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	A record number of attacks on aid workers by Jan Egeland Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)   17. Aug 2020   "From Syria to South Sudan, record numbers of our colleagues in conflict zones across the globe are under attack. We serve the world’s most vulnerable people with food, water and shelter, yet we are increasingly in the line of fire for trying to save lives.   "We cannot do our jobs when we risk being bombed, murdered or kidnapped.   "International humanitarian law must be upheld and respected, not flouted by warring parties that opt in and out at will. Those who attack us are not operating in a vacuum. They receive arms, funding and logistics from all over the world. Regional economic, political and military actors can help end the impunity.   "Today’s new reality of the coronavirus makes delivering aid even more dangerous. With a silent killer on the loose and restrictions on our movements to communities in need; we need diplomats, military, religious and political leaders to do more to protect our field workers from armed violence. They are not a target."   * According to Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database, major attacks against humanitarians last year surpassed all previous years on record. A total of 483 relief workers were attacked, 125 killed, 234 wounded and 124 kidnapped in 277 separate incidents.   http://www.nrc.no/news/2020/august/statement-on-aid-worker-attacks/ http://news.trust.org/item/20200819083249-y7nls http://www.nrc.no/latest-news/ http://unocha.exposure.co/meet-reallifeheroes Visit the related web page
	Ban evictions during COVID-19 pandemic by Balakrishnan Rajagopal UN special rapporteur on the right to housing   Aug. 2020   Warning of an impending tsunami of evictions, the UN's expert on housing rights today called on governments around the world to halt all evictions until the COVID-19 pandemic ends.   "I am alarmed at the global increase in forced evictions," said Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN special rapporteur on the right to housing. "The right to housing is central to any response to the pandemic, but now we are seeing an acceleration in evictions and home demolitions."   "Losing your home during this pandemic could mean losing your life," he added. "The rights to life and adequate housing are intrinsically linked."   Even though some governments have put in place temporary bans on forced evictions, many people continue to lose their homes. More than 11,000 people were thrown out of their homes in Brazil and Kenya, and more are at risk of eviction. Forced relocation is a threat in countries like Haiti and increasing in many others, and Rajagopal emphasised that the danger is global.   "Temporary bans in many countries have ended or are coming to an end, and this raises serious concerns that a tsunami of evictions may follow," he warned. "Governments must not allow people to become homeless during this pandemic because they lose their job and cannot pay their rent or mortgage."   A moratorium is also essential on clearing encampments or tent cities of homeless people, he said.   "Forced evictions are an outrageous violation of human rights, including the right to adequate housing," Rajagopal said. "During a pandemic, when people are asked to stay home to protect themselves and others, forced evictions are even more odious and may constitute grave violations of humanitarian law."   He warned that when people are deprived of shelter, they become more vulnerable to COVID-19 "and this heightens the risk of widespread contagion."   "I call upon all States to comply with their human rights obligations and ensure that no one is left in a position of increased vulnerability to COVID-19," he said.   Individuals, families or communities that have already been evicted must be guaranteed access to justice, he said. He called on governments to follow the guidance note on forced evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic issued by his predecessor.   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/HousingIndex.aspx http://unhousingrapp.org/why-housing http://unhousingrapp.org/resources http://bit.ly/35kGwzs http://knowyourcity.info/blog/ http://gcap.global/covid-19/ http://www.actionaid.org.uk/blog/news/2020/05/15/why-coronavirus-is-a-catastrophe-in-the-worlds-most-densely-packed-locations http://www.socialprotectionfloorscoalition.org/news/ http://www.cesr.org/covid19 http://srpoverty.org/newsroom/latest-activities/ Visit the related web page
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