‘strengthen the effectiveness of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, inter alia, by including the protection and promotion of economic, social and cultural rights in its mandate and by allocating adequate financial resources for the implementation of the Commission’s investigative and monitoring functions.’ The Committee also expressed regret that the majority of its 1995 recommendations relating to the prevention of forced evictions had not been acted upon. Moreover, deep concern was raised for the significant number of individuals evicted between 1995 and 2008, as well as the inadequacy of measures to provide those affected with compensation or adequate relocation sites. The Committee made the following recommendations34 to the Government to be adopted as a matter of priority as a measure to ensure compliance with article 11(1) of the ICESCR on the right to adequate housing: i. Ensure the effective implementation of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992 (Republic Act No. 7279) and other laws and regulations prohibiting illegal forced evictions and demolitions; ii. Reinforce the mandate of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor “as the sole clearing house for the conduct of demolition and eviction”, in accordance with Executive Order No. 152 of 2002; iii. Undertake open, participatory and meaningful consultations with affected residents and communities prior to implementing development and urban renewal projects; iv. Ensure that persons forcibly evicted from their properties be provided with adequate compensation and/or offered relocation, in accordance with section 28 of the UDHA and the guidelines adopted by the Committee in its general comment No. 7 (1997) on forced evictions; and v. 4.2 Guarantee that relocation sites are provided with basic services (including drinking water, electricity, washing and sanitation facilities) and adequate facilities (including schools, health care centres and transportation) at the time the resettlement takes place. Universal Periodic Review The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a recently established function of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to examine State compliance with human rights obligations under international law. Unlike the Committee on ESC Rights and other treaty-based monitoring bodies, the UPR process analyses all core human rights instruments applicable to the State under review. As the scope of the UPR is broader than the treaty-based bodies, the analyses of particular subject matter issues, such as housing, are likely to be less extensive. Nonetheless, the UPR proceedings also form part of the framework of international human rights law and will be considered where they provide 34 Ibid, para. 30. 26  Human Rights in the Rubble