A/HRC/28/62 regional and local authorities in order to reconcile related policies with the obligations under the Covenant.7 The Committee on the Rights of the Child further clarifies that State parties must also ensure that local authorities “have the necessary financial, human and other resources to effectively discharge [their] responsibilities”. 8 III. Responsibilities of local and other subnational governments in relation to the right to adequate housing 11. There is significant diversity among States as to how responsibilities with respect to housing and related programmes are allocated among different levels of governments. Within a range of domestic contexts and unique histories, however, it is clear that local and other subnational levels of government usually carry critical responsibilities linked to the implementation of the right to adequate housing. As noted by UN-Habitat, national housing strategies require local level implementation, reviews of laws and regulations, planning, and financial instruments and formulation, mobilization of stakeholders, and adoption of local housing strategies drawing on local innovation and know-how.9 12. General patterns demonstrate that certain responsibilities are often exercised more effectively by national level governments while other responsibilities tend to be better suited to local governments. National level governments are often better placed to ensure a fair distribution of resources, so that areas with fewer resources and greater needs are not simply left to fend for themselves. National level governments usually have greater capacity to develop and enforce national standards, to monitor and compare programmes and outcomes in different regions and localities, to finance housing programmes, regulate mortgages and credit, fund housing subsidy and income support programmes, and oversee taxation and resource allocation. To varying degrees, national governments may also attempt to influence or direct the policies of local and other subnational governments through incentives, conditions, priorities or required outcomes linked to the provision of funding for locally administered programmes.10 13. Local governments, on the other hand, tend to be assigned responsibilities for provision and management of services such as water, sanitation, electricity and other infrastructure; land-use planning, zoning and development, which relates to decisions regarding evictions, displacement and relocation; implementing programmes to upgrade informal settlements and inadequate housing; enforcing health, safety, environmental and building standards; providing local emergency shelter; putting in place or implementing 7 8 9 10 Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing, para. 12. Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 5 (2003) on general measures of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, para. 41. UN-Habitat Global Housing Strategy Framework Document. Available from www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/SHS/pdf/Workshop-Social-Inclusion_UNHabitat.pdf, para. 51. See, for example, the response to the questionnaire (see note 2 above) from the national human rights institution in Paraguay (Defensoría del Pueblo Paraguay), where national programmes are administered through nine regional offices that partner with municipal governments, civil society and private actors to identify the most vulnerable groups and determine appropriate actions. In the response to the questionnaire from the Rwanda Human Rights Commission, the national level government establishes strategies and policies in relation to housing which are then implemented by districts and sectors according to the terms of performance contracts. Local governments have the flexibility to develop partnerships with international donors, as well as with community organizations to build housing for the poor, genocide survivors, the elderly and other vulnerable groups. 5