Call for submissions on the Netherlands in advance of country visit
Issued by
Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing
Deadline
20 May 2022
Issued by
Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing
Deadline
20 May 2022
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Mr Balakrishnan Rajagopal, will conduct an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 9 to 20 June 2022, at the invitation of the Government of the Netherlands. His visit aims at assessing the efforts to protect the right to adequate housing in the Netherlands.
The Special Rapporteur invites all interested individuals and organizations, including civil society organizations, activists, and academics, to provide input on the priority issues listed below to assist him in preparing for the visit.
The Special Rapporteur is an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council who regularly undertakes country visits to report on human rights issues. Visits, which typically last for ten days to two weeks, include meetings between the Special Rapporteur and individuals whose right to adequate housing is affected, public officials, members of parliamentary and judicial bodies, official institutions, civil society organizations, and academics. At the conclusion of country visits, the Special Rapporteur presents a detailed statement of his initial findings. He subsequently submits a final report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The report informs other processes, including the review of the country in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Human Rights Council and by human rights treaty bodies.
The Special Rapporteur, Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, assumed his function as Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing on 1 May 2020. He is Professor of Law and Development at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A lawyer by training, he is an expert on many areas of human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights, the UN system, and the human rights challenges posed by development activities.
Respondents are requested to limit their comments to a maximum of 2,000 words. Additional supporting materials, such as reports, academic studies, and other background materials may be annexed to the submission.
While all submissions are welcome, the Special Rapporteur would be grateful for comments that address topics such as:
While the Special Rapporteur will only visit the territory of the Kingdom in Western Europe, written submissions from Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba would also be very welcome.
The Special Rapporteur’s visit will lead to a detailed end of mission statement on 20 June 2022, and a final report presented to the UN Human Rights Council in February-March 2023.