A/HRC/47/43
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
12 July 2021
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-seventh session
21 June–9 July 2021
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Twenty years of promoting and protecting the right to
adequate housing: taking stock and moving forward
Report of the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component
of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to nondiscrimination in this context, Balakrishnan Rajagopal*
Summary
The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an
adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, submits
the present report pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 15/8 and 43/14. The report
contains an assessment of achievements and contributions made by the successive Special
Rapporteurs at the local, country and global levels since the mandate was established in the
year 2000 and offers a vision of the current Special Rapporteur’s substantive priorities during
the coming years.
Core contributions of the mandate have been the development of guidelines,
awareness-raising through more than 30 thematic reports, 34 country visits and the
participation in numerous international events and other activities. More than 380
communications to States and non-State actors have led to the prevention of some violations
of the right to adequate housing or provided increased public scrutiny of forced evictions,
homelessness, inadequate housing conditions and other violations of the right to adequate
housing.
However, progress towards realizing the right to adequate housing globally has been
limited. Over recent decades, the percentage of the urban population living in informal
settlements with insufficient security or tenure has grown. Homelessness has been on the
increase and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in increasing
housing insecurity for many. Many cities have become increasingly segregated along social,
racial, ethnic and other lines, undermining equal access to the right to adequate housing,
public services and other rights. Homeownership has become increasingly concentrated in
the hands of few individuals who own multiple housing units, and housing has become
* The present document was submitted late to the conference services without the explanation required
under paragraph 8 of General Assembly resolution 53/208 B.
GE.21-09608(E)