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Homelessness is found in every country in the world and is spreading with impunity, a United Nations human rights expert today warned, calling on governments to recognize homelessness as a human rights crisis and commit to its eradication by 2030, in line with the new UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Homelessness is one of the most evident illustration of poverty and social exclusion occurring in all countries and cities, threatening the health and life of people experiencing it. It is a violation of human rights, which should not be tolerated. People becoming homeless do not only lose their houses but are also uprooted from their family and social connections. They are prevented from accessing health and mental care, as well as from having access to education and job opportunities. This often makes it even more difficult to find and keep a new house.
The immediate cause of homelessness is often a specific circumstance in people’s life, but homelessness always has structural drivers. These drivers include poverty, shortage of affordable housing, lack of access to social protection, discrimination and social exclusion, privatization of public services, call for a coordinated and cross-sectoral framework of actions.
Governments, in partnership with all other stakeholders, are called upon to implement long-term solutions, including the provision of adequate housing, social protection policies and measures, and comprehensive and evidence-based national strategies to prevent and address homelessness.
UN DESA and UN-Habitat organized an event on Monday 12 October to celebrate World Homelessness Day 2020. Click here for more information.
The Full Movie "The Human Shelter"
What makes a home? In search of an answer, the critically acclaimed documentary, The Human Shelter‚ brings its viewers on an inspirational expedition around the globe, to people who live in extreme social, economic and environmental conditions and present their testimonies that query the many dimensions of human living. Boris Bertram’s film is a poetic and cinematic examination of what defines a home, celebrating human resilience and creativity that are expressed in the portrayed stories from different parts of the world. As a viewer you will visit the snowy white landscapes of northern Norway, an Iraq refugees camp, a NASA habitat in Hawaii, tiny living quarters in Tokyo, and more.
In support of the Housing for All Campaign, The Human Shelter is available with subtitles in all UN languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Russian. To access the subtitles click 'settings' and then 'subtitles' for language options.
The full movie "The Human Shelter"
For more information, please visit: https://unhabitat.org/Housing4All
Source: UNDESA and UN-HABITAT