Housing and Property Restitution Rights of Refugees and Displaced Persons Laws, Cases, and Materials

The legal recognition of the housing, land, and property rights of refugees and displaced persons has expanded steadily in recent years as the realization has grown that securing these rights will be beneficial to long-term peace, stability, economic vitality and justice. This volume, first published in 2007, contains more than 240 of the laws, cases and materials that have been adopted during the past century, which accord those unjustly and arbitrarily displaced from their homes and lands with rights: not simply to return to their countries or places of origin, but to return to the original home, land or property from which they were initially forced to flee. The breadth of the restitution standards found within this volume, combined with selected examples of case law and other materials, are a clear indication that a right to housing, land, and property restitution for refugees and displaced persons has emerged within the global legal domain.

Part I. Housing and Property Restitution Standards - International: 1. International standards; 2. Peace agreements; 3. Voluntary repatriation agreements; 4. UN High Commissioner for refugees; 5. UN Security Council; 6. UN General Assembly; 7. UN Commission on Human Rights; 8. UN Sub-Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights; 9. UN Human Rights Treaty bodies; 10. Additional standards; Part II. Housing and Property Restitution Standards - Regional: 1. Africa; 2. Americas; 3. Europe; 4. Middle East; Part III. Housing and Property Restitution Laws and Standards - National: 1. Afghanistan; 2. Albania; 3. Armenia; 4. Azerbaijan; 5. Bosnia-Herzegovina; 6. Bulgaria; 7. Colombia; 8. Estonia; 9. Georgia; 10. Germany; 11. Iraq; 12. Kosovo; 13. Romania; 14. Rwanda; 15. South Africa; 16. Tajikistan; Part IV. Housing and Property Restitution Case Law: 1. Permanent Court of International Justice; 2. International Court of Justice; 3. Human Rights Committee; 4. European Court of Human Rights; Part V. Useful Resources on Housing and Property Restitution: 1. General resources; 2. Country/regional resources; 3. Useful websites.

Scott Leckie is an international human rights lawyer and advocate. He is active in many fields, including economic and social rights, housing rights, forced evictions, housing and property restitution rights for refugees and displaced persons, human rights issues in post-conflict and post-disaster situations, business, and human rights.