A/HRC/37/53
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
15 January 2018
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Thirty-seventh session
26 February–23 March 2018
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
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 non-discrimination in this context
Note by the Secretariat
In the present report, 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 provides States and other actors with concrete guidance on implementing effective
rights-based housing strategies. The report explains the difference between a housing
strategy and housing policy. It outlines the value of a human rights-based approach to
housing strategies and describes the key principles upon which effective rights-based
housing strategies must be based. While there is no “one size fits all” housing strategy, the
Special Rapporteur identifies the most important requirements of each principle that should
be shaped to fit specific national and local contexts. These draw both on human rights
norms — as articulated by United Nations treaty bodies, courts and human rights
institutions — and on the practical experiences of the Special Rapporteur, various levels of
government, civil society, experts and other actors. The report also provides examples of
how these key principles have been implemented in practice, in diverse national or local
contexts. The report concludes with a checklist to facilitate the design, monitoring,
financing and implementation of human rights-based housing strategies.
GE.18-00608(E)