UN-Habitat, in coordination with various Egyptian housing sector stakeholders, prepared the Egypt Housing Strategy, aimed at creating an enabling environment that will increase the supply of affordable housing with technical support from the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities. 

A Sunday UN press statement said that a meeting will be held on Monday where experts and specialists in the field of housing in Egypt will attend to present and discuss the final draft of the strategy in preparation for its final launch.

Furthermore, a presentation will be given by the head of the housing and utilities sector of the ministry on the analysis of the data presented in the final results of the 2017 census and compare them with the final results of the 1996 and 2006 census with respect to the rental units under the old and new rental systems, empty units, and closed units. 

The meeting will conclude by receiving the views of the experts and specialists on the draft strategy and identifying two components of the strategy to initiate their implementation through the housing and utilities sector in cooperation with UN-Habitat.

The strategy is based on the analysis of the longstanding efforts in the housing sector in Egypt, concluded in a report named Egypt Housing Profile, which was issued last year, added the statement, noting that the housing profile included a detailed analysis of various housing programmes, especially those targeted for low-income groups, noted the statement.

The statement said that the right to adequate housing is an essential human right recognised by various international conventions. It is one of the basic principles of protection and care given by the state to the individual, just after the right to provision of food and clothing. 

Housing accessibility is accordingly key to enabling integrated development and prosperous communities, as recognised by the Egyptian Constitution, national visions, strategies, and plans, added the statement.

The statement noted that the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities prioritised addressing the issue of housing accessibility as a key pillar in the list of social and economic priorities, within the framework of identifying concrete strategies that reflect the responsibilities of the state and define policy frameworks to address the current problems and achieve the hopes of the Egyptian people to obtain suitable housing.