IAI: Quito Declaration
1st Social Forum of the Americas (Quito, 25-30 of July 2004)
The International Alliance of Inhabitants acknowledges the accomplishments of the 1st Social Forum of the Americas (Quito, 25-30 of July 2004) and is committed to keep on participating in an active manner in the collective effort of social organisations of the American continent to construct a more just, fraternal and solidary America. In the present circumstances, this challenge requires more than ever, a steadfast union amongst of all those involved. We must fight to build a different world and effectively co-ordinate all the initiatives, which are still dispersed, to peacefully solve all the conflicts and the serious problems that plague us, while respecting the fundamental rights of the American people and in this way guarantee the autonomy of the countries of the region.
Adequate housing for all
Evictions zero and alternative financing of public housing policies
For these reasons we invite all the settlers, local inhabitants, workers, citizens, professionals, local officials and governments, men and women, to:
- Endorse the international campaign: "Zero Evictions: for safeguarding land and housing tenure and securing access to land and house for lower income families". This campaign advocates the mobilisation of settlers and institutions from civil society at the international level, to stop evictions by sensitising public officials so that the necessary policy measures are taken in regards to tenure, so as to provide settlers with legal security and prevent forced evictions. Towards this end we decided to start up a unitary system of regional alerts against violations of the right to housing on the web site. We ask for the endorsement of the United Nations for this initiative.
- To incite the creation of an International Solidary Fund whose resources come, among others, from the reduction of the external debt of the countries of the region. This Fund must be administered with the participation civil society institutions and under control of social organisations. Resources from the Fund will be used to finance public programmes for land tenancy, housing and betterment of precarious districts.
- In relation to the two previous articles, we must formulate and put forth housing policy for the region, an alternative to the one promoted by multilateral organisations in our countries. This new policy must surpass the approach based exclusively on market logic, which focuses its efforts in providing costly and limited subsidies, whose sole purpose is the reactivation of the construction sector and not overcoming deplorable living conditions which millions of people suffer in our region.
Quito, July 28th 2004.