of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, and a week-long protest at Freedom Park in Phnom Penh during December 2010. This increased the visibility of this suffering community, created public awareness and attracted press coverage.

COHRE raised concerns about the lack of progress by the World Bank in encouraging the government to comply with the LMAP Resettlement Policy Framework and its other contractual obligations with the World Bank, the lack of progress on the post-eviction impact assessment, and attempts to survey the households and record their contact details as discussed in a previous meeting. COHRE met with members of the World Bank Inspection Panel (WBIP) in May 2010 and briefed them about recent developments, including the ongoing forced evictions in Boeung Kak Lake area.

The meeting included a visit to a relocation site at Domnak Troyeung. There they met evicted families from Boeung Kak Lake and sought information for the investigation. The WBIP will submit their investigation report to the WB Board of Directors in January 2011.

Public awareness on World Habitat Day targets 400 participants In October 2010, COHRE co-organized the World Habitat Day celebration with HRTF, held at the

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ASIA Cultural Centre in Phnom Penh with the theme of Adequate Housing, Better Life. COHRE delivered a presentation on the right to adequate housing in Cambodia to about 400 participants, including NGOs, affected communities, local authorities and development partners.

Advocacy targeted at the improved implementation of “Circular Number 3” COHRE, together with partner NGOs submitted recommendations on the draft Resolution of Temporary Settlements on Illegally Occupied Land in the Capital, Municipal and Urban Areas (“Circular Number 3”) to the Technical Working Group on Land (a joint Government-NGO forum) and briefed them on NGO concerns. The development partners included many of the civil society recommendations for changes in their own comment letters to the MLMUPC. Many of the concerns expressed

by COHRE and other CSOs were addressed, with some of the recommendations adopted.

“Circular Number 3” was ratified in May 2010, however the implementation of the pilot project is still being rolled out, and a number of communities who should be protected by the law are still being threatened with forced evictions. COHRE will continue to work with such communities and engage in dialogue with the relevant local authorities. With its partner organisations, COHRE will also continue to monitor the implementation of the piloting projects of “Circular Number 3”.

COHRE also participated in several meetings with the Technical Working Group on Land in and with World Bank Development Partners. COHRE raised concerns about recent eviction notices delivered to approximately 500 families in three districts in Phnom Penh, and on the implementation of the land law including “Circular Number 3” relating to development-based evictions. These meetings resulted in increased awareness among key government officials in the Ministry of Land Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) and the World Bank development partners about specific

incidents of housing rights violations and internationally accepted legal standards. The development partners who attended the meetings agreed to raise the concerns of COHRE to the appropriate units within the MLMUPC. COHRE also helped HRTF send letters to the MLMUPC Minister and local governments expressing concerns about continuing evictions that contradicted the guidelines set out by “Circular Number 3”.

What is “Circular Number 3”?

Circular Number 3 is a policy passed by the government of Cambodia to address illegal settlements. It is a progressive policy that ensures some provisions of the adequate right to housing. Unfortunately there is still a lack of capacity on the part of the government to implement the circular properly, and a lack of awareness from the local authorities responsible for implementing the circular, as evidenced by the continued forced evictions conducted by local governments.

The national government, however, identified 21 areas to be pilot projects for the implementation of “Circular Number 3” across the country. COHRE works to increase awareness of the understanding of the circular to guarantee that it is in line with international standards, and that if the provisions of the circular cannot be met, there should be no forced evictions implemented.

COHRE and its main partner in Cambodia, HRTF, continue to support communities threatened with forced evictions. The HRTF successfully helped raised the profile among the general public and the media of several threatened communities in Phnom Penh, including residents of Stung Meanchey and CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.10

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Buoeng Kak Lake. This was achieved by conducting a series of trainings on housing rights awareness and strategies to stop evictions and defend urban poor communities, and issuing protest letters and statements to the media. The training on the Cambodia Community Guide in July and September targeted 17 urban poor communities threatened with evictions in Phnom Penh. It had 55 participants. Also, a training of trainers (ToT) with 69 participants was held in November and December. In all of these training about two-thirds of the participants were women. The participants gained confidence in planning and implementing advocacy actions and mobilizations in Phnom Penh. It was observed that communities who have attended the training became more confident in speaking

of United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon resulted on the arrest, beating and brief detention of one of the peoples’ leaders.

The HRTF network completed a three-year strategic plan after full consultations with all its 13 members, including COHRE. The strategic plan will guide HRTF to achieve better housing rights outcomes for communities threatened with or undergoing eviction in the next three years.

Capacity-building and training

Indonesia COHRE co-organized, with it partners YLBHI, Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), and Lembaga Bantuan Hukum- Jakarta (LBH), a legal advocacy workshop focusing on housing rights and evictions in Jakarta. The main aim of the meeting was to share with Indonesian officials and other stakeholders knowledge of international standards on housing rights and their relation with national law. The workshop also aimed to improve the participants’ knowledge of best practices in implementing housing policies and regulations. The Jakarta Provincial Governor hosted the meeting at the Jakarta City Hall, with more than 50 representatives from the Jakarta and Central Government of Indonesia, NGOs, Phnom Penh polic stop housing rights protests, August 2010 (Š COHRE). the Human Rights Commission, the World Bank and community members. A set of publicly about housing rights violations through recommendations was drafted on the final day and the media and in meetings with NGOs, the donor submitted to the Jakarta Provincial Government community and with other communities threatened for consideration. The Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi with eviction. Their networking skills improved Bowo, addressed the meeting and expressed the greatly as evidenced by their ability to get supneed to organise similar meetings in the future. port from other sectors during confrontation with The conference was the first time that housing authorities who wanted to evict them from their rights activists engaged in formal dialogue with homes. However, many community members have government housing officials. During the workyet to join advocacy actions due to their fear of shop, COHRE made a presentation on international being arrested by police and military authorities. standards on housing rights and introduced two For example, a peaceful protest during the visit case studies of best practice on housing rights

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ASIA implementation by local governments in Naga City, Philippines and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Cambodia In Cambodia, COHRE and Community Managed Development Partners (CMDP) facilitated a community exchange visit between Srer Ambel (Koh Kong province) and Amlang community (Kompong Speu province). More than 30 community members exchanged recent experiences of land grabbing in their areas that drastically reduced the area of their farmlands. These meetings raised the community’s awareness about their rights to land and housing.

In August 2010, some of the villagers from Srer Ambel successfully prevented attempts by company officials to forcibly remove them from their land. Other nearby villagers came to support them.

Whereas before the company refused to even talk about compensation for leaving their homes, now they have started to offer home lots and land for farming in exchange for leaving their homes. With CMDP support, the communities organized a savings group to improve their economic situation.

a radio talk show with the theme “Systematic land registration and government duties before, during and after evictions”.

Burma In Burma, COHRE continued to work with Burmese partners, particularly with ethnic nationality groups and NGOs such as NEED and KESAN, 5 and with Burmese solidarity groups and regional advocacy organisations such as ALTSEAN-Burma. In 2010, COHRE drafted a ToT Manual for HLP rights and a manual on HLP rights violations monitoring and documentation. These manuals will be used for the HLP rights workshop with target Burmese partners in the first half of 2011. COHRE is also supporting KESAN, a Karen NGO based in the Thai-Burma border, in order to build its capacity to carry out land loss and HLP rights field research, and develop proposed land policies for Karen areas. Copies of COHRE’s publication, A Guide to Housing, Land and Property Rights in Burma (which was translated into Burmese) continued to be distributed to NGOs and ethnic nationality groups both inside and outside Burma.

In May, COHRE and Bridges Across Borders organized three community trainings in Siem Reap, Phaeh Vihea and Kompot provinces using COHRE’s A Cambodian Guide to Defending Land and Housing Rights.4 The series of trainings was a continuation of the community-related trainings held in 2009. These sessions raised awareness on ESC rights among communities experiencing landgrabbing and forced evictions. COHRE will conduct more training in early 2011 in response to increased community interest.

HRTF also conducted coordination meetings and training with 19 communities threatened with evictions including Boueng Kak, Stung Meanchey, Boueng Trabeck, 104 and Boueng Chhuk. The majority of participants were women. Women were also prominent in the mobilizations to present their demands to the government. HRTF also supported 30 community advocacy actions and public protests in the last quarter of the year and organized 4 COHRE, A Cambodian Community Guide to Defending Land and Housing Rights, http//cohre.org/cambodianguide

5 KESAN and NEED represent ethnic Burmese groups.

KESAN is a unique organization that provides direct services and support to Karen and Kachin communities in both Thailand and Burma. KESAN’s mission is to support these communities with capacity-building, sustainable resource management, environmental protection, and preservation of unique cultural heritages.

NEED is the convener of the Housing, Land and Property Rights Network of Burma. NEED operates out of its head office in Chiang Mai, Thailand and works towards strengthening environmental conservation, sustainable agricultural, and economic development in Burma.

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Sri Lanka

Highlights COHRE Sri Lanka continued to implement activities under the three-year global strategy developed in 2009.

The year saw a considerable increase in staffing and a move to new premises to better accommodate the larger team. The programme focused on four main themes: capacity-building of civil society and government; monitoring and reporting; property restitution for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and refugees; and women’s housing rights.

The main methodologies used in the programme were the publication of information based on research and monitoring, trainings and advocacy.

Additionally, in 2010, COHRE Sri Lanka, for the first time, used drama to better disseminate direct messages to communities.

Contextual Overview In early 2010, there was an increase in the number of IDPs and refugees returning to their homes in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka

following the conclusion of the 30-year war in 2009. Although many challenges still remain, this was a positive development. The government pledged to provide all returnees with permanent housing, although rebuilding will take many years and considerable resources.

In the interim, perhaps the best approach to protect rights is to strengthen and support the land administration

In 2010, COHRE Sri Lanka, for “ the first time, used drama to better disseminate direct messages to communities.

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functions so that they can cope with the increased demand as people return and reclaim their land.

Although the war has ended, it is important that rights and administrative processes are fully respected in the renewed push for economic development.

This will be particularly important for those living in informal settlements in Colombo and those affected by tourism

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SRI LANKA developments in the north and east.

Public Awareness Activities Street theatre on women’s housing rights A drama focusing on two important themes relating to women’s housing rights was developed in early 2010 and performed several times by the end of 2010. Approximately 500 people have seen the play. The drama will continue to be performed at events in 2011.

The drama was developed to present two themes that COHRE is advocating in Sri Lanka: the need for state land to be granted to husband and wife jointly (joint or co-ownership) and for the male-oriented head of household concept to be removed from administrative processes. Since these are complicated themes, presenting the issues through drama helped demonstrate the impact

The feedback from the audi“ ence was generally very positive and most recognized the issues depicted in the play.

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they can have on the lives of ordinary people.

The preparation of the play took a considerable amount of time and required a lot of discussion to ensure that the theatre group fully understood the themes and issues. The play was finalized in August 2010 and the first performance was given to a group of tsunami IDPs living in Moratuwa. This session was held independently of other activities

Street theatre on women’s housing rights in Sri Lanka (© COHRE).

and close to Colombo to allow COHRE staff to attend and seek feedback from the audience; as there were still concerns regarding how males would react to the play.

The session was held in the street and approximately 200 tsunami-displaced people attended, many of whom were women and children. The feedback from the audience was generally very positive and most recognized the issues depicted in the play.

Further performances were presented to audiences in Galle, Batticaloa and Ambalantota. The drama has been developed in the two main local languages (Sinhala and Tamil) so that it can be performed country-wide, to as many audiences as possible.

International Advocacy Supporting national organisations to advocate internationally COHRE Sri Lanka supported local organisations to contribute to the inter-

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SRI LANKA national human rights reporting mechanisms. This involved contributions to and development of country shadow reports for submission to both the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and the Committee on Eradication of Discriminations against Women (CEDAW).

The 48th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met in Geneva in January 2011. Ahead of this session, COHRE Sri Lanka, together with civil society partners, developed a shadow report that highlighted violations of women’s housing, land and property rights under international law. Partners included CARE International, the Estate Community Development Mission, the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum, Oxfam-Australia, Praja Abhilaasha Network and the Women and Media Collective. The shadow report underscored that the government of Sri Lanka must take steps to ensure that all persons are treated equally and without discrimination before the law. Legal reform is necessary to bring the land laws to conform to local and international standards. The shadow report recommended that the government amend the Land Development Ordinance to ensure that joint or co-ownership be granted to both spouses when the state allocates land to married couples. In addition, the shadow report also recommended that the government abolish the concept of “head of household” in administrative practice and recognise joint or co-ownership of land. In the Concluding Observations of the Committee, released in early 2011, both of these recommendations were strongly endorsed by the Committee.

Capacity-building and Public Awareness Training of local government officials Grama Niladharis (GNs) are local government officials who provide the first level of support for land issues. They are involved directly in the local administration of state land, where many of the poor live. COHRE gained approval from the Ministry of Public Administration in October 2010 to implement a programme of training local officials on general land administration. The first of 11 trainings took place in Ambalantota in November 2010. The training lasted 1.5 days and COHRE staff presented on the international legal framework for the right to adequate housing. There were also sessions by current and former high-level land administrators. Aside from the transfer of knowledge, the participants also welcomed the access to central-level officials, who responded to specific questions raised by participants.

