Intl. Leaders Support the Approval of New Chilean Referendum

An international group of intellectuals and social leaders signed a letter in support of the inclusion of the right to housing and the city in the upcoming Chilean referendum on a new constitution and called for approval of the said constitution.

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In the declaration, which includes prominent personalities from around the world related to the right to housing and the city, said they value "leaving behind a constitution imposed in a dictatorship" and consider that the new referendum on a new constitution "represents the beginning of a series of transformations aimed at guaranteeing a dignified and sustainable habitat."

In the letter, they warn of the housing problems faced by the majority of the global population, where they highlight "the expulsion of inhabitants from their homes, the rise in rent prices in cities, low accessibility to acquire a home or the high levels of real estate speculation have destroyed the lives of millions of people around the world."

On the other hand, they emphasized the incorporation of gender and environmental perspectives; in addition, they highlighted "the role of the State in guaranteeing the availability of land and the necessary capture of capital gains, as well as the role of communities and community habitat management processes."

Finally, they referred to the right to the city and to the mechanisms that will subsequently emerge to ensure property's social and ecological function, a right also guaranteed in the New Constitution. The document closes by saying they look mainly at the process since "Chile today represents hope."

Among the signatories are former housing ministers from Latin America, long-time academics such as Richard Sennett and Saskia Sassen, and retired United Nations housing rights rapporteurs such as Leilani Farah and Raquel Rolnik, and Adriana Allen, President of Habitat International Coalition.

In addition to these, activists, social leaders, and researchers from prestigious universities in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador, Canada, the United States, Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Scotland also signed the declaration.