Convergence of inhabitants for the right to habitat

In the last ten years, articulations and convergences between activists, social movements, inhabitants´ and neighbourhood organizations as well as technical supports that defend the right to habitat have been consolidated.
 
Subscribe the Declaration!

Findings:  

We gather around the struggle for the realization of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) that are fundamental in defending the structural place of the family, rural and urban communities, and coexistence based on the inclusion of all people. We refer to the ESCR that are related

to habitat and which correspond to state obligations related to housing, water and sanitation, education, health and citizen participation. These are the legal basis for demanding collective rights to land, natural resources, livelihoods, energy, transportation and recreation, and especially the right to the city, food sovereignty and climate justice. Due to the close relationship with the family, home, neighbourhood, village and public space, women are principle protagonists in local struggles to defend the right to habitat. Women, as well as children, disabled people, the evicted, homeless, nomads, refugees and migrants are the main people excluded from these rights and therefore must be recognized and their rights defended in all of these struggles.

The obstacles towards realizing the right to habitat are multiplied throughout the world, regardless of local cultural differences. Therefore, it is our duty to denounce real estate and land speculation practices that threaten the land of the poorest, most disadvantaged and vulnerable populations with land grabbing, destruction of neighbourhoods and villages, gentrification of long-standing neighbourhoods, rising rents compared with the stagnation of incomes, mega-project and mega-event planning and development which violate the right of communities to remain in their traditional homes, armed conflicts and occupied territories, "natural" disasters, and the effects of climate change which provoke floods, landslides and water, air and soil pollution. All of these territorial phenomena generate mass forced evictions, increasingly affecting rural and urban populations throughout the world.

Proposals:

We, local, national, regional, continental and global organizations gathered here in the process of building the World Assembly of Inhabitants, pledge to continue united in building solidarity, so that all people may have the right to live in peace and with dignity in the countryside and in the city.

We also commit to participate in the Global Campaign for the Right to Habitat, held yearly on the first Monday of October. 

On October 3, 2011 and October 1, 2012, the themes that will bring us together around the world are: (i) the causes and effects of forced evictions, the suffering and impoverishment of people affected by rural and urban habitat problems; and (ii) solidarity with activists for the right to habitat who have been victimized by repression and violence against their civil and political rights.

The annual campaign for the right to habitat will be organized in an inclusive and diverse manner, coordinated by all those involved in habitat struggles throughout the world by means of marches, protests, demonstrations, occupations, and public debates and meetings, among other expressions. The circulation of the campaign will be done primarily by social networks through the internet, and will also be publicized on the websites of the social movements, networks and organizations engaged in the campaign.

To meet these commitments, organizations and networks are constituting a Liaison Committee that is committed to agreeing on a platform and a plan of action that are the result of meetings organized by the inhabitants organisations in the popular neighborhoods and at the university campus in the framework of the WSF Dakar, to render concrete the solidarity to fight against the violations of rights that are rooted in common causes around the world.

On February 10, 2011 in Dakar, the following networks and organizations sign this commitment:

International networks  :  

• Alliance Internationale des Habitants (AIH)
• Coalition Internationale de l'Habitat (HIC)
• Comités Promoteurs de l'Assemblée Mondiale des Habitants international
• Comités Promoteurs de l'Assemblée Mondiale des Habitants Régionaux
• LOCOA - Leaders and Organizers of Community Organization in Asia
• No-Vox

 National and local inhabitants organizations:  

• ACIDAK Asociation Comité Interbidonville, (Dakar, Senegal)
• AHTB, Association des Habitants et Travailleurs de Baraka (Dakar, Senegal)
•  Amandla Centre of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
• Assembly to End Poverty (USA)
•  A Város Mindenkié (Hongrie)
•  CAES (Paraguay)
•  CDV (México)
•  CHRA (Zimbabwe)
•  Colectivo para el desarrollo del peru de villa maria dl triunfo (Perú)
•  Comité de Gestion des Inondations et de Déguerpissement de Médina Goumars (Guédiawaye, Senegal)
• Comités Promoteurs Nationaux de l'Assemblée Mondiale des Habitants Nationaux
•  CONAM (Brasil)
•  CONAPAMAG (Guatemala)
•  Coordination duped investors (Russie)
•  Coophabitat (Republica Dominicana)
•  Cooperativa de reciclado de villa 31 (Argentina)
• Coopérative Coralli (Italie)
•  COORDINADORA DE COLONIAS UNIDAS (México)
• DAL, Droit au Logement (France)
• EMAD, Entente des Mouvements et Associations de Développement (Dakar, Senegal)
•  Famemg – Minas Gerais (Brasil)
•  FBFF – Ceará (Brasil)
•  FEDEVI (Argentina)
•  Federación de Cooperativas Todos juntos (Argentina)
•  FOVELIC (Perú)
•  GIU (Perú)
•  Grupo puertorriqueño de solidaridad con la niñez Dominico-Haiana CPNDH (Puerto Rico)
• Mouvement And Soukali Médina Goumars (Dakar, Senegal)
•  Movimiento Nuevo Encuentro (Argentina)
•  National Tenants Union (Nigeria)
•  Omunga (Angola)
•  POHDH (Haiti)
•  PPEHRC (USA)
•  PROUD and National Forum for the Urban Poor (India)
•  Red Metropolitana Inquilinos (Venezuela)
•  RNHC (Cameroun)
•  Shelter for the Poor (Bangladesh)
•  Thames Valley Gypsy Council (UK)
•  Tenants Union (Russie)
•  Tonderai Ndira Housing Cooperative (Zimbabwe)
•  UCISV-Ver (México)
• Unione Inquilini (Italie)
•  UNION POPULAR VALLE GOMEZ, D.F. (México)
• USA/Canada Alliance of Inhabitants (USACAI)
• Youth governance and environmental programme (Kenya) 

