ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the specific rights addressed by the Committee in its General Comments and by so doing to provide an overview of the effective role of the Committee in promoting and enforcing Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It analyses only the General Comments dealing with substantive rights, as other General Comments which focus on procedural issues, such as General Comments Nos 1, 2, 3, 9 and 10. The chapter also considers the legal significance of General Comments in the development of international law, as they are specific documents that may have a particular importance for the interpretation and application of human rights by States and by other international institutions. Forced evictions are often linked to actions by States or other governmental actors. They may represent a major violation of this right because the ‘fundamental obligation of Governments is to protect and improve houses and neighbourhoods, rather than damage or destroy them’.