Training of trainers to civil society and communities A two-year project of training trainers from civil society groups culminated in a final training in Bentota in March 2010.

Since then, the trainers have implemented a total of seven community-level trainings in different locations. Each training lasted two days and a total of 335 people attended the sessions. The target groups included citizens affected by displacement, in addition to community leaders. The topics of the trainings included human rights constitutional law, housing rights, women’s housing rights, children’s rights, and housing, land and property laws in Sri Lanka.

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SRI LANKA

The 20 trainers were split into three groups, each group tasked with planning and implementing two trainings each. The groups had a mix of the necessary skills to implement successful trainings such as: technical knowledge, presentation skills, motivation and organisational ability. Each group represented a broad geographic area which, while more challenging for coordination and communication, aided networking across regions and organisations.

A planning meeting was held at COHRE’s offices. Members of the group were given responsibilities; a budget was created; and session plans were prepared and discussed. This enabled the trainings to be tailored to specific needs of target groups and emphasised topics relevant to a particular local setting.

COHRE staff also attended the trainings to monitor, provide moral support and to assist with some of the complicated topics. It was decided that the technical legal topics were too complicated for the trainers to tackle unassisted (these generally related to the legal aspects of Sri Lankan land law rather than the more generic human rights content).

This enabled the trainers to build their confidence doing the sessions they are comfortable with, while also ensuring that the attendees get the best possible training with correct technical information.

Praja Abhilasha trainers conduct grassroots training sessions on HLP rights in Batticaloa in 2010 (Š COHRE).

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Africa

Highlights In 2010, COHRE Africa opened a new regional office in Nairobi, Kenya and closed its offices in Accra, Ghana. Activities during the year included: capacity-building; advocacy at the regional and international levels and research and publications.1 A total of 20 capacity-building activities were conducted in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria targeting 450 participants representing civil society groups, communities at risk of eviction and government officials.

COHRE Africa also worked closely with COHRE’s Woman and Housing Rights initiative (WHRi) and partner organisations on advocacy activities aimed at increasing awareness of women’s housing, land and inheritance issues. Advocacy work was conducted through regional mechanisms such as the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), as well as through United Nations mechanisms, such as shadow reports to the UN Committee on Elimi1 Please see Annexes I to IV for a more detailed breakdown of publications, trainings, international advocacy and protest letters.

nation of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).

Protest letters on behalf of communities impacted by forced evictions were also submitted by COHRE and its partners to heads of state and relevant ministers in Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

In Kenya, COHRE’s most remarkable achievement was the advocacy surrounding economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights – especially housing rights – within Kenya’s new constitution, which was passed through a national referendum in August 2010.

Capacity-building Capacity-building for journalists on women’s housing and land rights in Ghana In May 2010, COHRE with its partner WOMEC (Women in Media and Communication) hosted a training of journalists CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.17

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AFRICA in Ghana on the effective use of the media to promote women’s housing rights.

The two-day training built the capacity of journalists and media officers and aimed to increase visibility of women’s housing rights in the Ghanaian media.

The workshop included 30 journalists, including three chief editors of popular media houses. Many of these journalists noted that while they knew of the housing rights challenges that existed in their country, they were not aware of the international human rights framework that underpins women’s housing, land and property rights. Participants expressed a commitment to include a human rights perspective in their reporting. As a result of the training, several media articles on the topics presented to journalists were covered in both the electronic and the print media, giving the difficulties facing women in Ghana vis-a-vis their housing rights increased visibility. GhanaWeb, for example, featured

Journalists noted that while “ they knew of the housing rights challenges that existed in their country, they were not aware of the international human rights framework that underpins women’s housing, land and property rights.

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an article entitled “Women suffer the brunt of forced eviction” and AllAfrica. com featured an article entitled “Media Urged to Join Campaign to Protect Housing Rights of Women. ”2 Partnership with the Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)

2 AllAfrica.com, 4 June 2010, Women suffer the brunt of forced eviction, http://allafrica.com/ stories/201006040865.html

COHRE partnered with the Rotterdambased IHS, to carry out a joint training on alternatives to forced eviction in Nairobi that brought together IHS

Kibera “decanting site” visit by IHS participants, October 2010 (© COHRE).

alumni from seven African countries for a 2 week training seminar. COHRE shared insights on the right to adequate housing, explained the role of the state and gave examples of alternatives to eviction. COHRE benefited from the partnership with IHS, which brought government, CSOs, consultants and other actors working in the housing sector to share information and sensitize participants on the right to adequate housing using IHS’s strong network of alumni, who hold influential government positions in their countries (seven of them were senior government officials working in ministries of housing and land) and can therefore be lobbied to advance housing rights policies in their respective countries.

COHRE supported IHS in organizing two field visits. One visit was to the Kibera Soweto village’s decanting site, where relocated Soweto Village residents were moved to allow for the development of houses in the slum site. This was noted as a good alternative to forced eviction CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.18

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AFRICA that included the active participation of communities and led to a better living environment for slum dwellers. The second visit was to the Nairobi River Basin rehabilitation project that passes through Mathare Slum. Future partnership with IHS will include a similar training planned in Nigeria in 2011.

International Advocacy The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) In the last year, COHRE’s international advocacy work on Africa focused on Kenya and South Africa, with special emphasis on women’s housing, land and inheritance rights, including rights violations resulting from customary practices and poor political will to reform policies. Both countries came under review during the 48th session of the UN CEDAW (March 2010), in which COHRE collaborated with a coalition of civil society groups and submitted a shadow report to the CEDAW committee.

In Kenya, COHRE and its partners expressed to CEDAW their long-standing concerns about how slum-upgrading programmes systematically failed to address the needs of poor urban women, and how, in both urban and rural areas, continued lack of protection of women’s housing and land rights has made women much more vulnerable to forced eviction and ‘disSlum-upgrading programmes inheritance.’ The Committee’s concluding observations on Kenya called on the government to “Establish a clear legislafailed to address the needs of tive framework to protect women’s rights to inheritance and poor urban women...making ownership of land; and to introduce measures to address women much more vulnerable negative customs and traditional practices, especially in rural to forced eviction and ‘disareas, which affect the full enjoyment of the right to property inheritance’. by women.” The Committee also urged Kenya to “ensure effective policing in the slums and informal settlements and to address the issue of gender-based and other forms of violence, inter alia by urgently providing sanitation facilities in the immediate vicinity of each household.”

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The shadow report on Kenya attracted the attention of international and national media outlets, including an editorial featured in The Standard newspaper that highlighted the main aspects of the shadow report, as well the Kenyan government’s slow progress on passing and implementing “critical laws to protect the rights of women such as the Equality Bill and the Family Protection Bill, among others”. 3 The lessons drawn from these advocacy experiences included: i) the importance of extensive collaboration with national civil society partners to allow for adequate incountry consultations to generate a comprehensive shadow report; ii) the need for sufficient planning for lobbying activities during the state review period to increase visibility of the NGO shadow reports; iii) coordination and planning are necessary to permit national NGOs to travel to and attend the CEDAW review in order 3 “Violations of Women’s Housing Rights Rife”, The Standard, 5 April 2011. http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/sports/InsidePage.php?id=2000027554&cid=470

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AFRICA to make statements during the review sessions; iv) mobilizing the civil society organizations early enough is vital so they can produce a coherent country strategy; and v) targeting the media is invaluable in order to give added attention to the housing rights violations in the countries under review, as well as to disseminate more widely the recommendations made by the NGOs and the Committee.

With the CEDAW concluding observations already circulated, there is need to popularize them at the national level by mobilizing NGOs who participated in the consultative process to disseminate the concluding observations and engage, through strategic meetings, with the related government departments to lobby for their implementation. A road map on how to continue monitoring CEDAW will be developed for both countries as a unique advocacy opportunity to advance and promote women’s land, housing and property rights.

with other NGOs that were present at the ACHPR and planned further collaborations to ensure that women’s rights to land and housing are prominent on the agenda of the Special Interest Group discussions.

At the ACHPR session, COHRE and LAMOSA joined the thematic group on ESC rights and recommended the adoption of principles and guidelines on ESC rights under the African Charter, highlighted forced evictions as a serious human rights violation, including the centrality of the right to water and sanitation. The impact of forced evictions on women was emphasized, drawing on examples from COHRE’s advocacy work in the Africa region, such as the massive

Regional Advocacy Women and HLP rights at the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) Demolition of homes in Lubango, Huila Province, Angola, March 2010.

In May 2010, COHRE and its partner, Land Access Movement in South Africa (LAMOSA) participated in the 47th Ordinary Session of the ACHPR and the NGO Forum proceeding the African Commission’s session held in Banjul, Gambia. This led to a strengthened collaborative relationship between COHRE, its partner LAMOSA and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa on themes related to women’s rights to land, housing and inheritance and how these impact the health of women. COHRE also built partnerships

eviction in Lubango, Angola (impacting 3000 families); the eviction and threat of eviction in Abuja, Nigeria, and the threat of eviction in Nairobi, Kenya (impacting 50,000 families).

The African Commission was urged to consider developing guidelines on forced evictions for African countries.

COHRE contributed to two major resolutions that were adopted by the NGO Forum and the ACHPR. COHRE and its partner’s contribution on forced CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.20

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AFRICA evictions in these resolutions featured prominently in the NGO statements to the ACHPR at the opening ceremony of the ACHPR and the issues raised appeared in the final recommendations adopted on ESC rights at the session.4 In addition, COHRE and its partner organizations, LAMOSA and the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR), organized a side event5 in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, Soyata Maiga, under the theme Examining the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa: An Innovative Instrument for the Protection of Women’s Rights to Health and to an Adequate Standard of Living. This event attracted 35 participants and increased the visibility of COHRE’s work.

Feedback from participants included a suggestion that such a successful event should in future be included within the main plenary discussion. COHRE and LAMOSA made presentations on women, HIV/AIDS and the right to land and adequate housing, and examined the role of the Maputo Protocol (MP) in redressing the challenges raised on women’s rights in Africa. COHRE made 4 As a result of involvement in the ESC rights thematic group, COHRE was invited to present at a meeting on the development of indicators and benchmarks for economic, social and cultural rights organized by HURIDOCS and other partners in Geneva.

5 COHRE and LAMOSA highlighted the challenging situation of women, such as women’s staggering HIV infection rates as a result of their vulnerability, lack of access to treatment and care, discrimination and abuse as a result of their status; which impact their land, housing and inheritance rights in South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and Uganda.

COHRE and LAMOSA requested the need for the Special Rapporteur to focus on these issues. CRR focused on the recognition of reproductive rights under the strength of the Maputo Protocol and other regional and international laws with case studies that could be utilized by the Commission and other national and regional governments to promote women’s rights to health and an adequate standard of living.

inputs on the resolution on women and HIV/AIDS in Africa adopted by the NGO Forum and the ACHPR session.

As a result, ACHPR established a working group to engage a Special Rapporteur on HIV/AIDS at the Commission (this is the only recommendation the Commission took action on). COHRE contributed to the Special Rapporteur’s report to the 48th Ordinary session that focused on the states’ implementation of the Maputo Protocol.

The event resulted in strategic regional alliances that will facilitate future work at the ACHPR and other regional forums. Participation at the ACHPR—a regional mechanism—proved important as its resolutions can be used for advocacy at the level of international human rights instruments.

The Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa noted that she found the side event meeting useful and relevant to her mandate. She expressed interest in continuing to work with COHRE, CRR and other civil society organisations. The Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa encouraged States to respect, protect and fulfil women’s reproductive rights, as guaranteed in the Protocol, and urged NGOs to utilize the MP as a tool to advance women’s rights and also consider using litigation as a strategy for ensuring accountability for reproductive rights violations by bringing appropriate complaints to the ACHPR. Through these activities COHRE strengthened its relationship with LAMOSA and CRR and developed new relationships with other organizations.

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AFRICA For example, COHRE established a working relationship with a South African NGO called People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), and collaborated with POWA on the South Africa shadow report to the CEDAW Committee submitted in 2010.

In convening a panel within the NGO Forum, COHRE learnt that these sessions, attended by a large number of NGOs and Commissioners, create an opportunity to influence the resolutions and introduce specific resolutions on women’s housing and land rights that can be lobbied for during the NGO Forum. COHRE is planning to lobby for a session within the next NGO Forum and to draft a resolution on women, housing and land and inheritance issues.

Litigation and Legal Advocacy COHRE v. Sudan: Seeking African solutions to atrocities in Darfur COHRE’s five-year strategic litigation to hold Sudan accountable before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights for atrocities in Darfur culminated in a landmark decision in 2010 – the first time that Sudan was held accountable by an African human rights mechanisms for violations of an African human rights treaty. In its decision, the African Commission found Sudan responsible for large-scale forced evictions and violations of a wide range of human rights, including the rights to life, housing, food, health, judicial remedies and to be free from torture, including rape. The Commission also issued ground-breaking jurisprudence on the right to water and the collective right to economic, social and cultural development, as contained in the African Charter.

