LAND
Most projects require land. How land is acquired plays a crucial role in enhancing or eroding human rights.
Pressure for access to land can lead to forced evictions and the displacement of local populations. People most at risk are frequently those with the least power to challenge it – the poorest and most marginalised members of society, particularly those living in informal settlements; and Indigenous people.
Click the overarching and stage-specific principles below to review the guiding questions across this stage. These questions will help you to identify the main human rights risks and opportunities and develop a tailored action plan.
No-one is forcibly evicted from their home, in accordance with international standards
Guiding questions
Is there a risk of forced evictions taking place, and if so what measures have been taken to prevent them from happening? Forced evictions are defined by the UN as: "The permanent or temporary removal against their will of individuals, families and/or communities from the homes and/or land which they occupy, without the provision of, and access to, appropriate forms of legal or other protection".
Stories and illustrative examples
International standards and tools
OHCHR and UN Habitat: "Forced evictions"
OHCHR: "Basic principles and guidelines on development-based evictions and displacement"