Geneva, Dec 9 - The Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) today announced the winners of its annual Housing Rights Awards for 2008.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Governments of Israel and Italy received Housing Rights Violator Awards for their demonstrated failure to protect and implement housing rights. The Constitutional Assembly of Ecuador was presented with 2008's Housing Rights Protector Award for its role in making Ecuador the first country in the world to explicitly recognise in its Constitution a range of key housing and habitat-related rights. Ms Pia Ndayiragije of Burundi, Mr Ken Fernandes of Australia and the Chicago, USA-based Coalition to Protect Public Housing each received a 2008 Housing Rights Defender Award in recognition of their outstanding commitments to the defence of housing rights.