COHRE’s Women and Housing Rights Initiative (WHRi) works to enforce and strengthen the international human rights framework so that women are able to fully enjoy their housing, land and property in practice and to combat genderbased discrimination in all matters related to housing, land and property.

Through the work of a global team based in COHRE’s regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America, the Initiative works at the local, national, regional and international levels to defend and advocate on behalf of women’s housing and land rights, and to fight against the denial of these rights in all forms.

The WHRi is supported by generous funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Open Society Institute and anonymous donors.

The African Commission urged the Sudanese government to investigate abuses in Darfur and hold those responsible accountable, to undertake legislative and judicial reforms to ensure that victims of human rights violations have effective domestic remedies, and to provide restitution and compensation to the survivors of human rights violations in Darfur.

The Commission also urged Sudan to rehabilitate economic and social infrastructure in Darfur such as education, health care, water and agricultural services, as one way to facilitate the right of Darfuris displaced by violence to return to their communities. The African Commission plans to follow up on this decision in early 2011 and the decision has been shared by COHRE with organizations engaged in human rights campaigning addressing Darfur.

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AFRICA

COHRE EXPERTS REACT

Kenya

“With this decision, we see an African mechanism asserting its political independence and upholding international human rights standards as being fully consistent with the African charter.

This differs substantially from the treatment of Sudan by many of Africa’s political leaders up until now, and highlights the importance of the African continent’s continuing development of independent pan-African bodies.”

Salih Booker, COHRE’s Executive Director

Successful advocacy surrounding Kenya’s new Constitution

“This decision is ground-breaking in that it not only reaffirms that the African Charter protects the rights to adequate food and housing, including the prohibition on forced evictions, but it also guarantees the right to water on the African continent and people’s right to economic, social and cultural development.”

Bret Thiele, Senior Expert for Litigation at COHRE

COHRE’s Kenya program played a key role in advocating for changes in policies and legislation that reflect international human rights standards related to land, devolution and the Bill of Rights under Kenya’s draft constitution that was finally approved via a national referendum in August 2010.

COHRE led discussions on controversial aspects linked to ESC rights under the draft Bill of Rights chapter of the constitution through organizing a workshop in partnership with the national civil society groups active in housing rights.

The workshop targeted civil society organizations from all eight regions of Kenya with the aim that they would go back to their regions and disseminate the information they have learnt at the grassroots to community-based groups as well as to target their representatives in parliament at the national level.

A commissioner from the Committee of Experts on the Constitutional Review6 of the draft Kenya Constitution led part of the workshop, explaining to participants components related to ESC rights and how they would be applied and implemented. Copies of the draft constitution were also made available during this meeting.

COHRE also insured that communities had accurate access to information on ESC rights and that they had a good understanding of their rights and their responsibilities.

COHRE contributed to a joint civil society informational brochure, The ESC Rights Brochure for the Kenya Constitution, which was disseminated to NGOs, grassroots groups and civil society as a tool to inform citizens of the positive aspects of ESC rights as reflected in the Bill of Rights of the draft constitution.

COHRE and its NGO partners followed the national discus6 This is a governmental body established through a parliamentary act and charged with identifying controversial themes under the proposed constitution and leading constitutional consultations with the main stakeholders in Kenya to clarify ambiguities and harmonize opinions.

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AFRICA sion and tracked all revised drafts of the constitution, especially items related to ESC rights and land. Parliamentarians and the Committee of Experts were contacted when a section elaborating on ESC rights was removed from the draft constitution. The advocacy efforts led to a final draft with sound ESC rights provisions that are expected to allow for the realization of those rights.

All these efforts contributed to the passing of a progressive new constitution in Kenya hailed as “the birth of the second republic”.

The Eviction and Resettlement Guideline for Kenya: a long-term success story COHRE participated in drafting the Eviction and Resettlement Guideline for Kenya, commonly known as The Eviction Guidelines, and aligned it to provisions of the new constitution before presenting a draft to the Ministry of Land. COHRE was selected to sit in the taskforce that developed The Eviction Guidelines for Kenya due to its long involvement in lobbing and advocacy on housing rights and forced eviction. The taskforce was formed in 2006 by the Ministry of Land due to the non-existence of laws, standards and legislation to inform eviction processes. It is comprised of various ministries, parastatals, civil society, community representatives, city council representatives and the provincial administration.

Kenya’s new Constitution and the way forward Kenya’s new Constitution clearly spells out the required policy and legislative reform needed to help realize ESC rights. It guarantees women’s rights and provides for the right to adequate housing, water, sanitation, security and equitable distribution of land. This opens up opportunities to advocate and litigate on the right to adequate housing and equality of persons and has led COHRE to organize a National Civil Society Forum on the implications of implementing ESC rights in the new constitution. The forum was attended by 42 people from four regions across Kenya.

COHRE also organized a National Civil Society Housing Forum that focused on the implementation of the constitution and implications on housing sector legislations. This was attended by 45 people from five regions.

These forums targeted representatives from civil society as well as relevant stakeholders such as professional groups and coalitions. Following these two national forums, members of the Kenya housing coalition appointed a team to coordinate with Ministry of Housing officials to start engaging the Constitutional Implementation Commission. This would enable civil society to influence the prioritization, examination and amendment of pending bills and policies, such as the National Eviction Guidelines and the Land Bill, in addition to completing national urban development policies to reflect the changes in the new the constitution.

COHRE provided input to the draft of The Eviction Guidelines that included emphasis on international standards and steps used in carrying out an eviction. These inputs were adapted to meet the national situation. In this process, COHRE’s research was used as a reference in developing The Eviction GuideCENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.24

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AFRICA lines. This effort by the task-force culminated in an official acknowledgement of The Eviction Guidelines by the Ministry of Land.

The Eviction Guidelines are expected to be adopted in 2011.

The Eviction Guidelines are the result of a shadow report for Kenya submitted in 2005 by COHRE and its NGO partners (Hakijami and Amnesty International), which recommended that the Government of Kenya stop all forced evictions and adopt international standards when conducting evictions. This was met by a positive response from Kenya’s Attorney General, who promised that Kenya would develop national guidelines for eviction.

Hence lobbying to finalize The Eviction Guidelines has continued for the last six years and is about to reap benefits for Kenyan communities at risk of eviction.

Mr Onyango, Secretary of the Settlement Executive Committee in Kibera shows Eyong Sunday, Programme Officer of COHRE-Nigeria; Salih Booker, COHRE’s Executive Director; and Leah Muragori, Director of the Kenya Slum Upgrading Programme (KENSUP), a site for alternatives to forced eviction, piloted in Octo-

Through this long-term engagement, COHRE’s aim was to influence the development of an eviction guide to be used by government and other actors when carrying out an eviction, and to ensure that The Eviction Guidelines not only get legal backing but also set a precedent for other African countries.

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Latin America

Highlights In 2010, COHRE’s Latin America programme implemented activities in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador that included public awareness; litigation in support of communities at risk of forced eviction; national and international advocacy; and research and publication.

Through participation in the Social Urban Forum COHRE conducted, with an umbrella of regional and international NGOs, a series of workshops that involved a total of 2,750 people.

International advocacy efforts included contribution to a civil society shadow report submitted to the Committee on ESC rights review of Colombia. In Quito, Ecuador COHRE and its national partner Foro Urbano received a positive outcome from a legal proposal that was put to the National Assembly in 2009 calling for reforming domestic law linked to regularizing informal settlements.

The Latin America programme published four volumes of its widely read

newsletter, The Bulletin on Housing Rights and the Right to the City in Latin America, which reaches more than 2000 subscribers regionally and internationally. Another publication included a report on women’s housing rights and domestic violence in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia entitled A Place in the World: the Right to Adequate Housing as an Essential Element of a Life Free from Domestic Violence.

International and National Advocacy Contribution to a Shadow Report for Colombia’s Review under CESCR COHRE contributed to a joint civil society shadow report that was discussed during the review of Colombia at the 44th session of the Committee on ESC rights. The shadow report focused on the problem of housing shortage and over-crowding that afflicts poor families in Colombia and on the forced eviction of marginalized groups.

In its Concluding Observations the

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LATIN AMERICA Committee advised the government of Colombia to adopt immediate measures to guarantee adequate housing according to General Comment No. 4, under ICESCR, especially in support of under-privileged families, the internally displaced and ethnic minorities. The Committee also requested that the government of Colombia adopts a national housing strategy that offers citizens sustainable housing solutions, and expressed concern over forced evictions—especially pertaining to displaced populations—urging the Colombian state to abide by guidelines set in General Comment No. 7, to seek alternatives to evictions and provide security of tenure. Finally, the Committee ordered the state to guarantee the restitution of land to native Indian, Afro-Colombian and farming communities who were forcibly evicted from their lands.

Advocacy on regularization of informal settlement in Ecuador reaps benefits In support of slum dwellers in Quito city, Ecuador, COHRE works in close collaboration with its national partner, the “Urban Forum of Quito” also known as Foro Urbano. In 2009, a code for the regularization of informal settlements was drafted, with the participation of communities of slum dwellers and relevant government officials, and submitted to the National Assembly.

The code proposed reforms to domestic law linked to regularizing and upgrading informal settlements in Quito.

In October 2010, the National Assembly approved the proposed legal reforms.

COHRE will continue advocacy efforts to ensure the implementation of reforms under this new law, which will benefit

at least 20,000 inhabitants of slums in Quito city.

Women and Housing Rights Exposing the link between women’s housing rights and domestic violence In 2010, COHRE released a report entitled A Place in the World: the Right to Adequate Housing as an Essential Element of a Life Free from Domestic Violence.1 The findings of this research exposed the reality facing women in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia, where lack of access to adequate housing, including emergency shelter, prevents victims of domestic violence from escaping their abusers. While researching this report, COHRE interviewed 60 women in cities across Argentina, BraI did not even have the money zil and Colombia to pay the rent and no money to who experienced domestic violence meet expenses...He would ask first-hand, and the me: where was I going to go? report presents their stories. The majority of the women interviewed found it impossible to find a place to escape to when they were targeted by violence in the home– and for many this predicament alone prevented them from fleeing abusive relationships. As one survivor of domestic violence in Argentina explained to COHRE, “I did not even have the money to pay rent and no money to meet my expenses. These are factors that exacerbated my circumstances of life. He

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1 COHRE, A Place in the World: The Right to Adequate Housing as an Essential Element of a Life Free from Domestic Violence, July 2010, http:// www.cohre.org/sites/default/files/100708_a_ place_in_the_world_eng_summary-_final.pdf

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LATIN AMERICA

would ask me, where was I going to go?”

The report helped draw attention to the predicament of those women by attracting international and national media coverage from various news outlets including, BBC Mundo2 and BBC Brasil, and also Brazilian news outlets, including Diário do Grande ABC, 3 Estadão.com.br,4 Gazeta Digital, MaisComunidade.com, 5 O Tempo,6 O Progresso, Abril, and Pagina 12 in Argentina. Conclusions of the report were also picked up by the websites of Women’s United Nations Report Network (WUNRN), Habitat for Humanity, Amnesty International-Canada, the Network for East-West Women, and Ajudaparamujeres.com.

A result of this research on the housing rights of women facing domestic violence is that the special office of the Supreme Court of Argentina on domestic violence began to ask domestic violence survivors who come to the office about their housing situation.

This information will be used to further inform national policy in the area of domestic violence, as well as to en2 http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_ latina/2010/07/100716_violencia_domestica_estudio_rg.shtml 3 http://www.dgabc.com.br/ News/5821727/no-brasil-dez-mulheres-sao-assassinadas-por-dia.aspx 4 http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/ geral,dependencia-economica-impede-quevitimas-deixem-parceiros-violentos-diz-estudo,581939,0.htm 5 http://coletivo.maiscomunidade. com/conteudo/2010-07-17/nacional/3855/ VIOL%C3%83%C5%A0NCIA-CONTRA-AS-MULHERES-DENTRO-DO-LAR-%C3%83%E2%80%B0MAIOR-NO-PA%C3%83%20S.pnhtml 6 http://www.otempo.com.br/otempo/ noticias/?IdNoticia=146198

Housing in Villa 31 , Argentina (© COHRE).

able the office to better help women find alternative housing solutions when fleeing situations of violence.

CEDAW Shadow Report on violations of the housing rights of women in Argentina In July 2010, COHRE participated in the Review of Argentina before CEDAW, producing a section of a coalition shadow report highlighting violations of women’s housing rights in Argentina.7 In its concluding observations, released in August 2010, the Committee included several recommendations that COHRE was advocating, including the collection of gender disaggregated data, the inclusion of gender-sensitive perspectives in the formation and implementation of housing policy, and ensuring that poor and disadvantaged women are able to access financial 7 The CEDAW shadow report on Argentina can be accessed here: http://www.cohre.org/ sites/default/files/argentina_-_cedaw-shadow_ report_july_2010_eng.pdf

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LATIN AMERICA credit opportunities. It was the first time that the CEDAW Committee raised the impact of housing policy issues on women in Argentina. 8 The Concluding Observations, however, are not the end of the story. Indeed, COHRE’s partner organizations in Argentina have already planned a number of follow–up activities to build upon the successes at CEDAW, and COHRE remains committed to working with them.

