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Zero Evictions Campaign

Let's organize the World Zero Evictions Days 2008!

We hereby invite : inhabitants’, tenants’, homeless, landless, immigrants’ associations; co-operatives, committees and social centres as well as urban social movements all across the world to increase their own initiatives (i.e. marches, press conferences, sit-ins, solidarity days, blocks, meetings, etc)

The World Habitat Day (Luanda, 6 October 2008) and the World Urban Forum (Nanjing, 3-6 November 2008), even because of the controversial decision to be organised in countries that have proceeded with massive demolitions and evictions in the name of modernisation based on neo-liberal visions, are the best occasions to markedly show the fury of inhabitants.

In fact, a further 700 million inhabitants will soon be forced to join the existing one billion people who are homeless or living in bad housing conditions, according to a census taken by the UN. This constitutes a serious violation of the security of human settlements because:

  • it violates the serenity of people, families and communities constrained to the continual and precarious search for refuge instead of peacefully dedicating their time to the construction of secure, dignified and free cities and settlements;
  • it demonstrates not only that the violations of established international rights go unpunished, but that these violations are often encouraged in the name of neoliberal progress;
  • it breaks every social pact for civil cohabitation founded upon the respect for rights, justice, sustainability and the construction of a common future;
  • it determines the failure of Objective No. 7-11 of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), thus undermining the hope and credibility of the public institutions and of the United Nations.

Fortunately at this time there are numerous campaigns by inhabitants across the globe for the right to secure housing, fighting against evictions and mass evacuations due to financial and property investments for the creation of infrastructures and mega projects, social, economic, racial, and gender discrimination, privatisation, wars, natural disasters and corruption.

The Zero Evictions Campaign has effectively contributed to giving a voice to the inhabitants and their cultures, thus giving rise to resistance and achieving important results in various countries.

However, this is not enough: it is necessary to create a united space of social urban movements in which to share experiences and feedback, common strategies and joint initiatives which take into account different cultures and paces, and that are capable of reinforcing resistance and alternative proposals.

For this reason we are launching an appeal to organise the World Zero Evictions Days 2008 as concrete follow-up, of the Global Campaign : Act together for housing for all! decided by the IAI, FAL and HIC during the WSF in Nairobi and as a collective preparatory exercise of the World Assembly of Inhabitants planned for 2011.

We hereby invite : inhabitants’, tenants’, homeless, landless, immigrants’ associations; co-operatives, committees and social centres as well as urban social movements all across the world to increase their own initiatives (i.e. marches, press conferences, sit-ins, solidarity days, blocks, meetings, etc) by planning them within the framework of the “World Zero Eviction Days for secure housing rights”, in order to:

  • Denounce the threat of forced evictions, demolitions and housing apartheid;
  • Block property and land evictions and auction sales of the homes of victims of mortgage fraud;
  • Campaign against privatisation, liberalisation and corruption within housing and land sectors;
  • Support campaigns for land reforms and the requisition of vacant lodgings used for speculation;
  • Support the cancellation of foreign debt through the constitution of the People’s Fund for Housing and Land which should be controlled by inhabitants’ organisations;
  • Support the active reconstruction of settlements destroyed by natural disasters and wars;
  • Request that local administrations and national governments declare their territories “eviction free” by applying adequate policies;
  • Relaunch ongoing Zero Evictions Campaigns and propose new campaigns.

We strongly invite local authorities, national and regional governments, the United Nations, in particular UN-Habitat and the Advisory Group on Forced Evictions (AGFE) to support these initiatives which adhere to article 11 of ICESCR, so as to attain the objectives of the MDG, particularly No. 7-11.

No more isolated campaigns!

Because only joint efforts, solidarity and justice can secure the right to housing!

INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF INHABITANTS

September 2008

Send your proposal for World Zero Evictions Days !

We will publish it on a special interactive multilingual page of , the site for housing rights without borders, which has more than 180,000 hits each month.