REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - United Nations Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik is conducting her first official visit to Indonesia from 30 May to 11 June 2013. Her visit aims to collect first-hand information on the progressive realization of the right to adequate housing in the country, particularly with regard to the poor and other marginalized groups.
“Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, faces a unique combination of challenges in promoting and protecting the right to adequate housing, such as rapid urbanization, a high proportion of households living in informal settlements and acute vulnerability to climate change,” Rolnik said in a written statement.
“I see this visit as a great opportunity to assess the various policies and programmes the Indonesian Government has been developing to address these compound challenges,” she added.
Rolnik is the independent expert charged by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the right to adequate housing worldwide. The Special Rapporteur will devote specific attention to Government’s efforts to promote access to affordable housing for low income households, and to programmes to increase tenure security.
The independent human rights expert, who goes to Indonesia at the invitation of the Government, will visit communities in Jakarta as well as in other provinces during her two-week mission.
Rolnik will hold meetings with senior Government representatives, including officials from various ministries working on housing issues. She will also meet with representatives of the UN system, the donor community, non-governmental organizations, individuals and communities. A comprehensive report with her findings and recommendations will be presented in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014.