A/HRC/28/62 I. Introduction 1. In her report to the General Assembly (A/69/274), the Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context, Leilani Farha, identified the significant responsibilities of local and other subnational governments for key aspects of housing and related programmes. She noted that effective engagement with those levels of government was critical to promoting the implementation of the right to adequate housing. Given the importance of local and other subnational governments to all aspects of the mandate, she has decided to address that theme in her first thematic report to the Human Rights Council pursuant to resolutions 15/8 and 25/17. 2. In the present report, the term “local and other subnational levels of government” refers to everything from rural villages to large metropolitan areas, boroughs to provinces, and recognizes that there are usually multiple levels of local government within a single country.1 3. The Special Rapporteur solicited and received information and views on the issue from States, civil society and national human rights institutions. 2 She held an informal consultation in New York with civil society, a public consultation in Geneva with delegates of permanent missions, and a two-day consultation with experts in housing, human rights and local governance from around the world. The Special Rapporteur is grateful for the information and guidance received. 4. Over the last three decades, global trends toward decentralization, rapid urbanization and the creation of megacities, as well as a significant rise in displacement caused by conflict and natural disasters, and increased migration, have placed new and challenging responsibilities on local and other subnational governments with respect to housing. Effective strategies for the promotion and realization of the right to adequate housing must engage with and respond to those challenges. 5. International human rights obligations extend to all levels of government within their allocated sphere of responsibilities. International human rights mechanisms, however, interact primarily with national level governments. Trends toward decentralization and greater responsibilities for local and subnational governments have meant that States’ obligations under international human rights law rely increasingly on implementation by local and subnational government. There is a general concern that responsibilities may be transferred away from national level governments without a concomitant transfer of resources, knowledge, capacity and accountability for human rights obligations with respect to the right to adequate housing. 3 6. While continuing to engage in direct dialogue with national level governments, the international human rights system must also engage constructively with challenges and developments at the local or subnational levels. That is particularly the case with respect to 1 2 3 United Cities and Local Governments, The role of local and regional authorities in the UN Development Agenda Post-2015, December 2012. Available from www.uclg.org/sites/default/files/Summary_The%20role%20of%20local%20and%20regional%20auth orities%20in%20the%20development%20agenda%20post-2015.pdf. All responses to questionnaires are available from www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/Questionnaire-forwebsite.aspx. In the present report, the term “responsibilities” is generally used to refer to domestically assigned authority or roles with respect to housing. The term “obligations”, on the other hand, refers to what is required for compliance with the right to adequate housing. 3