This entails both building the capacity of local organizations as they seek to take up the mantel of women’s housing, land and property rights, as well as to sensitize government officials about the importance of taking a gender-sensitive approach to housing policy.

tion, to hold them accountable and to make companies listen.” This issue covers examples of “people power” from around Latin America, such as the experience from Paraguay that led to the approval of a protocol for police conduct during evictions. This protocol helped reduce violent clashes between inhabitants of the land who are being removed and security forces.

Publications and Research In 2010, COHRE’s Latin America programme published four volumes of the Bulletin on Housing Rights and the Right to the City in Latin America.9 In July, the bulletin concentrated on gender and housing rights and the challenges facing women when it comes to the right to adequate housing within the parameters of safety, security and domestic violence; with examples from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay.

The September issue of the Bulletin focused on “people power” referring to, “The power of individuals, experts and organizations to change and improve things, to make governments take ac8 The partners COHRE worked with in the preparation of the shadow report received funds via IWRAW Asia and Pacific to disseminate 2,000 hard copies of the report and the concluding observations of the Committee throughout Argentina. The report will be sent to government officials, legal advocates and women’s rights groups.

9 Bulletins can be accessed at http://www. cohre.org/regions/latin-america

In the December issue, entitled A Decade of Housing Rights and Wrongs, in Latin America, renowned housing experts reflected on the last decade of legal housing reforms in the region and explored the current and future challenges facing most countries in Latin America. One of this issue’s contributors was Urban Planner Graciela Mariani, who posed the question, “How will the city of the future affect the lives of its inhabitants?” and went on to explore the main trends, including the recent economic crisis and its impact.

Public Awareness Public education activities during the Social Urban Forum COHRE joined an umbrella of seven CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.29

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LATIN AMERICA regional and international NGOs10 during the Social Urban Forum (that took place in Rio de Janeiro in March 2010) and launched a series of four workshops and seminars that reached a total of 2,750 people who represented national civil society groups, communities at risk of eviction, government officials, social movements and international NGOs. The topics covered during these events included the following: i) Urban conflicts: Mega events and evictions; ii) a workshop on the “Right to the City�; iii) a seminar on the Right to the City and social justice; and iv) a session that focused on housing rights challenges within the Latin American context.

The meeting allowed COHRE to share its work in Latin America with a broad audience and to strengthen its network of important stakeholders in the housing rights movement in the region.

10 This umbrella of NGOs included: HIC-AL, SELVIP, Habitat for Humanity, Swedish Centre for Co-operation, Observatory DESC, Polis and International Alliance of Inhabitants.

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Europe: Roma housing rights

Litigation and legal advocacy COHRE v. Italy In 2010, the case of COHRE v. Italy came to a successful conclusion. It dealt with the forced eviction and mass expulsion of Italy’s Roma and Sinti residents, and documented more than 4,000 forced evictions in a three-year period.

The Committee found Italy in violation of the prohibition on discrimination and violation of the rights of Roma people to adequate housing; social, legal and economic protection; protection against poverty and social exclusion; and the right of migrant Roma families to protection and assistance.

This case also resulted in the first finding of “aggravated violations” of the Revised European Social Charter–for forced evictions and hate speech. The “aggravated violations” resulted in the case being expedited and in seminal

jurisprudence holding that mass expulsion of migrant workers amounted to a violation of the Charter.

The Italian government reacted positively to the ruling, pledging to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to “ensure the effective implementation of the rights deriving from the Revised European Social Charter for

The Committee found Italy in “ violation of the prohibition on discrimination and violation of the rights of the Roma people.

„

every individual, including for persons belonging to the Roma communities.”

At the end of 2010, COHRE continued to work with local Italian partners to monitor compliance with the decision and in early 2011 will provide information to the Council of Ministers when it follows up on this decision.

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ROMA COHRE v. France

Featured publication: In August 2010, COHRE sent a protest letter to the Government of France expressing its concern for the forced evictions and mass expulsion of Roma residents and issued a press release that condemned these housing rights violations.

Using the jurisprudence established in COHRE v. Italy, in November 2010, COHRE filed a Collective Complaint against France challenging the forced evictions and mass expulsion of Roma residents. The case was found admissible by the European Committee of Social Rights and is being expedited.1

Housing and ESC Rights Law Quarterly - supporting an ESC rights litigation movement In 2010, COHRE issued four editions of the Housing and ESC Rights Law Quarterly–its flagship publication on strategic legal advocacy in the area of economic, social and cultural rights . The Quarterly supports the legal initiatives of hous-

Regional and International Advocacy

ing rights advocates by providing useful and timely resources on housing rights

Czech Republic: Using international law to combat segregation

and related ESC rights laws, legal case and jurisprudence. The publication also serves as a legal education and advo-

In 2010, COHRE continued to work with its national Czech partner in legal cases aimed at remedying racial segregation and inadequate housing of Romani women with the objective of building the capacity of COHRE’s partner to use international human rights law in their advocacy. The strategic litigation lessons learned in the Czech Republic were then shared with a broader audience, including during workshops at the European regional level. These lessons using litigation and regional advocacy to draw international attention to Roma housing rights violations. For example, as an outcome of recommendations from COHRE and its partners, the Commissioner of the Council of Europe conducted a fact-finding mission to the Czech Republic to investigate the reported violations. In his visit he talked to impacted communities that brought cases to the Council as well as to government authorities. This demonstrates that using domestic cases to draw the attention of the Commissioner of the Council of Europe to Roma housing rights violations proved a successful advocacy strategy.

cacy tool for lawyers, activists, policymakers, academics and others working in the area of housing rights.

In 2010, articles included those examining the legal strategies and results of housing rights cases brought before the UN Human Rights Committee, the European Committee of Social Rights, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the World Bank Inspection Panel. For example, the December issue looks at the recent decision in the COHRE v. Italy case before the European Committee of Social Rights, in which Italy was found in violation of the right of Roma to adequate housing, amongst other rights. This issue also contains two case notes, one looking at a disappointing Swiss judicial ruling that the Interna-

Slovakia: Leveraging international mechanisms to remedy housing rights violations

tional Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights is not justiciable before Swiss courts, and the other at an Indian

1 COHRE press release, 15 November 2010, France: Complaint over Roma Treatment Lodged with European Human Rights Body, http://www. cohre.org/news/press-releases/france-complaint-over-roma-treatmentlodged-with-european-human-rights-body

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ROMA In 2010, COHRE and its Slovak partner submitted a parallel report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) to bring attention to Slovakia’s failure to implement a CERD decision in the Dobšiná case—a case dealing with retrogressive measures in the area of Roma housing rights. CERD used the information to acquire the government’s assurances that it would indeed implement this decision.

COHRE also intervened with CERD to prevent the forced eviction of the Romani community, consisting of 536 persons, at Plavechy Stovstok, Slovakia.

protection against eviction. It also called on authorities to abide by their international human rights obligations and brought the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-Based Evictions and Displacement to the attention of the Slovak authorities. To date the Government has yet to respond. COHRE will follow up with CERD with a renewed call for intervention, given that Slovakia is coming before CERD for a periodic review in 2011.

Council of Europe: Keeping Roma housing rights on the European agenda

Children playing in Roma community in Jakubova, Slovak Republic (© COHRE).

In July, COHRE submitted a complaint to CERD under its Early Warning and Urgent Action procedure. As a result, in August CERD sent a letter to the Government of Slovakia expressing its deep concern at the threat of forced eviction.

COHRE also sent a Protest Letter to the Government of Slovakia expressing its concern about the threatened forced eviction of the Plavechy Stovstok community and followed up with a joint letter with the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Amnesty International that called for immediate

In October 2010, COHRE produced a paper for a HighLevel Meeting of the Council of Europe on Roma entitled Towards Solutions to Housing Rights Violations of Roma and Travelers in Europe: Position Paper of the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE). 2

This paper provided specific examples of Roma rights violations from Bulgaria, Italy and France, including recommendations to review and revise legislation to promote and protect Roma housing rights.

The Position Paper also calls on the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial 2 COHRE Position Paper available at: http:// www.cohre.org/sites/default/files/europe_-_coe_ position_paper_towards_realizing_housing_rights_ roma_travellers_october_2010.pdf

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ROMA discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and the Independent Expert on minority issues, to undertake a joint mission to Europe to examine the issue of Roma housing rights.

The “Strasbourg Declaration on Roma” and future advocacy In October 2010, representatives of the 47 Council of Europe countries, the EU, and the Roma community gathered in Strasbourg and unanimously condemned widespread discrimination against Roma and their social and economic marginalization in Europe.

Member states attending the High Level Meeting agreed to a Europe-wide response to meet the needs of the estimated 12 million Roma living in

UN Human Rights Council Advocacy: Informing influential actors and leveraging international power In 2010, COHRE participated in the 13th and 14th sessions of the UN Human Rights Council. Interventions by COHRE included informing the content of the Human Rights Council’s resolution on megaevents and housing rights by ensuring that the term “right to adequate housing” was reaffirmed by the Council and that the resolution recognized the gender-dimensions of housing rights. COHRE also drew the attention of the Council to COHRE’s MultiStakeholder Guidelines on Mega-Events and the Protection and Promotion of Housing Rights and pointed out that these Multi-Stakeholder Guidelines provide a proactive framework for organizers of future mega-events to follow, and a tool for activists to use to hold their cities accountable for respecting, protecting and fulfilling housing rights.4 COHRE also spoke in support of renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing and noted the particular importance of this mandate given the current housing crisis around the world.

Training and Capacity-Building

Roma housing in Sofia, Bulgaria (© COHRE).

Europe. The “Strasbourg Declaration on Roma”3 includes guiding principles and priorities on the following issues: • • •

non-discrimination, citizenship, women’s and children’s rights; social inclusion including education, housing and healthcare; and empowerment and better access to justice.

3 Council of Europe High Level Meeting on Roma. 20 October 2010. Strasbourg Declaration on Roma http://www.cohre. org/sites/default/files/strasbourg_declaration_on_roma_20_october_2010.pdf

Training to NGO partners active on Roma housing rights issues in Eastern Europe In July 2010, a meeting was held in Sofia, Bulgaria between COHRE and its Eastern European partners who represent three human rights NGOs from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Romania. COHRE’s NGO partners in Eastern Europe include the following: Equal Opportunities Association (EOA) (Bulgaria), Milan Šimečka Foundation (MSF) (Slovakia), and Z§vůle práva (Czech Republic). The meeting allowed for a discussion of experiences, strategies and challenges of Roma and housing rights advo4 COHRE, 5 March 2010, COHRE’s Statement on Mega Events. http://www.cohre.org/news/press-releases/cohre-statement-on-mega-events

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ROMA cacy in each country. The country-based partners presented their work while COHRE identified opportunities for the use of international human rights law and mechanisms and devised strategies for ongoing cases in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The partners also drew lessons from each other regarding tactics and strategies that could be replicated in other countries. For example, the Czech partners learned the value of bringing cases on behalf of large groups instead of individuals, as seen in the experience of the Bulgarian partner, which has been successful in halting the eviction of entire communities.

The meeting also included a workshop on project planning, monitoring and evaluation with the aim of fostering an environment that increasingly allows for monitoring and recording output, outcome and impact-level results; effective planning of activities and inputs directed towards achieving those results; and making necessary course corrections based on that monitoring.

Bulgaria: Empowering a Roma community through mediation and negotiation with State authorities The Edinveren Romani community, consisting of 65 households in Bulgaria, faces forced eviction from private land owned by the Biovet Trade Company to make way for a buffer zone for a factory. COHRE’s Bulgarian partner initiated 86 court challenges to the eviction, as each individual household must seek its own individual judicial remedy. To date, there have been 53 negative decisions and one positive case where it was proven that the family purchased the land where their home sits from the municipality 20 years ago. COHRE filed an

Individual Complaint before the Human Rights Council regarding this threatened eviction in an effort to prevent it from occurring or at least delay eviction and simultaneously apply pressure on government authorities to negotiate a settlement.

Consequently, COHRE’s partner helped the Ediveren community get organized into the Roma Initiative Committee to engage in negotiations with the municipality of Peshtera and the Biovet Trade Company. The objective was to assist the Ediveren Romani community with bringing these stakeholders to the table and to work with the community to advocate for an alternative to eviction.

These negotiations resulted in a tentative agreeThis activity empowered the ment known community by giving it the as “The Joint knowledge and confidence to Protocol of the better organize itself and lead Peshtera Munegotionations with the State nicipality, Biovet authorities.

