Every year on the first Monday of October, World Habitat Day is celebrated throughout the world to address the basic rights of people to shelter particularly in urban areas where the difference between the haves and have-nots of dwellers is wide.
This year’s theme “Housing for all: A better urban future” encourages people around the world to contribute to making the crowded cities and towns inclusive, safe, resilient and, above all, sustainable.
Urban areas are getting crowded every year. Cities and towns grow at an alarming rate, due, in part, to the wide range of job opportunities cities and towns provide. This, in turn, has encouraged rural to urban immigration of people looking for job and better life opportunities. The situation resulted in crowded living with inadequate water, electricity and other basic life needs.
On the occasion, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: “One billion people live in overcrowded settlements with inadequate housing. Action is needed now to provide low-income families and vulnerable populations with affordable housing and easy access to water, sanitation and other basic services.”
Almost a decade ago, Bahrain implemented an affordable housing plan to low-income families pioneered by His Royal Highness Prime Minster Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa with the UN recognising his efforts and awarding him.
UN News, on March 5, 2007, said: “The UN Human Settlement Programme, UN Habitat, which is mandated to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all, gave Shaikh Khalifa the 2006 Special Citation of the Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for his impressive efforts in lifting the living standards of all Bahrainis through active focus on poverty alleviation and modernisation while preserving the cultural heritage of the country.”
In this year’s message to the world, the Premier reiterated that the coronavirus pandemic has brought forward the urgency to focus on developing housing, health and educational infrastructures. He called on the international community to adopt easy and relaxed stimulus programmes to help Covid-19 affected countries achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
Covid-19 has devastated the economies of countries and some are unable to contain the pandemic, let alone focus on infrastructure development housing their citizens in urban areas. These countries need international support.
Bahrain is ahead of other countries when it comes to providing affordable housing units to its low-income families, thanks to the Premier’s vision and wise leadership.
&uuid=(email))