On the occasion of the financial summit of the G 20 in Washington,
We, the undersigned civil organizations and individuals
- dedicated to the defence and realization of the human right to adequate housing and habitat;
- fighting for many years for the right to decent housing against the consequences of neo-liberal policies and financial markets,
- alarmed by the cruel and crude consequences of the financial crisis manifesting itself through mass foreclosures and evictions,
- in accordance with the moral principles and legal human rights enshrined inter alia in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the corresponding norms of UNhuman rights instruments and in accordance with many UN decisions and documents, such as the Kyoto Protocol,
- in parallel with the many related statements submitted by civil society organisations and trade unions,
- being aware of the emergency character of the current financial and economic crisis,
- being aware that many local authorities are already deeply affected by the current crisis,
- being aware that the fundamental character of the crisis requires fundamental far reaching change,
- understanding the many interdependencies of the financial crisis with development, energy, climate and employment,
- being aware of the serious threats this crisis presents to social cohesion, democracy, peace and freedom,
- demanding a world leadership which is able and willing to replace discredited paths of development with a new global economic architecture and vision in accordance with the principles of human rights, democracy and international justice and in effective cooperation with civil society,
- stressing the provisional character of this statement,
Call on the G 20-governments to
- include the countries beyond G 20, including the Least Developed Countries, into the process of redefining the global financial architecture,
- include trade unions, local authorities, civil society and inhabitants organizations in negotiations for development and habitat financing,
- undertake immediate assessments in order to reduce the social, spatial and economic consequences of the current crisis and to change the wayward path of neo-liberal financialgovernance,
- cautiously analyse the housing and habitat factors which have contributed to the crisis,
- be aware of consequences of the crisis and of state reactions affecting housing and habitat,
- immediately develop a coordinated emergency programme in order to limit negative consequences of the crisis on housing conditions, environments, habitat and local economies,
- regulate financial markets globally without excluding people from access to adequate housing, support and develop alternatives to private mortgage and ownership based housing systems,
- develop new financial mechanisms for the improvement of the living conditions of at least one billion people worldwide who live in indecent and inhuman housing conditions,
- include the financing of housing and habitat into a necessary “Green New Deal”,
- develop international bodies and instruments which promote access to land by the poor and social regulations of land markets, which are in accordance to sustainable development standardsand human rights, also respecting land rights of indigenous people,
- carefully examine the below observations and suggestions.
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