Trade Company and the local Roma Initiative Committee” (hereafter referred to as “The Joint Protocol”), which will involve a land swap to allow the Ediveren community to remain in place by providing other land for Biovet Trade Company’s buffer zone. The Joint Protocol also calls for upgrading the homes and providing security of tenure.

“

„

This activity empowered the Ediveren community by giving it the knowledge and confidence to better organize itself and lead negotiations with the State authorities and the development company that eventually stopped the planned eviction and provided alternative solutions that the community was satisfied with.

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ROMA

“The Joint Protocol” is based on international human rights norms including those that require evictions to only occur in the most exceptional circumstances provided that all feasible alternatives to eviction are explored in meaningful consultation with the affected community. The Joint Protocol now awaits approval by the national government, which has to sign off on the land swap, but the national government has yet to take any action.

the prohibition on forced eviction and the provision of security of tenure. After the round table seminars, dialogue was facilitated between the Romani communities, the municipal authorities and

A letter from COHRE, jointly signed by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), was submitted to the Bulgarian authorities in August 2010 urging them to support “The Joint Protocol”. COHRE Roma housing in Bourgas, Bulgaria (© COHRE). also brought this case to the attention of the UN Human Rights Council during the Universal service providers with the aim of encouraging a Periodic Review of Bulgaria in 2010 to leverage ad- human rights-based approach to Romani housing ditional pressure on the relevant authorities. development. Because of the initial face-to-face meeting and exposure to a common human rights Bulgaria: Grassroots capacity-building for Romani framework, the generally adversarial relationships communities between Romani community leaders and municipal authorities dissipated and allowed for more meanCOHRE supported its Bulgarian partner in orgaingful and productive dialogue. nizing and implementing four seminar trainings for Romani communities in the municipalities of In 2010 COHRE continued to work closely with Ihtiman, Karlovo, Varna and Plovdiv. The 76 parSpecial Procedures of the Human Rights Counticipants in the trainings were representatives of cil, including the Special Rapporteur on the right local authorities, local public service providers, to adequate housing, the Special Rapporteur on local Roma leaders and representatives of Romani contemporary forms of racism, and the IndepenNGOs. The meetings facilitated input from Roma dent Expert on Minority Rights. This work resulted into decisions affecting housing. The Roma particiin these Special Procedures intervening in forced pants welcomed the opportunity to participate in eviction and threatened forced eviction cases in the decisions that affect their housing status and Bulgaria, France, and Slovakia. A memorandum on the legal knowledge acquired strengthened their housing rights in Croatia was also submitted to the ability to undertake ongoing housing rights advoSpecial Rapporteur on the right to adequate houscacy. ing in preparation for her mission to that country.

The memorandum addressed the issue of the disParticipants were trained in Bulgarian legal procriminatory application of Croatia’s housing restitucedures for the regularization of land as well as tion processes. relevant international human rights standards dealing with the right to adequate housing, including

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Annual Report 2010

The Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT)

Documenting violations of women’s housing rights in Palestine In 2010, using the prism of gender discrimination and human rights, COHRE partnered with the Women’s Center on Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC), a Palestinian women’s rights group, to document and raise awareness about violations on women’s housing rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

This project sought to increase the visibility of violations of women’s housing rights in Palestine at the international level, and to strengthen the capacity of women’s rights groups in Palestine to advocate effectively on behalf of these rights. Several important outcomes resulted from the project, including: - Documentation of the lived experiences of Palestinian women facing violations of their housing rights: Interviews with Palestinian women, and detailed documentation of their cases, revealed tremendous hardship for women in the context of housing rights violations perpetrated by the Israeli authorities.

For example, after suffering a home demolition, one woman forced to move in with her in-laws said simply: “I’ve lost my independence … ” Another woman threatened with forced eviction said, “I have no sense of security, I am living constantly with this feeling of not knowing what is going to happen to my home.” These stories were not atypical and served as the foundation of the

I have no sense of security. I “ am living constantly with this feeling of not knowing what is going to happen to my home.

„

project overall, so that each component directly reflected the real experiences of Palestinian women.

- Strong concluding observations on Israel were issued from the UN Committee on CEDAW: this was a major objective of the project that was realized. The Concluding Observations released in early 2011 for the first time noted “the right to adequate housing” of Palestin-

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THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY ian women. These Concluding Observations specifically highlight the problems of house demolitions, forced eviction and lack of building permits for Palestinian women—issues that were addressed by the Committee for the first time. These Concluding Observations give support to the demands of women rights advocates in Palestine, as well as abroad, and can now be used in future advocacy.

- Public awareness of Palestinian NGOs and women affected by forced evictions and home demolitions: the project also raised awareness about women’s housing, land and property rights in Palestine through trainings, publications, and website development. These resources helped to fill a void of information in Palestine regarding women’s housing, land and property rights and how these rights are protected for women through international human rights standards.

- Capacity-building of COHRE’s principle partner: in addition to eight Palestinian NGOs who took part in drafting the shadow report to CEDAW, COHRE’s local partner, WCLAC also strengthened its own capacity to advocate on behalf of women’s housing, land and property (HLP) rights at both the domestic and international levels. This increased capacity of one of the major advocacy organizations for women’s rights in Palestine helps to ensure the sustainability of these results over time. In the drafting process, COHRE provided legal analysis regarding women’s HLP rights under CEDAW, as well as previous experience using the treaty bodies, including the CEDAW Committee. Through COHRE’s International Secretariat in Geneva, WCLAC staff connected to a range of international experts and resources, including the relevant Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council.

Engaging UN treaty Bodies: the UN Human Rights Committee as a Case Study What is the UN Human Rights Comittee? A body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by its State parties.

How does it function? All States that have ratified the ICCPR are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how human rights are being respected. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations”.

How is COHRE involved? COHRE works in partnership with national human rights NGOs and civil society groups to draft and submit a report to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of its examination of any of COHRE’s focus countries regarding the organization’s concerns about human rights violations, particularly in the area of housing and access to water and sanitation.

Israel and Palestine: Strategic legal advocacy through parallel reporting Using the principle of indivisibility, COHRE challenged violations of housing rights and the right to water and sanitation under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with a Parallel Report on Israel to the Human Rights Committee. COHRE and the independent Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of its examination of Israel regarding the organization’s concerns about human rights

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THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY violations by Israel, particularly in the area of housing and access to water and sanitation. This intervention resulted in groundbreaking pronouncements from the Human Rights Committee, including, for the first time, addressing denial of access to water and sanitation as violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR); finding that in the case of Israel, they amounted to violations of the right to life and the right to equal protection under the law.1 By expanding the jurisprudence under the ICCPR, the results of this intervention are transformative because they create an avenue for human rights advocates to seek accountability before UN mechanisms for violations of housing rights and the right to water and sanitation.

1 Concluding Observations by the Committee can be accessed here: http://www.cohre.org/sites/ default/files/human_rights_committee_concluding_observations__israel_2010_.pdf

Editor / Dalia Haj-Omar Design and layout / Eliane Drakopoulos Cover photo / Living conditions in the Boeung Kak lake are of Phom Penh, Cambodia © COHRE. P4 / Home destroyed in the Boeung Kak Lake area © COHRE. P13 / Street theatre for women’s rights, August 2010 © COHRE. P17 / Women preparing food in a slum in Accra, Ghana © COHRE. P26 / Manaus City in northern Brazil © COHRE. P31 / Roma community in Europe. P37 / Homes demolished in the Occupied Palestinian Territory © COHRE.

COHRE 83, rue de Montbrillant 1202 Geneva Switzerland cohre@cohre.org www.cohre.org CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.39

Annual Report 2010

Annex I 2010 Publications Asia Name of Publication

Release Date

Number of copies Target audience distributed

Realizing Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Cambodia: Summary of Recommendations from the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 2009

Reprinted: October 2010

300 copies in English and 600 copies in Khmer language

VCD: Realising Economic, Social Reproduced: October 500 and Cultural Rights in Cambodia: 2010 Summary of Recommendations from the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 2009

Web link

http://www.cohre.org/sites/ Government, communities and NGOs default/files/cambodia_-_ realising_escr__summary_ of_recommendations_from_ the_cescr_2009.pdf

Government, communities and NGOs

Sri Lanka Name of Publication

Release Date

Number of copies Target audience distributed

POLICY BRIEF: The Right to Adequate Nov. 2010 Housing in Post Conflict Restitution and Rebuilding

250

COHRE Sri Lanka Newsletter No. 12

Jan. 2010

400

COHRE Sri Lanka Newsletter No. 13

April 2010

400

COHRE Sri Lanka Newsletter No. 14

July 2010

300

Web link

NGOs, UN agencies, government officials, academics, civil society organizations NGOs, UN agencies, government officials, academics, civil society organizations NGOs, UN agencies, government officials, academics, civil society organizations NGOs, UN agencies, government officials, academics, civil society organizations

http://www.cohre.org/ sites/default/files/cohre_-_ news_letter_13th_edition_ jan_mar_2010_.pdf

http://www.cohre. org/sites/default/files/ sri_lanka_newsletter_14_ april_-_july_2010.pdf

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COHRE Sri Lanka Newsletter No. 15

Dec. 2010

Unknown

NGOs, UN agencies, government officials, academics, civil society organizations

http://www.cohre. org/sites/default/files/ sri_lanka_newsletter_15_ november_2010_final_0. pdf

Africa Name of Publication

Release Date

Number of copies distributed

Target audience

Brochure on Economic, Social July 2010 and Cultural Rights for the Kenya Constitution

6000

CSOs, CBOs, and organized community forums within Kenya’s 8 regions

Zambia: The impact of National Nov. 2010 land policy and land reform on women

E-copy WLLA partner NGOs and distributed to the CBOs East Africa media

Uganda: The impact of National Oct. 2010 land policy and land reform on women

E-copy WLLA partner NGOs and distributed to the CBOs East Africa media

Web link

Latin America July 2010

2000

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/100708_a_place_in_the_world_ eng_summary-_final.pdf

Bulletin on Housing Rights and the Feb. 2010 Right to the City in Latin America Vol 3, No. 6

2000

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/latam_bulletin_vol_3_no_8_ july_2010_eng.pdf

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

In Spanish: http://www.cohre.org/ sites/default/files/latam_bulletin_ vol_3_no_7_april_2010_esp.pdf

A Place in the World: the Right to Adequate Housing as an Essential Element of a Life Free from Domestic Violence

Bulletin on Housing Rights and the April-May 2010 2000 Right to the City in Latin America Vol 3, No. 7

(all the Bulletins are also available in Spanish and Portuguese on COHRE’s website)

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Bulletin on Housing Rights and the July 2010 Right to the City in Latin America Vol 3, No. 8

2000

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/latam_bulletin_vol_3_no_8_ july_2010_eng.pdf

Bulletin on Housing Rights and the Sept. 2010 Right to the City in Latin America Vol 3, No. 9

2000

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/bulletin_on_housing_rights_ and_the_right_to_the_city_in_latin_ america_vol_3_no_9_sept_2010_ english.pdf

Bulletin on Housing Rights and the Dec. 2010 Right to the City in Latin America Vol 3, No. 10

Posted on COHRE’s website and disseminated via an email list of more than 2000 subscribers

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/bulletin_vol_3_no_10_-_ december_2010_english.pdf

1000

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

Briefing paper from the Workshop Mayo 2010 Seminar: ‘Hacia la implementación del Derecho a la Ciudad en América Latina: Construyendo una Agenda Hacia la Sociedad Civil’. These memoirs describe discussions, contributions and the conclusion of the seminar that took place in Quito in September of 2009

Forceful displacement and October 2010 500 legalization of dispossession in San Onofre’. A collection of community experiences on land matters and evictions that describe the implementation of an alternative land registry and land grabbing from a displaced population. This is a tool that intends to provide information about the situation of land tenure, from the perspective of the victims.

Women and Housing Rights in Latin Nov. 2010 America (Briefing paper) World Charter for the Right to the city (Information Booklet)

Feb.2010

http://www.cohre.org/sites/default/ files/bulletin_on_housing_rights_ and_the_right_to_the_city_in_latin_ america_vol_3_no_9_sept_2010_ english.pdf

NGOs, governments, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

www.cohre.org/regions/latinamerica 3000

CSOs, CBOs, partner http://hic-al.compuarte.net.mx/ NGOs, and Academics documentos.cfm?id_categoria=14

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Incidence in the legislative process October 2010 of the National Assembly for the issuing of norms that will facilitate the regularization process of informal settlements in Ecuador.

Contribution with Housing Chapter March 2010 to the preparation of the shadow report about ESCR in Colombia in front of the CESCR .

