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1. The Land and Housing Working Group (hereafter “the Working Group’’) comprised of Cambodian and international human rights organisations working in Cambodia which includes – Borderlands Cooperative, Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia (BABSEA), Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF), Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) and the NGO Forum on Cambodia, respectfully submits this parallel report concerning Cambodia for consideration by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (hereafter “the Committee”) at its 42nd Session to be held 4-22 May 2009.
2. The Working Group is aware of the Cambodian Government’s (hereafter “the Government”) stated efforts to comply with its obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (hereafter “the Covenant”), as detailed in its State Party Report 2008 on Covenant implementation to the Committee. These measures have been insufficient to ensure the implementation of the Covenant with regard to Article 11(1) on the right to adequate housing, as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living. The Government has failed in its obligations to protect, respect and fulfil the right to adequate housing as interpreted by the Committee in its General Comments No. 4 on the right to adequate housing and General Comment No. 7 on forced evictions. While this failure has occurred with respect to most or all elements of the right to adequate housing, this report focuses on the most severe violation of the right, the failure to guarantee legal security of tenure and the resulting epidemic of forced evictions across Cambodia.