Support:

• ABONG, Brazilian Association of NGOs
• AITEC, Association Internationale des Techniciens et Chercheurs (France)
• ALOP, Associación Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promoción
•  CENCA (Perú)
• CERPAC, Centre de Recherche Populaire pour l´Action Citoyenne(Senegal)
• Dignity International
• ENDA-Economie Populaire (Senegal)
• ENDA-Relais pour le Développement Urbain Participé, (Senegal)
• FAL, Forum des Autorités Locales
• Handicap International
• Intermondes (Senegal)
• Plateforme DESC Sénégal – RADI
• WISEEP (Ghana)

(Turkish) Convergence of inhabitants for the right to habitat.pdf [175,73 kB]

(Bangla) Convergence of inhabitants for the right to habitat.pdf [147,95 kB]

(English) Dakar Declaration of the World Assembly of Inhabitants.pdf [94,99 kB]

Signatories appeal (367)

• Taiwo Otitolaye, Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA) - Nigeria
• Giovanni Maccione, - Italy
• Giovanni Maccione, - Italy
• Angeles Leonardo, - Argentina
• Angel Mario Ksheratto Flores, Periodista independiente - Mexico
• Nanga Philippe, ONG UN MONDE AVENIR - Cameroon
• David Bravo, Rivera - Mexico
• pilar anita quarzell, dalia - Italy
• JOSÉ IVAN DE OLIVEIRA, ASSOCIAÇÃO IARENSE DOS AMIGOS DA INFÂNCIA - Brazil
• Elizabeth Cardoso, UERJ - Brazil
• Danielle Costa Guimarães, - Brazil
• FALL PAPA NDIOGOU, ESKUHARTU PARTICIPACIÓN - Spain
• Enrique Gil Ibarra, Biblioteca Rodolfo Walsh - Argentina
• ALEXIS Mary, UTPM - France
• Sabela Bernárdez, Indígnate Ponte - Spain
• Fidel Córdoba, Fundacion CD Viviendas - Colombia
• LAURA ESTER KALINSKI, MANOS SOLIDARIAS ASOCIACION CIVIL SIN FINES DE LUCRO - Argentina
• Emanuel Bonfante Demaria Junior, SINTAPPI-MG - Sindicato dos Trabalhadores em Empresas de Assessoramento, Perícias, Pesquisas e Informações no Estado de Minas Gerais - Brazil
• Marta Casares, Observatorio de Fenomenos Urbanos y Territoriales - FAU -UNT - Argentina
• gaetana palma corvaglia, - Italy
• Thiago A. P. Hoshino, Terra de Direitos - Brazil
• adela navarra , Asamblea Ciudadana en Defensa del Medio Ambiente Costero - Argentina
• MARIA LUIZA TESTA TAMBELLINI, FACULDADE DE SERVIÇO SOCIAL/ UNIVERSIDADE DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO/ BRASIL - Brazil
• Virginia Murad, FUNDAÇÃO CENTRO DE DEFESA DOS DIREITOS HUMANOS BENTO RUBIÃO - Brazil
• Maria Beatriz Afflalo Brandão, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
• JOSE CARMONA, - Spain
• Graciela Mirta Morales Olivares, MOI ( Movimiento de Ocupantes e Inquilinos - Argentina
• Luna Zurdo Ríos, Ocupante Punta del Diablo - Uruguay
• Chiara Mocci, - Spain
• Mariella Del Frate, - Italy
• João José da Silva, MLPC/PE - Movimento de Luta Popular e Comunitário de Pernambuco e Conselheiro Nacional da CONAM - Confederação Nacional da Associações de Moradores/Brasil - Brazil
• Elizabeth Petersen, - Venezuela
• Davide Kinspergher, - Italy
• Ivan Menal, - Spain
• Peter Muzambwe, Amandla Centre of Zimbabwe - Zimbabwe
• Roso Grimau, Partido Comunista de Venezuela - Venezuela
• antoine roland, coalition luxembourgeoise pour la paix -colupa - Belgium
• Losalajome Bolom'Oese Richard Anthony, Architectes Sans Frontières - Congo - Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
• LILIANA JENSEN, ACUERDO DE MUJERES POR EL PROYECTO NAC&POP - Argentina
• Cándida Cotto, personal - Puerto Rico
• Dewan QUEDOU, MAURITIUS TRADE UNION CONGRESS - Mauritius
• BELMOUHOUB Nourredine, Cilmité SOS Expulsions -ALGERIE- - Algeria
• fulgencio cerón, - Spain
• Bruno Henriques, - Portugal
• Donatella Caristina, - Italy
• Grace Osofodunrin, Justice, Development and Peace Commission, Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja - Nigeria
• Maria de los Angeles Valli, Nessuna - Italy
• alicia vañó, Federación Mujeres Progresistas de Andalucía - Spain
• Gustavo Gaitán, Afectados por las hipotecas - Spain
• Ibis Rodriguez, - Spain