World Habitat Day 2005

[i]Habitat International Coalition[/i]

[size=16][b][i]The Right to the City: Housing and Land Rights Day[/i][/b] 3 October 2005[/size]

Vowing that another world is possible for the 1.2 billion people with inadequate housing and more than 100 million who are homeless, the Habitat International Coalition (HIC) calls for popular action in cities, regions and countries to affirm the “Right to Land and Housing Now”. World Habitat Day, 3 October 2005, has as slogan: "The Millenium Development Goals and the City" HIC calls to make focus on the Right to the City and to encourage participating organizations to debate and suscribe to proposed the Charter of the Right to the City. [b][i]Getting involved is easy. Everyone needs a place to live in peace and dignity![/i][/b] Throughout October 2005, every person, local, national and regional organizations, social movements, NGO’s and academic institutions are called to organize public actions and events to denounce their own struggles for housing, land and access to the city services, including destructive impacts of neo-liberal development policies and economic globalization (such as: budget cuts, forced evictions, land speculation and privatization of social housing and utilities) on people’s housing and land rights across the planet. In October 2004 the HIC campaign mobilized 90 local actions in 31 countries on six continents the most extensive coordinated housing rights protest in history. There is an urgency to strengthen current campaigns and intensify public campaigning towards October 2005 and the next meeting to address the Millenium Developmente Goals (MDG+5, New York, September 6-16, 2005) ! Register your action ! Every event, no matter what size, contributes towards a another possible world. You have a part to play whether as an individual, a local or national organisation or campaign, or as an international network or campaign. Each organization would define the issues, demands and slogans for their country or city, emphasizing cutting edge local housing rights struggles which their organization is fighting for, and which will help advance their own issues locally. Local groups would be encouraged to organize an event that works for them within their resources and organizational culture, but with a press angle and preferably mass action or participation. Examples could include: a march or rally, an action to highlight vacant buildings or land, a press conference, release of a report on housing conditions/demands or a cultural activity. Be part of this initiative, please contact HIC General Secretariat Ana Sugranyes: gs@hic-net.org, acting campaign coordinator Michael Kane: naht@saveourhomes.org or HIC President, Enrique Ortiz: president@hic-net.org; or the HIC regional focal points and networks. For more information see: http://www.hic-net.org