as a condition to qualify for a rebuilding grant scheme. As a result, tens of thousands of people were left out of reconstruction, many of whom are from disadvantaged groups that did not have land ownership certificates. Later, the government took some limited steps such as land registration initiatives for the landless. It remains to be seen whether recent government policy changes will be able to remedy the situation for the most disadvantaged.13 In Rome, Italy, Amnesty International found that Roma living in camps are effectively excluded from social housing. Despite their numerous and repeated applications, only a handful of Romani families were recorded as living in some of the 50,000 social housing properties. The prioritization of criteria, within the social housing allocation system, meant that the Roma were effectively barred from equal access to social housing. Amnesty International’s recommendations to the Italian authorities included ensuring effective access to social housing by all, including Roma, and that the allocation of social housing is based on principles of non-discrimination, fairness, transparency, accountability and participation.14 These and other cases of exclusion of certain sections of society highlight the lack of effective participation of affected people and the failure of governments to ensure that the rights of the most disadvantaged are upheld. 7. SOME KEY MEASURES FOR ACHIEVING A HUMANRIGHTS COMPLIANT HOUSING STRATEGY Key components of a human rights compliant housing strategy that would uphold commitments made by governments as part of the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda must include the concrete measures that: 7.1 ADEQUATE HOUSING • Prioritize a basic level of housing for everyone, especially homeless people and set out time-limited goals to progressively improve housing conditions. • Prioritize provision of services, including minimum essential levels of safe water and sanitation. • Ensure that the costs of housing and materials to build homes are made affordable through the provision of subsidies and soft loans where applicable, particularly for the poorest people. 7.2 LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY 13 • Recognize and protect the right to adequate housing as a legal right, enforceable by the courts. • Guarantee every person a minimum level of security of tenure and protection against forced evictions. • Adopt and implement of a law which prohibits forced evictions and which sets out safeguards that must be complied with prior to any eviction. • Review and modify rules and regulations on housing construction, planning and zoning to promote housing for all and try and make it easier rather than harder for people living in poverty to build or maintain their homes. For details, see Amnesty International, ‘Building Inequality: The Failure of the Nepali Government to Protect the Marginalised in Post- Earthquake Reconstruction Efforts’, 25 April 2017, Index number: ASA 31/6071/2017 For details, see Amnesty International, ‘Double Standards: Italy’s Housing Policies Discriminate Against Roma’ 2013, Index number: EUR 30/008/2013 14 EFFECTIVE HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED HOUSING STRATEGIES SUBMISSION TO THE UN 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 Amnesty International 7