International and national obligations to the right to housing
Ireland has obligations under international agreements to provide for the right to housing. Article 25 of the United Declaration on Human Rights (UDHR) provides that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services”. Similarly, Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) provides that States Parties recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing and to the continuous improvement of living conditions”. States which have signed this Covenant are obligated to ‘take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right’.
