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| UN envoy: Europe faces daunting task on refugees but housing is a human right | UN envoy: Europe faces daunting task on refugees but housing is a human right |
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| Western European countries face a huge task trying to house and integrate refugees, but must take some responsibility for creating the crisis, says the United Nations housing envoy. | Western European countries face a huge task trying to house and integrate refugees, but must take some responsibility for creating the crisis, says the United Nations housing envoy. |
| Leilani Farha, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, says pressure on European countries to act quickly in response to the influx of refugees could exacerbate the problem of social exclusion, as people are housed in poor, temporary conditions. | Leilani Farha, the UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, says pressure on European countries to act quickly in response to the influx of refugees could exacerbate the problem of social exclusion, as people are housed in poor, temporary conditions. |
| There has been a varied response across the continent to the high numbers of refugees seeking a place to settle. “I’ve actually been very pleased with some of the responses,” says Farha. “I would imagine if I were the leader of a country like Sweden, Germany or France, it would be pretty daunting, when refugees appear on the doorstep of states, to say yes, come in. Of course, in my opinion, there is a moral obligation to do so.” | There has been a varied response across the continent to the high numbers of refugees seeking a place to settle. “I’ve actually been very pleased with some of the responses,” says Farha. “I would imagine if I were the leader of a country like Sweden, Germany or France, it would be pretty daunting, when refugees appear on the doorstep of states, to say yes, come in. Of course, in my opinion, there is a moral obligation to do so.” |
| Under international human rights obligations, housing is not a commodity; it is a human right | Under international human rights obligations, housing is not a commodity; it is a human right |
| That moral obligation comes in part from states recognising, as Farha puts it, their own role in creating a world order that forces people to flee their countries for safety. | That moral obligation comes in part from states recognising, as Farha puts it, their own role in creating a world order that forces people to flee their countries for safety. |
| Farha says that last month’s Paris attacks have placed an even greater obligation on governments to think about how they treat all sections of society, not just refugees or migrants. She says that what happened in Paris should send “caution flags” to governments everywhere about security, social inclusion, unemployment and about youth. | Farha says that last month’s Paris attacks have placed an even greater obligation on governments to think about how they treat all sections of society, not just refugees or migrants. She says that what happened in Paris should send “caution flags” to governments everywhere about security, social inclusion, unemployment and about youth. |
| When we meet, at a housing conference in Berlin, Farha expresses particular concern about the number of refugees in the city, where 80,000 extra homes are needed this year alone. Germany plans to take in more than 700,000 people in the last three months of 2015. “That is huge,” says Farha, “and I am worried that existing standards in Europe, which aren’t bad, could slip.” | When we meet, at a housing conference in Berlin, Farha expresses particular concern about the number of refugees in the city, where 80,000 extra homes are needed this year alone. Germany plans to take in more than 700,000 people in the last three months of 2015. “That is huge,” says Farha, “and I am worried that existing standards in Europe, which aren’t bad, could slip.” |
| A recent report from non-profit NGO Habitat for Humanity highlighted Europe’s escalating housing crisis. “There is simply inadequate housing infrastructure to support all these newcomers,” says Farha, adding that the urgency of the situation means governments will have to act. | A recent report from non-profit NGO Habitat for Humanity highlighted Europe’s escalating housing crisis. “There is simply inadequate housing infrastructure to support all these newcomers,” says Farha, adding that the urgency of the situation means governments will have to act. |
| Farha has a unique role in global housing. She’s independent and unpaid, but that gives her, she says, a position from which to speak out. “We are seeing what doesn’t work,” she says, pointing to the many barriers that stand in the way of providing the world’s population with an affordable roof over their heads. | Farha has a unique role in global housing. She’s independent and unpaid, but that gives her, she says, a position from which to speak out. “We are seeing what doesn’t work,” she says, pointing to the many barriers that stand in the way of providing the world’s population with an affordable roof over their heads. |
| The problems include a lack of political commitment to tackle homelessness and an unwillingness in many countries to regulate their real estate industry. But the biggest single barrier is the way most governments view housing. “Under international human rights obligations, housing is not a commodity; it is a human right,” says Farha. “The issue of homelessness is desperate and dire … but it can be prevented and maybe even solved.” | The problems include a lack of political commitment to tackle homelessness and an unwillingness in many countries to regulate their real estate industry. But the biggest single barrier is the way most governments view housing. “Under international human rights obligations, housing is not a commodity; it is a human right,” says Farha. “The issue of homelessness is desperate and dire … but it can be prevented and maybe even solved.” |
