E/CN.4/2005/21 page 15 86. Asia Villegas, an ombudsperson in the field of health and social security in Venezuela, spoke on investment in medical/sanitary programmes and public health in her country. Ms. Villegas noted that the Government of Venezuela had made much progress in the last four years in developing health policies designed to ensure social inclusion and non-discrimination. There was now a health sector policy in place guaranteeing care which is free of charge and available to all. 87. Discussions on the presentations of the panellists included the queries on the particular situation of people of African descent in countries of Latin America. One delegate recommended that an efficient health-care policy target the most vulnerable groups, such as indigenous populations, people of African descent and people of mixed descent. C. Racism and housing 88. Joseph Schechla, coordinator of the Housing and Land Rights Network of the Habitat International Coalition, entitled his presentation “Investing in housing and racism affecting people of African descent”. He began by explaining that the subject of his paper lay at the intersection of the human rights to adequate housing and to freedom from discrimination. That intersection arose from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and was codified in the major human rights treaties adopted since the 1960s. The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination embodied the human right to adequate housing and the specific prohibition against discrimination within the context of its article 5 (e) (iii). 89. Mr. Schechla explained through a series of practical examples how public policy affecting relevant housing budgets and investment patterns discriminated against people of African descent. He asserted that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had issued guidance in its general comment No. 4 on the right to adequate housing, which stipulated that: “adequate housing” is comprised of the following elements: (a) legal security of tenure; (b) availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure; (c) affordability; (d) habitability; (e) accessibility; (f) location; and (g) cultural adequacy. As examined in the general comment, the right to adequate housing could be viewed in isolation from other human rights contained in the two International Covenants on Human Rights and other applicable international instruments. 90. To combat discrimination, there was a variety of remedies which were consistent with the human right entitlement to compensation. In addition to remedies for individual or class-action victims, corrective measures to redress past discrimination through positive measures could also be effective. A State’s respect of its obligation to ensure non-discrimination in public policy required the observation of legal obligations and jurisprudential guidance to respect, defend, promote and fulfil the human right to adequate housing. 91. Selman Ergüden, Chief of the Housing Policy and Development Section and Coordinator of the United Nations Housing Rights Programme at UN-Habitat, made a presentation entitled “The global challenge on housing and human settlements: Issues of people of African descent and in Africa”.