Observations of ESCR Committee about Colombia’ on the matter of housing and eviction rights:

Using the National Assembly, opportunity NGOs, governments, of the process intergovernmental of discussion organizations and about the academics (Organic Code of Territorial, Regional Autonomy and Decentralisation - Law named COOTAD) ESCR Committee NGOs, government, intergovernmental organizations and academics.

http://www.asambleanacional.gov. ec/tramite-de-las-leyes.html

http://www2.ohchr.org/english/ bodies/cescr/docs/ngos/Plataforma_ Colombia44_sp.pdf . (executive summary) www.plataforma-colombiana.org

International Advocacy and Litigation Housing & ESC Rights Law Quarterly Vol. 7, no. 1

Mar. 2010

Housing & ESC Rights Law Quarterly Vol. 7, no. 2,

June 2010

http://www.cohre.org/sites/ default/files/housing_and_esc_ rights_law_quarterly_vol_7_ no_2_june_2010.pdf

Housing & ESC Rights Law Quarterly Vol. 7, no.3,

Sept. 2010

http://www.cohre.org/sites/ default/files/100930_cohre_ housing_and_esc_rights_ law_quarterly_vol_7_no_3_ sept_2010.pdf

Housing & ESC Rights Law Quarterly Vol. 7, no 4,

Dec. 2010

http://www.cohre.org/sites/ default/files/housing_and_esc_ rights_law_quarterly_vol_7_ no_4_dec_2010.pdf

1,700 members of ESCR-Net as well as 670 members of the ESCR-Net Adjudication Working Group.

Housing rights advocates, http://www.cohre.org/sites/ default/files/housing_and_esc_ human rights lawyers, academics and UN and rights_law_quarterly_vol_7_ no_1_march_2010.pdf government agencies

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Annex II

Trainings and Public Awareness Activities (2010) Asia Country

No. of trainings

No. of Audience participants

Indonesia

1

121

Cambodia

3

93

Cambodia

1 ToT

32

Cambodia

1 24 Exchanged visit 1 Training 73

Cambodia

Tools provided

Governments housing officials (national A workshop on Advocacy on Housing Rights and from the Jakarta provincial and Evictions was held in Jakarta, Indonesia on government), representatives of civil 29-30 June 2010. It was co-hosted by COHRE, society organizations and COHRE its Indonesian partners YLBHI and the Jakarta partners YLBHI, LBH, UPC Provincial Government. COHRE provided inputs on international standards on housing rights and evictions.

Indigenous community members in Used the Cambodian Guide on Defending Land and Siem Reap, Phreah Vihear and Kompot Human Rights (published by COHRE in 2009) provinces NGO staff and Community Members Used the Cambodian Guide on Defending Land and Human Rights (published by COHRE in 2009) Affected community representatives by Economic Land Concession in Kompong Speu and Koh Kong province Community members under threat of eviction

Exchanged advocacy tools by both affected communities, lesson learnt and action plans Using the existing document of the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC)

Africa Ghana

1

30

Ghana

2

60

Kenya

1

16

Media professionals from key Ghanaian Overview on women’s housing rights in media houses international law, common women’s housing right violations, the role of media in promoting women’s rights to housing, land and property rights. Challenges facing the media in reporting on women right to housing, land and property rights, best practices to improve and actions that could be taken to do this.

Training for 30 grassroots women at Training materials, summaries of surveys Ashaiman and 30 professional women conducted on the subject, other relevant COHRE in Accra, on gender sensitive land publications reform in Africa with an emphasis on Ghana land reforms Media practitioners from Kenya media Overview on women’s housing rights in houses,through their association called international law, common women’s housing AMWIK right violations, the role of media in promoting women’s rights to housing, land and property rights. Challenges facing the media in reporting on women right to housing, land and property rights, best practices to improve and actions that could be taken to do this.

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Annual Report 2010

Kenya

1

20

Gender mainstreaming for the Kenya Housing Coalition members.

Understanding gender and housing rights of women, understanding gender concepts, tools and strategies and how they can be used by the Coalition members to mainstream gender in the Coalition activities and their work, practical ways of mainstreaming gender into a housing rights advocacy.

Kenya

1

26

Consultative meeting of NGOs on women’s rights in Kenya over CEDAW shadow report submission

Kenya

1

30

Provincial Administration

An overview of CEDAW shadow report process and role of civil society, the critical issues to be addressed in response to the government’s report, reviewing the Draft by FIDA-Kenya for further input from other NGOs Eviction Guidelines and best practices on forced evictions

Kenya

1

45

Government officials and elders from Maa Community

Eviction Guidelines and best practices on forced evictions and how to keep community process active in a litigation case.

Kenya

1

20

CSO and Officials from Ministry of Planning & Finance on front loading human rights.

Rights based approach to budgeting housing rights

Kenya

1

45

Linking the constitution implementation process National Housing Forum targeting officials from the Ministry of housing, with the housing policy and Bill CSO housing coalition and some members of Institute of survey of Kenya

Kenya

1

45

National Forum on ESCR targeting CSO’s Implication of the implementation of the working on economic and social cultural constitution on ESCR rights and members of the housing coalition.

Kenya

1

30

Consultative forum on Eviction guidelines targeting leaders and key stakeholders from Lamu on the Lamu Port development.

Kenya

1

20

Civil society housing coalition members Strategy for engagement on the constitution implementation process.

Kenya 5

20

To share information and get views on the Lamu Port development and to sensitize communities and other key stakeholders on the Lamu Port development agenda

Civil society housing coalition members Framework of engagement on right to housing agenda

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Annual Report 2010

Nigeria

1

18

Strategic NGOs working in the area of housing, land and property rights of women, related government institutions and the media

South Africa 2

15

Consultative meeting of NGOs on women’s rights in South Africa on CEDAW shadow report submission

The legal, policy and other administrative framework on addressing gender equality in housing, land, property, and inheritance; the activities of the different stakeholders and what opportunities there are for COHRE to partner with NGOs and government to promote housing rights of women. What are the critical issues that demand attention?

An overview of CEDAW shadow report process and role of civil society, the critical issues to be addressed in response to the SA government’s report, reviewing the Draft by South Africa civil society for further input from NGOs and COHRE brought up the human rights standards as relate to women housing, land and property rights.

Latin America Brasil-Rio

4

2,750

Regional CSOs, movements and donors The 4 training sessions covered the following topics: a) Urban Conflicts: Mega Events and Evictions; b) Workshop on the right to the city; c) Right to the City and social justice; and d) HLP rights in Latin-American. In addition to a discussion to the darft ‘World Charter on City Rights’.

Colombia

23

42

Community leaders from a community A round table discussion and mediation between threatened by eviction in Soacha – the community and housing rights NGOs (FEDES, Cundinamarca Servicio Jesuita para Refugiados, Foundation Codo a Codo, Un techo para mi país), Sate entities (Town Hall of Soacha, Government of Cundinamarca); UN agencies (PNUD, OCHA) and owners of the premises.

Colombia

4

12

Community leaders from the municipality of Fusagasugá – Cundinamarca impacted by a forced eviction.

A community Town Hall meeting and mediation session on housing regularization, the rights of the community and the use of violence by the municipality in evicting them.

Litigation and International Advocacy Bulgaria

4

76

Four Round Table Seminars with Roma Information on international and national housing and municipal authorities in Ihtiman, rights and non-discrimination standards. Mediation Karlovo, Varna and Plovdiv. and negotiation skills to Roma communities impacted by forced eviction.

Bulgaria

3

45

Three Training Workshops on International Human Rights and Housing for Bulgarian Lawyers

Bulgaria

1

22

One Three-Day Workshop for Roma and Information on international and national housing municipal authorities in Sofia rights and non-discrimination standards and how they are application in the Sofia context.

Information on international and national housing rights and non-discrimination standards as well as on international enforcement mechanisms.

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Annual Report 2010

Czech Republic

1

12

Strategic Litigation and Roma Housing Information on international and national housing Rights Workshop at UNITED Conference rights and non-discrimination standards as well as on international enforcement mechanisms.

Global

1

47

Strategic Litigation Workshop – training Information on justiciability of economic, social and on strategic ESC rights litigation cultural rights through lecture, panel discussion, small group convening and interactive discussion.

Global

1

20

Training on Justiciability of ESC Rights Lecture with interactive discussion regarding the for UN Expert Workshop on Transitional justiciability of economic, social and cultural rights.

Justice Processes in Dealing with Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Women’s Housing Rights

Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)

2

40

WCLAC staff, fieldworkers, volunteers and affected women

Trainings addressed the gender dimensions of housing rights violations, as well as basic provisions protecting women’s housing, land and property rights under international law, including the definition of the right to adequate housing and the international prohibition on forced eviction.

OPT

4

67

Primarily legal practitioners, including The trainings on ways to highlight women’s lawyers working on housing rights cases housing, land and property rights in legal cases. for NRC Participants learned that it was important for themselves as lawyers and legal advocates to ensure that women’s rights are integrated into legal cases, and that women should be informed about their case and rights.

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Annual Report 2010

Annex III

International Advocacy Type of Advocacy Action

Mechanism

Country at Issue

Issues Addressed

Status

Outcomes to Date

Regional Human Ghana Rights Mechanism African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights

N/A

N/A

Increased awareness on women’s housing, land and inheritance rights issues, networked with partner NGOs and Commissioners of the Commission (Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa, made specific inputs into 2 Resolutions and had them adopted at the Commission session.

COHRE & LAMOSA (SA) participated actively in the NGO forum at the ACHPR session-Participated at the Special Interest Group (SIG) on Economic Social and Cultural Rights

Regional Human Ghana Rights Mechanism African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights

Discussed the human rights situation in Africa.

Forced evictions and its impact on women, water and sanitation were captured in the Resolution drafted from this SIG. --women and HIV/AIDS in Africa.

forced evictions and its impact on women, water and sanitation were captured in the Resolution drafted from this SIG.--Resolution on women and HIV/AIDS in Africa were adopted by the NGO Forum and by ACHPR.

COHRE, LAMOSA and the Centre for Reproductive Rights (CRR) organised a side event.

At the ACHPR Ghana in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa.

Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa: An Innovative Instrument for the Protection of Women’s Rights to Health and to an Adequate Standard of Living’.

Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa found the meeting very useful and relevant to her mandate. She expressed interest to continue to work with COHRE and CRR and other civil society organization.

Africa Ghana Regional Advocacy - Participation and organizing a side event/workshop

A resolution on adopting the principles and guidelines of the African Charter on Human and People’s in the implementation on economic social cultural rights.

Kenya

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Annual Report 2010

Type of Advocacy Action

Mechanism

Country at Issue

Issues Addressed

UPR Follow up meeting with UPR Coalition Members

UPR

Kenya

Discussed the optional protocols that Kenya was advised to ratify and report back to the Council in September 2010.

An advisory brief to the government on various optional protocols and the Maputo protocol requesting government to comply with its international obligation. The government ratified the Maputo Protocol during the Women’s Decade celebrations in October, 2010

UPR meetings UPR with UPR coalition members on civil society shadow report submission

Kenya

COHRE brief on the

housing rights situation in Kenya, gender equality in housing and the insecurity in slums.

Recommendations on government to ratify the various optional protocol including one on CEDAW, ICESCR, and the Maputo Protocol on women’s rights in Africa.

Consultative meeting CEDAW of NGOs on women’s rights in Kenya over CEDAW shadow report submission

Kenya

Joint submission of Submitted NGO statement during the NGO a shadow report in meeting with CEDAW Committee response to the Kenya member on 18th , Publicity of Government report on COHRE’s statement by the UN ORG CEDAW. website, waiting final outcome of the concluding observations for further action.

South Africa

Joint submission of a shadow report in response to the South Africa government report on CEDAW.

South Africa Consultative meeting of women organization on housing, land, inheritance and property rights of women

CEDAW

Status

Outcomes to Date

Submitted Awaiting the final concluding observation.

Asia Cambodia Meetings and None consultation Cambodian Legislative Implemention

Cambodia Failure by relevant Ongoing Ministries and local Govts to implement and apply standards in sub-decree’s relating to evictions of peoples from state land, (Land Law 2001 and Circular No.3 2010).

Implementation project for Circular No.3 rolled out nationwide by MLUPC. Ongoing dialogue with COHRE/HRTF.

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Annual Report 2010

Type of Advocacy Action

Mechanism

Meetings and None consultation - Drafting of National Housing Act (NHA)

Country at Issue

Issues Addressed

Status

Cambodia To ensure that the Ongoing draft National Housing Act being drafted by the government is in line with accepted international standards on housing rights and related standards.

Meeting - BKL WB Inspection Panel Cambodia COHRE met with Ongoing community complaint Prof Geofrey Payne, to the WB Inspection consultant of the Panel WB Inspection Panel investigating the BKL community complaint about the WB LAMP Project which excluded them from the titling process.

Ongoing Meeting - Human With SR on human Cambodia COHRE met with SR rights in Cambodia rights in Cambodia on human rights in Cambodia Prof Surya Subedi and updated him on issues including housing rights violations and relevant legislation.

COHRE organized a session with him attended by 60 people.

Outcomes to Date

2nd Draft of NHA with government.

Meetings and consultation Cambodia Legislative Development

Ongoing Cambodia Draft NGO Law and provisions within placing further restrictions on NGO activity within Cambodia.

Consultation paper provided to government (Interior Ministry) outlining recommendations.

Awaiting response.

