Caritas Internationalis says international human rights legislation should be taken into account in the future planning of cities and housing.
Members of the global network will be in Quito, Ecuador, at the Habitat III UN global summit next week. In a side event on 17 October Caritas will promote the discussion: “A common home where everyone can live decently”.
Caritas upholds the position that human rights regarding cities and adequate housing should be at the heart of the New Urban Agenda. This will be the outcome document of the Habitat III summit. It will guide set global standards for sustainable urban development for the next 20 years. It’s an opportunity to rethink the way we build, manage and live in cities.
Photo by Isabel Corthier/Caritas Belgium International/Caritas Switzerland
Caritas Internationalis secretary general Michel Roy says, “The human rights approach is vital in rethinking cities and housing. It means taking a holistic approach that promotes social justice and integral human development and it means that all citizens can enjoy their equal rights.”
Based on the Sustainable Development Goals aim that no one should be left behind, the Caritas side event will look at different proposals relating to the provision of adequate housing for everyone. It will focus on the building of public spaces for decent living and the promotion of inclusive, fair and equitable cities for all.
The side event on 17 October will take place at the Benjamín Carrión Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana in Quito. It has been organised by Caritas Internationalis with the support of Caritas Ecuador and Caritas Spain. The event will be inaugurated by Msgr Bernardito C. Auza, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York and to the Organization of American States, and will be moderated by Joan Uribe from FEANTSA. The speakers are Leilani Farha, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing; Mauricio López, executive secretary of Caritas Ecuador; and Sonia Olea Ferreras, an expert from Caritas Spain and Caritas Internationalis.
Read the Caritas position paper for Habitat III
Caritas press contact:
Sonia Olea Ferreras, 0034 91 444 10 08, [email protected]
Michelle Hough, 0039 06 6987 9752/00 39 334 2344 136, [email protected]
Maria Paula Ortega, [email protected]
Ángel Arriví, [email protected]