| That makes Farha a radical and puts her out of step with many governments. The Dutch high court, for instance, has recently upheld a government policy of withholding food and shelter to rejected asylum seekers who refuse to be repatriated, giving legal backing to one of Europe’s toughest immigration policies. | That makes Farha a radical and puts her out of step with many governments. The Dutch high court, for instance, has recently upheld a government policy of withholding food and shelter to rejected asylum seekers who refuse to be repatriated, giving legal backing to one of Europe’s toughest immigration policies. |
| The Dutch state council, which reviews the legality of government decisions, found the new policy of conservative prime minister Mark Rutte does not contravene the European convention on human rights. | The Dutch state council, which reviews the legality of government decisions, found the new policy of conservative prime minister Mark Rutte does not contravene the European convention on human rights. |
| Despite this, and the walls going up all around Europe, Farha remains optimistic. She points out that politicians have just agreed, via the most recent UN sustainable development goals decided in New York in September, to eliminate homelessness by 2030. | Despite this, and the walls going up all around Europe, Farha remains optimistic. She points out that politicians have just agreed, via the most recent UN sustainable development goals decided in New York in September, to eliminate homelessness by 2030. |
| Does she really think it will happen? That depends where you live, she says. “In one community you could end homelessness in a year. In another community or megacity it might take 30 years. So what’s more important to me as rapporteur, looking at this on a global scale, is whether a state and its subsidiaries have in place a reasonable plan that recognises housing is a human right.” Next March, Farha will present her report on homelessness to the UN. | Does she really think it will happen? That depends where you live, she says. “In one community you could end homelessness in a year. In another community or megacity it might take 30 years. So what’s more important to me as rapporteur, looking at this on a global scale, is whether a state and its subsidiaries have in place a reasonable plan that recognises housing is a human right.” Next March, Farha will present her report on homelessness to the UN. |
| Being a special rapporteur is a widely misunderstood role. When Farha’s predecessor, Raquel Rolnik, was invited to the UK in 2013 she criticised the UK’s bedroom tax and was vilified by ministers and media alike. | Being a special rapporteur is a widely misunderstood role. When Farha’s predecessor, Raquel Rolnik, was invited to the UK in 2013 she criticised the UK’s bedroom tax and was vilified by ministers and media alike. |
| Farha is not planning an official mission to the UK in the near future, but says she is keeping an eye on what is happening there. Anybody can raise a housing issue with the UN envoy, by writing to her. This process has not yet been raised in relation to the UK’s social housing policy, says Farha – although she wouldn’t be able to say so anyway, as she would share any views with the government before making them public. “I get asked all the time,” she says. “These are sensitive matters and it’s best to engage in a really constructive conversation with the government first and then move forward from there.” | Farha is not planning an official mission to the UK in the near future, but says she is keeping an eye on what is happening there. Anybody can raise a housing issue with the UN envoy, by writing to her. This process has not yet been raised in relation to the UK’s social housing policy, says Farha – although she wouldn’t be able to say so anyway, as she would share any views with the government before making them public. “I get asked all the time,” she says. “These are sensitive matters and it’s best to engage in a really constructive conversation with the government first and then move forward from there.” |
| But she says that the kind of housing policy being seen in the UK, with the emphasis on buying rather than social rent, is not unique. “We’ve seen in many countries a move away from social housing towards ownership and market-geared housing and that shift can be troubling to me. If a state can say, we’re making this move but we are still somehow absolutely going to ensure that those who are most vulnerable with the least resources can still access housing that’s affordable to them, well then I can’t complain. But those two things don’t always go together: the privatisation of social housing and affordability for the lowest-income people.” | But she says that the kind of housing policy being seen in the UK, with the emphasis on buying rather than social rent, is not unique. “We’ve seen in many countries a move away from social housing towards ownership and market-geared housing and that shift can be troubling to me. If a state can say, we’re making this move but we are still somehow absolutely going to ensure that those who are most vulnerable with the least resources can still access housing that’s affordable to them, well then I can’t complain. But those two things don’t always go together: the privatisation of social housing and affordability for the lowest-income people.” |
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