Raquel Rolnik asks Algeria to answer 10 questions about housing crisis

Special Rapporteur on adequate housing Raquel Rolnik put 10 questions to be answered by the Algerian government. The answers will be evaluated and discussed in the 25th session of the Human Rights Council due to be held in the Swiss capital Geneva next March.

The questions are contained in a four-page document. An important part is about people who were driven out from their houses. Some of the questions are like this: “is there any law or organization which recognizes or ensures legal protection for house owners? Is there any law or organization which protects against driving out people from their houses? Who are the people protected by those legislations?”

As for housing acquisition, the Rapporteur asked whether the national legislation determines types of housing acquisition. “Can the national legislation ensure houses or lands property?

Rolnik asked about the number of people who are not protected in terms of housing acquisition, the number of married couples who live in illegal institutions and the number of people who can not afford paying rented houses.

The UN’s Rapporteur also asked about the situation of poor people. “Are there any policies, projects or programs meant to find a property rights-related legal solution for poor residents and people who live in cities in illegal conditions? Do urbanism organizations on national or local level include planning mechanisms for the poor such as housing areas?”