Meetings and

consultation - Drafting of National Spatial Planning Policy

Ongoing Cambodia To ensure the draft National Spatial Planning Policy is in line and accepted national standards on land management, urban planning and zoning.

3rd draft with government bodies.

Indonesia

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Annual Report 2010

Type of Advocacy Action

Mechanism

Country at Issue

Issues Addressed

Status

Outcomes to Date

Legal Memo provided to partner organization Indonesian legislative development

Indonesia Drafted legal advice critiquing Indonesia’s Housing and Settlements Bill, setting out COHRE’s concerns regarding engagement with civil society groups and the inadequacies of the protective provisions contained within the Bill regarding protections for urban poor. The memo was requested by our partner org YLBHI and passed on to the Secretary of the Public Housing Ministry in Jakarta.

The law was ratified and enacted on 17 December 2011, and is due to be signed and endorsed by the Indonesia President on 17 January 2011, without major revisions.

Judicial Review being filed by YLBHI.

Legal Memo provided to partner organization - Indonesian development project (Govt. and World Bank partnership)

Indonesia Drafted legal response to World Bank funded JEDI Project which is being implemented in Jakarta. Set out key regulations and standards relevant to the project, and delivered document to YLBHI for use in their advocacy campaign.

Project currently being reviewed with prospect of it either being substantially revised or cancelled altogether.

ASEAN Housing rights violations Ongoing countries in ASEAN countries, notably in Cambodia, Burma and the Philippines and called on the AICHR to address HLP rights violations ; urged ASEAN to ratify the ESCR , including the optional protocols; reactivated COHRE’s participation in the CSO Task Force on ASEAN and Human Rights; helped in the drafting of the workshop/ conference statement.

ASEAN CSOs, including COHRE are engaged with the AICHR on civil society participation, the drafting of the ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights, housing and human rights issues in ASEAN.

ASEAN and Regional Advocacy ASEAN Regional Meeting Intergovernmental ASEAN and Human Commission on Rights Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Sep.17- Human Rights (AICHR) 18, 2010

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Annual Report 2010

Type of Advocacy Action

Mechanism

Country at Issue

Issues Addressed

Regional Meeting

ASEAN

ASEAN Impact of lack of countries freedom of information on people in ASEAN on housing and human rights; impact of climate change on HLP issues in ASEAN.

Freedom of Information and Climate change issues in ASEAN will have an impact on the HLP rights issues in the region. CSO taskforce was formed for regional-level advocacies of these issues.

Regional Meeting

UNOHCHR, ASEAN Working Group on Human Rights Mechanism

ASEAN

This multi-stakeholder platform is an additional pillar of regional advocacy and engagement in ASEAN and Asia-Pacific, which includes among its concerns: technical cooperation for capacity-building, human rights education, national human rights action plans and economic, social and cultural rights. COHRE will promote and actively engage in this platform.

ASEAN government shared experiences in developing and implementing their respective national human rights action plans, which included participation by NGOs and CSOs. The workshop/conference was a multi-stakeholder stock-taking on the developments in the implementation of the1998 Teheran Framework for Technical Cooperation for Human Rights in the Asia-Pacific.

Status

Outcomes to Date

Litigation and Legal Advocacy Type of Advocacy Action Litigation COHRE v. Sudan

Mechanism

Country at Issue

Issues

African Commission Sudan on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Status

Outcomes to Date

Forced Won on all evictions counts and other human rights violations in Darfur.

The African Commission held Sudan accountable for forced eviction, violations of the right to water and other human rights violations. The jurisprudence of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights was progressively expanded in the area of housing rights and the right to water as well as remedies.

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Annual Report 2010

Litigation COHRE v. Italy

European Committee Italy of Social Rights

Shadow Report

Human Rights Committee

Israel and Housing rights Complete Occupied and right to water and sanitation.

Litigation (Individual Complaint) -

Human Rights Committee

Bulgaria

Forced Ongoing evictions and threatened forced eviction.

Shadow Report

Human Rights Committee

Bulgaria

Concluded Forced evictions and threatened forced evictions

Concluding Observations address discrimination in the area of housing.

Universal Periodic Review

Human Rights Council

Bulgaria

Concluded Forced evictions and threatened forced evictions

UPR report mentions discrimination in area of housing.

Litigation Dobri Jelyazkov evictions Shadow Report

European Court of Human Rights

Bulgaria

Forced eviction

Interim measures complaint initially received by Court.

CERD

Slovakia

Housing rights Concluded violations including segregation and forced eviction.

Mr. Stoyko Iliev Draganov et al. v. Republic of Bulgaria

Forced eviction Won on all and mass counts expulsion of Roma and Sinti.

Italy held accountable for forced eviction and mass expulsion of Roma and Sinti residents.

Jurisprudence expanded in the area of forced evictions and mass expulsion as well as in the area of right to participation.

Israel held accountable for violations of housing rights and rights related to access to water and sanitation. First ever consideration of denial of access to water as a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Complaint initially accepted by the Human Rights Committee.

First complaint addressing forced evictions to be accepted by the Human Rights Committee.

Communication No. 1926/2010

Ongoing

Concluding Observations address discrimination in the area of housing.

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Annual Report 2010

Universal Periodic Review

Human Rights Council

Slovakia Housing rights Concluded violations including segregation and forced eviction.

UPR report mentions discrimination in area of housing. Gov’t of Slovakia questioned directly by Council relying on COHRE’s report.

CERD Early Warning and Urgent Action mechanism - Plavechy Stovstok threatened forced eviction

CERD

Slovakia

Human Rights Committee follow up procedure Czech Republic housing rights violations

Human Rights Committee

Czech Housing rights Concluded Republic violations of Roma including segregation and inadequate housing

Litigation COHRE v. France

European Committee France of Social Rights

Forced eviction Ongoing and mass expulsion of Roma

Case found admissible, decision on the merits pending.

Universal Periodic Review

Human Rights Council

United States

Housing rights Concluded violations

UPR report includes housing rights violations.

Litigation COHRE v. Croatia

European Committee Croatia of Social Rights

Discrimination Concluded in housing restitution programmes.

Croatia held accountable for discriminatory application of housing restitution programmes.

Threatened Concluded in CERD intervened with Gov’t of forced eviction part; ongoing Slovakia under its Urgent Action in part. mechanism. Full case pending.

Human Rights Committee addressed Gov’t of Czech Republic on housing rights of Roma.

Latin America Colombia Litigation (Prados de Altagracia Community Vs Fusagasuga Municipality)

“Accion de tutela” Colombia Protection of Concluded before Constitutional housing rights - won on all Court for those counts facing eviction

Decision T-068 of 2010, the Constitutional Court reasserted the right of housing as fundamental for the displaced population and applied General Comment. No. 4 and 7 under the ICESCR.

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Annual Report 2010

Shadow Report

Periodical Review

Colombia Housing rights Concluded for displaced population Land restitution

In the 44th session of the CESCR, 3 to 21 May, the housing rights record of Colombia was reviewed: http://www2. ohchr.org/english/bodies/cescr/ cescrs44.htm

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Annual Report 2010

Annex IV Protest Letters #

Country

Case notes

PL/Statement

1

Angola

Forced eviction of more than 3000 families in Lubango Angola; 7 deaths and other violent and illegal evictions and demolitions in Benguela in Luanda Angola.

2

Kenya

3

Nigeria

Date

Link

Joint protest letter prepared 26 March 2010 and signed by Christian Aid, World organization against torture (OMCT),COHRE to His Excellency Provincial Governor of Huíla Lubango, Huíla province Over 50, 000 people living and/or Joint protest letter prepared 15 April 2010 working along the Kenya railway reserve and signed by COHRE, Shelter land across the country under threat Forum, Hakijamii Trust, of forced eviction following a notice Amnesty International to his published in newspapers giving a 30 Excellency the President of days’ notice.

Kenya Hon Mwai Kibaki

A threatened forced eviction of 350,000 people in Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria by the Rivers State government intention was to demolish the entire 2km2 radius of Obi-Wali Integrated Cultural Centre to enable “development” of the area by the Silverbird Group.

Protest letter to His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Republic of Nigeria

13 Aug. 2010

4 Oct. 2010 As a follow up to the August 13 2010 PL to the Nigerian Government regarding the intended demolition of Abonnema Waterfront Community in Port Harcourt, COHRE participated in a rally organized in Port Harcourt to mark 2010 World Habitat Day and released a statement. th

4

South Africa

Organized intimidation, threats and outright violence against members of Abahlali baseMjondolo (AbM) Social Movement, in what appears to be a politically motivated attack on human rights defenders for their housing rights advocacy, involving the informal settlements on Kennedy Road, Durban, KwaZulu/Natal province.

Protest letter His Excellency 11 May 2010 Nathi Mthethwa, Minister of Safety and Security

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Annual Report 2010

#

Country

Case notes

PL/Statement

Date

Link

5

Cameroon

Government-driven forced evictions and housing demolitions a violation of international human rights taking place in the Bois des Singes district, affecting approximately 1,200 people so far.

Protest letter to His 12 Aug. 2010 Excellency Paul Biya President of the Republic of Cameroon.

6

Cambodia

Protest letter regarding Beoung Kak Protest let Lake protest during the Secretary Generals visit to Phnom Penh. Laid down the facts of the response to the protest and set out the legal provisions breached. Sent out by partner org HRTF.

Oct. 2010

No link

7

Cambodia

Co-drafted COHRE press release Press release regarding Secretary Generals visit and corresponding community activities: statement posted on COHRE’s website.

Oct. 2010

http://www.cohre. org/news/pressreleases/cambodiaactivists-appeal-forun-action-on-housingrights-violations

8

Cambodia

Sent letter addressed to Minister of Protest Letter Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLUPC) and the Municipality of Phnom Penh (MPP) Chief aimed at raising awareness of new legal standards outlined in Circular NO.3 relating to development based evictions. The letter outlined concerns regarding continuation of forced evictions and laid down a number of recommendations. Elicited numerous responses by local government.

Dec. 2010

No link

Several responses from various Phnom Penh local government offices.

Rejecting accusations of being involved in forced evictions.

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.57

Annual Report 2010

#

Country

Case notes

9

Cambodia

PL/Statement

Date

Link

Published article/press-release to mark Press release Human Rights Day, setting out the context and extent of problem with ‘land grabbing’ in Cambodia. Published

by Phnom Penh Post newspaper.

Dec. 2010

Newspaper link: http://www. phnompenhpost. com/index. php/2010121045306/ National-news/ analysis-basic-rightsare-being-ignored. html

10 Cambodia

Joint statement Joint statement with other 14 NGOs on concerns and recommendations of civil society organizations and communities of good governance on natural resources. The statement was a result of two day 5th national advocacy conference in Phnom Penh from October 20-21, 2010.

Oct. 21, 2010

No link

11 Philippines

Protest letter regarding forced evictions Protest Letter of hundreds of families in R10 road widening project in Navotas City, Metro Manila, Philippines. COHRE received a response on Dec 2010 from the National Housing Authority (NHA) explaining their actions in response to the protests about the R10 evictions.

Positive response from National Housing Authority thanking COHRE for intervention and explaining steps taken to alleviate problems.

March 2010

http://www.cohre. org/sites/default/ files/100318_ philippines.pdf

12 Philippines

Protest letter regarding forced evictions Protest letter in some urban poor areas in Quezon City and violent clashes between police and urban poor settlers (North Triangle area).

Sept 2010

http://www.cohre. org/sites/default/ files/100930_protest_ letter_philippines_ metro_manila_final. pdf

13 Regional/ ASEAN

Released a press statement and press Press statement release on housing rights violations and press release as a major challenge to the newlyestablished ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in September. The statement laid down a number of recommendations for the AICHR, was printed by the Indonesia Post, Phnom Penh Post, and posted on the COHRE website.

Sep 2010

http://www.cohre. org/news/pressreleases/housingrights-violations-posechallenge-for-aseanhuman-rights-body

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Annual Report 2010

#

Country

Case notes

PL/Statement

Date

Link

14 Indonesia

Sent protest letter to President of Protest Letter Indonesia relating to the Housing and Settlement Bill, setting out COHRE’s chief concerns with the draft bill, the consultation process and laying down a number of recommendations.

Oct 2010

No link

15 Cambodia

Protest letter regarding Beoung Kak Protest letter Lake protest during the Secretary Generals visit to Phnom Penh. Laid down the facts of the response to the protest and set out the legal provisions breached. Sent out by partner org HRTF.

