Essex human rights expert appointed UN Special Rapporteur

The University of Essex’s Dr Koldo Casla has been appointed the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing.

The prestigious role will see Dr Casla investigate complaints of housing-related human rights abuses around the world, as well as holding states accountable for their housing standards.

Dr Casla, who has been a member of Essex’s Human Rights Centre since 2019, succeeds Balakrishnan Rajagopal in the role and continues the longstanding tradition of Human Rights Centre members who have helped to build the foundations of the international system for the protection of human rights.

He follows in the footsteps of Essex's very first UN Special Rapporteur, Sir Nigel Rodley, who taught Dr Casla when he was a student at Essex back in 2008.

Dr Casla said: “Essex has a worldwide reputation in human rights research and practice, and our academics have held the world to account for a long time.

“Nigel Rodley for torture in the 1990s, Françoise Hampson in the UN Sub-Commission for the Promotion of Human Rights and Paul Hunt in relation to the right to health, both in the 2000s, more recently Ahmed Shaheed on the situation of Human Rights in Iran, and subsequently on freedom of religion, and currently Matthew Gillett on arbitrary detention.

“It is incumbent upon all of us at Essex to live up to this commitment, making sure that the promotion of human rights locally and globally remains at the core of our philosophy as an academic institution.”

Topics covered by the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing range from evictions and homelessness and insecure housing, to the regulation of land and property, and the destruction of homes in situations of armed conflict and occupation.

Dr Casla will be conducting visits to countries around the world to help governments improve their own housing standards, and hosting discussions with non-government organisations, lawyers, academics and state officials.

He added: "We are currently facing a critically perilous period for the United Nations' international human rights framework, which is under direct assault by governments, political figures, and economic leaders worldwide.

“Today, it is more vital than ever to leverage the tools that international law offers us to advocate for housing as a fundamental human right.

"I consider my appointment as UN Special Rapporteur a profound honour, but above all, it is a significant responsibility.”

Director of the Essex Human Rights Centre, Professor Carla Ferstman, said: "We are delighted that Dr Casla has been appointed to this pivotal role,"

"It attests to his recognised expertise in this area and also underscores the Centre's commitment to seeing economic, social and cultural rights front and centre.

"We look forward to supporting Dr Casla in his important work."

The appointment of Special Rapporteur coincides with the publication of Dr Casla’s new book, The Social Right to Property: Social Function and Human Rights.

The book argues that property should be understood as a social right, meaning ownership must serve the needs of society as well as private individuals.

Using case studies from Africa, Latin America and Europe, he explores how this idea could shape issues like housing and public services while highlighting the tension between private property interests and governments’ duty to protect social rights.