Hoping to Return Home: Housing, Land and Property Restitution Rights for Bhutanese Refugees and Displaced Persons

In support of the right of Bhutanese refugees and displaced persons to return to their homes and lands in Bhutan, and based on the United Nations Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons (the ˜Pinheiro Principles'), COHRE actively promotes the right to housing, land and property (HLP) restitution. Building on past efforts in this area, COHRE has conducted an in-depth analysis of the HLP restitution rights of Bhutanese refugees and displaced persons, focusing on the issue of the right to return based restitution in light of the third-country resettlement offer, as well as on the specific challenges that exist in effectively implementing the right to housing, land and property restitution. COHRE undertook two field missions to Nepal and the Indo-Bhutan border at the end of 2007 and the beginning of 2008. It has conducted several training sessions for relevant stakeholders and produced three publications on the right to housing, land and property restitution for Bhutanese refugees and displaced persons.