Oct 2010

No link

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.59

Annex V 2010 Audited Financial Statements COHRE Balance Sheet 31 December 2010

2010 Euro

2009 Euro

2010 CHF

ASSETS Non-current assets Tangible fixed assets Foundation constitution costs Rent security deposits Grants Receivable 2011-2012 Current assets Grants Receivable Other Receivables Prepaid Expenses

16,220 1,244 14,198 1,175,855

176,471 957 0

Cash at reserve account Cash at bank and in hand Total Assets

13,295

20,415 1,566 17,870 1,480,002 1,519,853

895,905

222,117 1,205 223,322

12,538 238,329

12,038 639,987

15,781 299,975

1,635,812

1,561,225

2,058,932

1,175,855

0

1,480,002

848,522

312,316 252,082 564,398

1,207,517

177,428

2,214 2,487 8,594 0

889,826 0 6,079

LIABILITIES Non-current liabilities Deferred Revenue Current liabilities Accounts Payable Payable to Regional Partner Deferred income Total liabilities Foundation Capital and Funds Foundation Capital Funds at the end of the year Cumulative translation adjustment Fund Balance Total liabilities & equity

248,134 0 200,278

448,412

60,849 72,955 714,717

1,624,267

848,522

30,188

30,188

50,000

(18,642)

682,515

19,253 (54,721) (35,468)

11,545

712,703

14,532

1,635,812

1,561,225

2,058,932

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3 CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.60

COHRE Statement of Income and Expenditure Year Ending December 2010

2010 Euro Income Grant income Permanently restricted Temporarily restricted

2009 Euro

561,354 629,769

2010 CHF

0 2,229,580 1,191,123

2,229,580

(1,543) 3,312 -

(12,938) 1,522 27,306

(2,169) 4,655 -

Total Income

1,192,892

2,245,470

1,676,729

Expenditure Activity-related costs Project staffing & staff related Direct programme Other acrued project costs Printing & publishing Travel Total activity-related costs

949,047 259,779 149,978 37,870 117,120 1,513,793

862,408 366,897 0 24,497 79,415 1,333,217

1,333,980 365,145 210,809 53,230 164,624 2,127,788

307,846

104,223 20,116 65,364 2,873 14,721 119,771 22,370 12,549 770 6,420

11,619

16,908

Grant income Other income (Loss) on investments Miscellaneous income Miscellaneous reimbursements

Overhead/office costs Office costs Rent & utilities Secretarial/administration/IT Communications Office insurance Bank fees Legal, accounting & auditing Office supplies Postage & shipping Local taxes Other Depreciation Total overhead/office costs Total expenditure Exchange losses Exceptional year end adjustments Exceptional expenses previous years Unrealized Grants Receivable (Deficit) / surplus of income over expenditure

74,148 14,311 46,503 2,044 10,473 85,210 15,915 8,928 548 4,567

262,647 12,029

61,698 17,858 28,415 4,585 20,852 131,876 15,762 23,580 0 3,219

1,674,242

274,676

319,465

386,084

1,788,469

1,652,682

2,513,872

67,520 363 0 37,698

69,465 (19,152) 15,933

94,905 510 52,988

(701,158)

526,543

(985,547)

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.61

COHRE Statement of Changes in Funds 31 December 2010

2010 EUR FUNDS at the beginning of the year Increase / (decrease) in funds for the year FUNDS at the end of the year

2009 EUR

2010 CHF

712,703

186,160

(701,158)

526,543

1,054,800 (985,547)

11,545

712,703

69,253

Attributed as follows: Foundation capital (CHF 50,000) Restricted funds

30,188

30,188

50,000

(18,642)

682,515

19,253

11,545

712,703

69,253

The CHF restricted funds balance is before the cumulative translation adjustment listed on the balance sheet.

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3 CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.62

COHRE BUDGET TO ACTUAL REPORT BY PROGRAMME

DESCRIPTION

BUDGET 2010

ACTUAL

BALANCE

PERCENT SPENT

COHRE I.S. Staff expenses Activity expenses Support expenses Total I.S.

704,764 104,450 156,800 966,014

572,583 144,375 193,801 910,759

132,181 -39,925 -37,001 55,255

81 138 124 94

COHRE - AFRICA Staff expenses Activity expenses Support expenses TOTAL - AFRICA

160,049 141,000 33,460 334,509

94,010 73,924 37,325 205,258

66,039 67,076 -3,865 129,251

59 52 112 61

COHRE - AMERICAS Staff expenses Activity expenses Support expenses TOTAL - AMERICAS

205,146 96,634 40,078 341,858

58,388 45,104 38,605 142,097

146,758 51,530 1,473 199,761

28 47 96 42

COHRE - ASIA Staff expenses Activity expenses Support expenses TOTAL - ASIA

179,414 95,037 51,075 325,526

110,002 57,829 21,348 189,179

69,412 37,208 29,727 136,347

61 61 42 58

COHRE - SRI LANKA Staff expenses Activity expenses Support expenses TOTAL - SRI LANKA

167,578 79,689 24,931 272,198

113,567 67,023 28,674 209,263

54,011 12,666 -3,743 62,935

68 84 115 77

2,240,105

1,656,556

583,549

74

TOTAL - ALL EXPENSES

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.63

COHRE 2010 Revenue and Expense by Grant

1 January -­‐ 31 December 2010 Donor Grant No. INCOME Deferred Income (balances carried forward) Grants received in 2010 against 2009 expenses Grants received for 2010 against 2010 Grants Receivable New Grant Income Received in 2010 TOTAL INCOME Negative balance from 2009 on grant expenses TOTAL INCOME (AVAILABLE FOR 2010 ACTIVITIES) Portion of Income Deferred to 2011 Total Income for Statement of Activities 2010

ACCD 1

ACCD 2

Amnesty Netherlands

AJWS

001

002

003

004

50,000 50,000 50,000

47,788 2,212

5,500

50,000 -­‐47,788 2,212

5,500 -­‐5,500 0

AJWS 2010 Anonymous 04A

006

10,653

10,653 10,653

BMZ

Cordaid GS 2009

Cordaid GS 2010 -­‐ 2012

Cordaid Africa

EC-­‐EU Sri Lanka

Finland MFA

007

009

09A

09B

016

017

48,186

17,209

38,406 38,406

104,844

94,300

153,030

94,300

17,209

38,406 16,455

153,030 67,524

94,300 84,183

17,209

150,000 80,000 230,000 230,000 80,000

14,894

14,829

50,000 64,894

14,829

64,894

14,829

35,000 65,000 100,000 -­‐35,000 65,000

Balance Grants Receivable EOY 2010

35,410

EXPENSE STAFF (Salaries & Related Expenses) ACTIVITIES (Programmes, Travel, Etc) SUPPORT (Office Costs) FINANCIAL Expenses Equipment purchase/rent deposits MISCELLANEOUS Total Expenses to 31 December 2010 Total Unspent Balance at 31 December 2010

39,122 33,862 12,137 290 0 0 85,410 -­‐35,410

0 176 760 1,276 0 0 2,212 0

6,246 3,838 569 0 0 0 10,653 0

15,227 3,756 2,150 28 790 0 21,951 16,455

63,980 6,999 12,075 2,452 0 0 85,506 67,524

1,767 7,369 946 35 0 0 10,117 84,183

0 1,146 16,063 0 0 0 17,209 0

122,934 14,098 8,234 27 4,600 107 150,000 80,000

35,461 13,376 12,367 422 3,174 93 64,894 0

33,140 21,892 5,655 48 634 0 61,369 -­‐46,540

31,783 15,333 12,800 2,176 2,908 0 65,000 0

Deferred Income at 31 Dec 2010

-­‐35,410

0

0

16,455

67,524

84,183

0

80,000

0

-­‐46,540

0

Grants Receivable (2010) at 31 Dec 2010

35,410

Grants Receivable/Deferred Revenue for 2011 Grants Receivable/Deferred Revenue for 2012

0 0

220,000

81,464

0 0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

70,000 150,000

81,464 0 0

0 0

0 0

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.64

COHRE 2010 Revenue and Expense by Grant

1 January -­‐ 31 December 2010 Donor Grant No. INCOME Deferred Income (balances carried forward) Grants received in 2010 against 2009 expenses Grants received for 2010 against 2010 Grants Receivable New Grant Income Received in 2010 TOTAL INCOME Negative balance from 2009 on grant expenses TOTAL INCOME (AVAILABLE FOR 2010 ACTIVITIES) Portion of Income Deferred to 2011 Total Income for Statement of Activities 2010

Ford Fndtn

Ford Fndtn Luxembourg McKnight McKnight 2010 MFA 2009 Fndtn Fndtn 2010

018

18A

6,395

6,395 6,395

Balance Grants Receivable EOY 2010 EXPENSE STAFF (Salaries & Related Expenses) ACTIVITIES (Programmes, Travel, Etc) SUPPORT (Office Costs) FINANCIAL Expenses Equipment purchase/rent deposits MISCELLANEOUS Total Expenses to 31 December 2010 Total Unspent Balance at 31 December 2010 Deferred Income at 31 Dec 2010

122,318 122,318 122,318 7,447

023

024

24A

10,000

17,114

10,000

17,114

10,000

17,114

122,318 0 90 5,819 486

27A

53,425 41,938 41,938 41,938 15,441

85,000 138,425 -­‐53,424.63 85,000

41,938

264,998

030

30A

Norwegian Refugee OSI Roma Council

031

032

65,139

20,278 9,722

113,082 113,082

1,325 1,325

65,139

113,082 60,975

1,325

30,000 -­‐20,278 9,722

65,139

OSI Roma 2010

OSI oPt

32C

32A

58,641 60,000 60,000

58,641

60,000

58,641 988

0 6,395 0

84,758 7,830 22,058 225 0 0 114,871 7,447

8,908 157 931 4 0 0 10,000 0

7,659 6,960 2,495 0 0 0 17,114 0

11,161 10,751 2,900 6 1,679 0 26,497 15,441

66,772 16,916 31,712 1,266 0 0 116,666 -­‐31,666

24,933 21,521 13,099 51 5,535 0 65,139 0

34,404 11,754 4,685 69 647 548 52,107 60,975

1,325 0 0 0 0 0 1,325 0

4,690 5,032 0 0 0 0 9,722 0

37,657 22,343 0 0 0 0 60,000 0

5,270 42,726 9,653 4 0 0 57,653 988

0

7,447

0

0

15,441

-­‐31,666

0

60,975

0

0

0

988

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

Grants Receivable (2010) at 31 Dec 2010 Grants Receivable/Deferred Revenue for 2011 Grants Receivable/Deferred Revenue for 2012

Misereor/ Norway MFA Norway 2009 MFA 2010 KZE 2010

31,666 0 0

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3

122,318

0 0

0 0

41,938

116,666 116,666

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.65

COHRE 2010 Revenue and Expense by Grant

1 January -­‐ 31 December 2010 Donor Grant No. INCOME Deferred Income (balances carried forward) Grants received in 2010 against 2009 expenses Grants received for 2010 against 2010 Grants Receivable New Grant Income Received in 2010 TOTAL INCOME Negative balance from 2009 on grant expenses TOTAL INCOME (AVAILABLE FOR 2010 ACTIVITIES) Portion of Income Deferred to 2011 Total Income for Statement of Activities 2010

OSI WHRP Sida General Sida WLLA Paper Support 32B

038

38A

56,541

Sida WLLA

Sida SRAH

38B

38C

58,166

UN Habitat British FCO Oxfam UK ARD/ USAID (Lit) 43

050

051

96,658

1,590

22,369

1,398 1,398

256,585 256,585

1,398

256,585 292

Balance Grants Receivable EOY 2010

1,501

439,255

EXPENSE STAFF (Salaries & Related Expenses) ACTIVITIES (Programmes, Travel, Etc) SUPPORT (Office Costs) FINANCIAL Expenses Equipment purchase/rent deposits MISCELLANEOUS Total Expenses to 31 December 2010 Total Unspent Balance at 31 December 2010

2,899 0 0 0 0 0 2,899 -­‐1,501

208,917 3,434 38,630 389 4,923 0 256,293 292

14,755 27,844 13,942 0 0 0 56,541 0

3,037 34,195 1,576 678 0 0 39,486 18,680

28,333 59,761 7,264 0 1,300 0 96,658 0

1,118 3,317 389 0 0 0 4,825 0

Deferred Income at 31 Dec 2010

-­‐1,501

292

0

18,680

0

0

Grants Receivable (2010) at 31 Dec 2010 Grants Receivable/Deferred Revenue for 2011 Grants Receivable/Deferred Revenue for 2012

56,541

58,166

96,658

56,541

58,166 18,680

96,658

22,369 -­‐22,369 0

4,825 4,825 4,825

COHRE 2010 TOTAL

000

23,814

34,433

22,643 46,457

34,433

46,457 1,891

34,433

57,036

1,501 0 0

1,590 -­‐1,590 0

056

Misc.

1,263,920

26,538 8,494 9,177 357 0 0 44,566 1,891

8,336 0 26,097 0 0 0 34,433 0

922,795 404,970 248,086 10,290 26,190 748 1,613,078 353,876

1,891

0

353,876

0 0

594,953 461,890

57,036 244,031 195,224

0 0

0 0

0 0

0 0

682,672 185,950 398,721 804,877 2,072,219 -­‐185,949 1,886,270 353,875 1,532,396

0 0

207,077

2010 Audited Financial Statements Auditors: Moore Stephens Redifar SA -­‐ Rue du Rhône 65, Case Postal 3359, 1211 Genève 3

CENTRE ON HOUSING RIGHTS AND EVICTIONS P.66