Miloon Kothari Explained

Education:	Maharaja Sayajirao University Columbia University (BA) Pratt Institute (BArch)
Known For:	United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing (2000–2008)

Miloon Kothari is a scholar and activist who served from 2000 to 2008 as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on adequate housing with the Human Rights Council.^{[1] [2]} From 2015 to 2022, he was the President of UPR Info.^[3] He was convener of the Working Group on Human Rights in India and the UN (WGHR) from 2009 to 2014, an Indian human rights coalition that notably focuses on the Universal Periodic Review. He is the founder of the Delhi-based Housing and Land Rights Network (HLRN), which aims to work toward the "realization of the human rights to adequate housing and land."^{[4] [5]} He currently serves as a member of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.^[6]

Kothari was also a visiting scholar at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT from 2013 to 2014. Kothari has published over 50 works on numerous areas in human rights, policy and law, and activism.

Kothari, who trained as an architect,^[7] received his B.A. from Columbia University.^[8] He also holds degrees from the Pratt Institute and the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.^[9]

Mondoweiss interview

In an interview with Mondoweiss in 2022, Kothari said about the Israeli occupation: "It’s been illegal from the beginning" adding "I would go as far as to raise the question of why [Israel is] even a member of the United Nations. Because… the Israeli government does not respect its own obligations as a UN member state. They, in fact, consistently, either directly or through the United States, try to undermine UN mechanisms".^[10]

Kothari added "We are very disheartened by the social media that is controlled largely by–whether it is the Jewish lobby or specific NGOs, a lot of money is being thrown into trying to discredit us, but the important thing is our mandate is based on international human rights and humanitarian standards and that we are all seeking the truth".

Israel's Prime Minister Yair Lapid called on the United Nations to end its inquiry into the 2021 Israel/Hamas conflict following Kothari's comments.^[11]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Mr. Miloon Kothari, former Special Rapporteur (2000-2008) . 2023-06-07 . . en.
2. Web site: Harvard Graduate School of Design – Miloon Kothari, "Global Displacement: Why Architects and Planners Should Be Very Concerned" . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160214200234/http://www.gsd.harvard.edu/events/miloon-kothari.html . 2016-02-14 . harvard.edu.
3. Web site: Miloon Kothari elected President of UPR Info . 2023-06-07 . UPR info . en.
4. Web site: HLRN Team . 3 August 2022 . Housing and Land Rights Network.
5. Web site: 18 January 2011 . Nueva Delhi, en riesgo de convertirse en una ciudad 'apartheid' para los pobres Solidaridad elmundo.es . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110121062506/https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/01/18/solidaridad/1295342578.html . 2011-01-21 . 2022-08-02 . El Mundo . es.
6. Web site: OHCHR The United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel . 28 July 2022 . OHCHR . en.
7. Web site: MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars Program. MIT. 2013–2014 . Miloon Kothari . 3 August 2022 .
8. Web site: Summer 2022 . Columbia College Today . 28 June 2022.
9. Web site: Miloon Kothari: Independent Expert on Human Rights and Social Policy . The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights . 7 August 2022 .
10. Web site: ‘Apartheid’ is not sufficient: an interview with UN Human Rights Commissioner Miloon Kothari. Kattenburg, David. Mondoweiss. 25 July 2022. 7 August 2022.
11. News: 1 August 2022 . Israeli PM urges UN to disband inquiry into Israel after alleged antisemitic comments by investigator . . 1 August 2022.