Prioritising forced evictions on the agenda--Getting serious about prevention and remedy

A top priority for housing movements and civil society coalitions worldwide is the prevention and remedy of forced evictions, which are considered a gross violation of human rights. By ratifying international human rights treaties, States are obliged to respect, protect and fulfil human rights, including to prevent and remedy forced evictions and ensure that third parties also adhere to these human rights standards. The commitment to prevent forced evictions is also reflected in the New Urban Agenda (paras 31,107,111). Yet forced evictions remain commonplace, with 123 million people forcibly displaced in 2024 alone, 73% of which were located in low and middle-income countries (UN-Habitat). Meanwhile, preventing and remedying forced evictions seem to have “fallen off” the agenda of multilateral, national and local deliberations and action plans (2030 Agenda, SDG11; GUMF). This networking event convenes diverse WUF participants to refocus on forced evictions by learning from grassroots and civil society groups about actual cases and approaches, recalling cumulative human rights standards, and co-creating policy recommendations and actionable next steps for preventing and remedying forced evictions. This will be done in four ways: (a) briefly contextualising drivers of forced evictions (housing unaffordability crisis; over-reliance on urbanisation policies; climate-change induced disasters, conflict, occupation and war), (b) presenting local cases of civic actions to prevent and remedy forced evictions, (c) outlining international human rights standards, protections and safeguards, and the codified right to remedy for victims of gross human rights violations (e.g., forced eviction), and (d) collectively refining and defining recommendations and actionable next steps. The cases will focus on experiences at prevention and remedy such as data and observatories on forced evictions, the impact of forced evictions amid climate change and complex crises, campaigns and media strategies, paralegal approaches and evictions tribunals, collective housing and social tenure domain alternatives, approaches to assessing the impact of a violation, quantifying loss and damage and claiming reparations. The event format will consist of experience- and research-based presentations, with opportunity for Q&A and participant co-creation of actionable recommendations, including an outlook of continued collaboration beyond WUF.