The right to life and the right to housing are indivisible and interdependent. The right to life cannot be separated from the right to a secure place to live, and the right to a secure place to live only has meaning in the context of a right to live in dignity and security, free of violence.
Homelessness is a global human rights crisis directly linked to increased inequality of wealth and property, and of the failure of States to adhere to their international human rights obligations, requiring urgent attention grounded in the right to housing.
The right to housing must guide the development and implementation of a New Urban Agenda, adopted at Habitat III in October 2016, engaging the transformative qualities of the right to housing in cities.
In the context of the a trend towards decentralization of responsibilities, local and subnational governments should be cognizant of and accountable to the human rights obligations that go along with their growing responsibilities.
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