Special Rapporteur on Housing visits Scotland

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Housing has spent three days in Scotland as part of a mission to the United Kingdom.

Mrs Raquel Rolnik, an expert in urban planning and architecture, met with a wide range of civil society and third sector organisations as well as with the Scottish Human Rights Commission as part of the mission.

Mrs Rolnik also made a number of site visits to different housing projects in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Before her trip to Scotland Mrs Rolnick said: "The UK has voiced its commitment to human rights on repeated occasions, and this mission will give me an opportunity to assess in-depth to what extent adequate housing, as one central aspect of the right to an adequate standard of living, is at the core of this commitment.

"The UK faces a unique moment, when the challenge to promote and protect the right to adequate housing for all is on the agenda.

"In doing so, special attention would need to be given to responding to the specific situations of various population groups, in particular low-income households and other marginalised individuals and groups."

The visit - at the invitation of the Uk Government - includes visits to London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and Manchester. The Special Rapporteur will travel from Scotland to Northern Ireland, and then to England as part of the week long visit.

Her report giving observations about housing in Scotland and the U.K. will be published early in 2014.

For more information about the work of the Special Rapporteur see this page.