At the 37th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Resolution 37/4 on the right to adequate housing was adopted.
By doing so, this body reaffirmed the multifariuos importance of the enjoyment of this right – for the realization of a dignified life for all, as well as for achieving sustainable development goals and for the full application of that right for individuals belonging to extremely vulnerable groups.
The Resolution points out some of the key issues related to the realization of the right to adequate housing – substandard housing, which millions of people around the world are subjected to; homelessness; the fact that forced evictions especially affect women, children, persons with disabilities, and those belonging to marignailized groups. Besides that, this Council Resolution points out that housing has, as of late, been perceived primarily through a financial prism while the focus has shifted away from its social role – it is perceived as a financial instrument which should bring large profits to those who invest in the housing sector.
The United Nations Human Rights Council called upon member states to apply the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and to consult the civil sector and other actors so as to adopt strategies on the realization of the right to adequate housing. At the same time, the Resolution calls upon member states to make positive steps so as to prevent and eliminate homelessness, to take all measures aimed at supressing factors that commodify housing, as well as to ensure access to justice to all who are exposed to violations of the right to adequate housing.
The Council Resolution is especially important because it brings to front the gender aspects of the right to adequate housing, and the influnce violations of the right to adequate housing have on the realization of the rights of women.
You can read the body of the Resolution here.