UN report calls for upgrading of informal settlements rather than evictions and relocations

SAfm — The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Leilani Farha, has presented a report that found that informal settlements represent a "systemic human rights violation" that arises as a result of state action. Her report urges states to adopt a human rights-based approach to informal settlements by urgently upgrading informal settlements and avoiding relocations or evictions. Nearly a quarter of the world's urban population lives in informal settlements where residents often live without water and sanitation and are in constant fear of eviction. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Senior Researcher at the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, Michael Clark