Geneva, March 6 (ANI): At the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Neha, a social activist representing Rajasthan Samgrah Kalyan Sansthan (RSKS), urged governments and international bodies to take urgent, inclusive action to address the global housing crisis during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing. She argued that safe housing must be recognised as a fundamental human right, not merely a policy goal.
Welcoming the Special Rapporteur’s report, Neha highlighted the scale of the problem, noting that more than 1.6 billion people worldwide live in inadequate or insecure housing. She said the crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable groups—women, persons with disabilities, migrants and marginalised communities—who face multiple layers of discrimination limiting their access to stable housing.
Neha warned that lack of secure housing perpetuates poverty and restricts access to health, education and economic opportunities, reinforcing structural inequalities and undermining dignity and basic rights. She called on states to adopt inclusive, rights-based housing frameworks that guarantee affordability, security of tenure, accessibility and resilience to climate-related risks.
With rapid urbanisation and environmental challenges escalating, she stressed that vulnerable communities are often the first to experience displacement and housing instability. Neha urged stronger international collaboration, data-driven policymaking and meaningful community participation to ensure housing rights for all.
Highlighting India’s efforts, she pointed to the country’s constitutional focus on social justice and large-scale housing initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, which has sanctioned over 50 million affordable homes for economically weaker sections and disadvantaged groups. She noted the programme’s emphasis on women’s empowerment, with more than 70 percent of rural houses registered in women’s names, and said India’s housing schemes increasingly link homes to essential services—water, sanitation, electricity and digital connectivity—to promote dignified living standards.
Neha concluded by urging the global community to work collectively to make the right to adequate housing a universal reality rather than a privilege. (ANI)
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