Almost one billion people around the world fear losing their homes or land within five years, with owners and tenants in Burkina Faso and the Philippines the most concerned, a survey of 140 nations showed on Wednesday. “Land and housing insecurity is a huge issue hiding in plain sight,” said Malcolm Childress, executive director of the Global Land Alliance, a Washington-based think tank that compiles the index with the British Overseas Development Institute. People in the Philippines and Burkina Faso reported the highest levels of concern, with nearly half of respondents (48 per cent and 44 per cent) fearing their homes could be taken away. “It’s not surprising, given the unrest in both Burkina and the Philippines, that expressed levels of insecurity are rising,” said Karol Boudreaux, chief programme officer at land rights charity Landesa. “We already have a lot of insecurity globally and the pandemic has thrown a huge shock on top of that,” he said.

Source: Standard Digital July 23, 2020 14:37 UTC