The United Nations is expected to adopt a sweeping series of principles today that urge governments everywhere to ensure all refugees and persons displaced due to conflict and natural disasters are entitled to return to, recover and reside in their original homes, lands and properties. Prepared by the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Housing and Property Restitution, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro of Brazil, the ‘Pinheiro Principles’ will provide the first consolidated global standard on the housing, land and property rights of the displaced. “The best solution to the plight of millions of refugees and displaced persons around the world is to ensure they attain the right to return freely to their countries and to have restored to them housing and property of which they were deprived,” said Pinheiro. Read more about UN to adopt pathbreaking new global standard which demands return of confiscated refugee land and housing 

The Geneva-based human rights organisation the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) condemns the lifting of a temporary injunction banning the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza by the Israeli Supreme Court. “The decision of the Court to lift the injunction yesterday paves the way for further illegal demolitions to be carried out by the Israeli military. These demolitions constitute a war crime under the Geneva Conventions of 1949. This decision clearly shows Israel’s total disregard for international human rights and humanitarian law. If the highest Israeli judicial body sanctions such crimes, it is clear that Palestinians have no recourse to any form of justice,” said Scott Leckie, the Executive Director of COHRE. Read more about "These demolitions constitute a war crime"