[21/09/07 09:00] On 24 and 25 September 2007, Commissioner Hammarberg will take part in a workshop on housing rights organised by his Office in the Council of Europe's European Youth Centre in Budapest. Participants will examine how the positive duty of states to ensure these rights can be put into practice without discrimination.
The workshop will bring together key experts representing international organisations, national governments, academia and non-governmental organisations. Following a keynote address by the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, Mr Miloon Kothari, the participants will discuss six key themes: the positive duty of states and individual enforceability; quality standards and the definition of adequate housing; forced evictions and security of tenure; non-discrimination and positive measures; sitting tenants in Central and Eastern-Europe and property restitution; and, finally, the monitoring of housing rights.
The conclusions from the workshop will feed into the Commissioner's strategy for implementing housing rights and specific guidelines are expected to be published in early 2008.