E/C.12/FRA/CO/4
accommodation of Travellers. The Committee invites the State party to refer to its
general comments No. 4 (1991) on the right to adequate housing and No. 7 (1997) on
the right to adequate housing: forced evictions.
Right to housing in overseas departments and regions and overseas communities
41.
The Committee finds it regrettable that so many persons are living in informal
settlements in overseas departments. In addition, inasmuch as national statistics do not
indicate that these departments are subject to shortages, the Committee is concerned at the
insufficiency of the measures taken to address the situation and at the fact that flexibility in
the allocation of budgetary resources translates into a failure to set priorities for action. The
Committee also finds the length of the waiting list for social housing to be regrettable (art.
11).
42.
The Committee urges the State party to take the following actions in the course
of its implementation of the overseas housing plan:
(a)
Ensure that Act No. 2011-725 of 23 June 2011, which sets forth specific
provisions regarding informal settlements and measures designed to do away with
substandard housing in overseas departments and regions and overseas communities,
supports the right to housing and is aligned with international standards regarding
forced evictions;
(b)
Take steps, as a matter of urgency, to upgrade or clear informal
settlements in consultation with their inhabitants and allocate the necessary funds for
that purpose;
(c)
Provide supplementary social benefits until such time as social housing is
made available.
43.
The Committee invites the State party to refer to the Basic Principles and
Guidelines on Development-Based Evictions and Displacement (see A/HRC/4/18,
annex I).
Disparities in the enjoyment of the right to health
44.
The Committee notes with concern the limited nature of access to health services in
priority urban zones and in rural areas where medical personnel are in short supply (arts. 12
and 2 (2)).
45.
The Committee requests the State party to regularly monitor the effectiveness of the
mechanisms put in place as part of the national health strategy to expand access to health
services in priority urban zones and in rural areas where medical personnel are in short
supply, to appraise their impact on the enjoyment of the right to health and to take
corrective action if necessary.
46.
The Committee is concerned by the unfavourable situation with respect to the
enjoyment of the right to health in overseas departments and regions and overseas
communities. Among the problem areas identified in the National Overseas Health Strategy,
it wishes to draw attention, in particular, to the high rates of maternal and infant mortality
in Mayotte and in French Guiana (arts. 12 and 2 (2)).
47.
In addition to the measures provided for in the National Overseas Health
Strategy, the Committee urges the State party to:
(a)
Invest more resources in the most disadvantaged departments in order
to equalize the level of health expenditure per capita;
(b)
GE.16-12027
Deploy more qualified health-care personnel to overseas territories;
9