Housing, land and property

Individuals affected by humanitarian emergencies increasingly live in urban areas, informal settlements and collective centres,rather than in camps or planned settlements. Humanitarian actors need to consider the challenges and opportunities that thisevolution presents for displaced persons with disabilities.206

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized in 1948 that adequate housing is part of the right to an adequate standardof living. Article 25(1) states that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-beingof himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services”. The InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) also recognized the right to adequate housing, which is understoodto include legal security of tenure; the availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; affordability;habitability; accessibility; location; and cultural adequacy.207

The right to property is understood as the right to enjoy one's house, land and other property possessions without interferenceor discrimination. In a humanitarian context, realization of this right may involve safeguarding property and possessionsthat have been left behind by people fleeing conflict or natural hazard from looting, destruction, or arbitrary or illegalappropriation, occupation or use.208

Disputes over housing, land and property (HLP) are common in humanitarian contexts due to secondary occupation, loss of ownershipdocuments, illegal or forced sales, insecurity of tenure, unequal distribution of land, and ongoing grievances over land andproperty.209

HLP-related risks and impacts

The following guidance will assist humanitarian actors working in HLP to identify and remove barriers faced by persons withdisabilities, as well as their families, support persons and caregivers, when they try to access HLP programmes in humanitariansettings.