Following the Salzano-Roussopulos dialogue on the right to the city and
common goods, the workshop on zero evictions, and the international meeting of
those negatively affected by real estate markets, the first day of the Urban
Social Forum (which brings together social movements and organizations from
various countries) came to a close on September 3 with the Tribunal on evictions and land
grabbing, held opposite the exhibition grounds where UN-Habitat’s World Urban Forum
(WUF 6) is being held in Naples, Italy.
The USF Tribunal demanded governments and UN-Habitat to “Stop evictions
all over the world” and stop ignoring this highly dramatic issue which has
aggravated by the crisis not only in Europe but all over the world. Facing the
doors of the WUF6, participants held up banners which documented 18 case
studies of an unprecedented global crisis that has affected between 60 and 70
million people around the world.
Country case studies included Angola, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Burkina Faso,
Cambodia, Egypt, Germany, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru,
Spain, Portugal, Turkey and highlighted the tremendous impact provoked by
mega-projects, mega-events, land grabbing, monocultures, and unsustainable rent and
mortgages. UN-Habitat did not include these uncomfortable issues from their official
agenda. However, Raquel Rolnik, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate
Housing (who has an independent mandate, much more closely aligned to the
reality of the people than to UN-Habitat), emphasized that evictions are serious
violations of the right to housing and the legal obligations of states that
have signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
(ICESCR). The right to housing presents a strong case on the incompatibility of
the crisis and neoliberal recipes for human rights.
Speeches were made by representatives of several of the case studies,
and included a strong accusation of Italian institutions for the 250,000
families that are facing a threat of eviction, the majority for default on
payments as well as due to the demolition of “le Vele di Scampia”, a housing
complex built in Naples during the 1970s and considered a ghetto beyond repair
by the complex’s own inhabitants.
The Tribunal concluded with a call to mobilize around rights related to habitat for World Habitat Day in October.
Click here to see a video of the Tribunal.
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The USF continued today in the IPSAR
(Piazza Bagnoli,1) with the
following events:
- ABC Bagnoli, exposition
on urban transformation in Bagnoli (all day) - Video: Arenili Insurgenti” documentary on struggles for the right to the
sea (all
day) - European Assembly of Movements for the right to
housing. Necessities and possibilities to defend the right to inhabit in the European
context. 9am – 10:30am - Debate:
What beach do we want? The Italian reality between pollution, labour
exploitation, prívate consessions and the Bolkestein Directive. 10:30am – 1pm - Water:
A right for all? 2pm – 5pm - Tour of the Bagnoli-Coroglio coast from Piazza
Bagnoli. 5pm – 8pm - Roundtable:
From Taranto to Vasl di Susa, how to defend health and the environment by
aquiring and guaranteeing a secure job for all. 6pm – 8pm
Read
the complete USF program here.
For
further information, please contact the USF Organizing Committee:
Tel: 320-236-3156 / 333-357-6348
Email: info@forumsocialeurbanonapoli.org
