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ISLAMABAD, Jun 23 (APP): UN-Habitat Pakistan convened a National Consultative Workshop on Affordable Housing and Housing, Land, and Property (HLP) Rights.
Pakistan currently faces a housing backlog exceeding 10 million units, with over half of the urban population residing in informal settlements.
Despite constitutional protections, tenure insecurity and outdated land administration continue to hinder equitable access to housing and land.
The event brought together senior representatives from federal and provincial governments, UN agencies, academia, and civil society to deliberate on the Housing, Land and Property rights and affordable housing situation in Pakistan and identification of challenges and opportunities.
Opening the workshop, Mr. John Taylor, Chief Technical Advisor at UN-Habitat Pakistan, and Mr. Jawed Ali Khan, Senior Advisor / Habitat Program Manager, UN-Habitat highlighted the urgency of coordinated reforms and reaffirmed UN-Habitat’s commitment to supporting Pakistan through policy advisory, technical assistance, and capacity building to achieve inclusive, climate-resilient, and sustainable housing solutions.
Ms. Ombretta Tempra, Chief of Land, Housing and Shelter, UN-Habitat presented global trends and challenges in housing and land rights. She emphasized that 1.6 billion people globally face housing affordability constraints and over 1 billion live in slums. Highlighting best practices, she stressed the importance of tenure security, land-based financing tools, inclusive zoning, and enabling legal frameworks. She noted that the global housing crisis demands renewed policy attention, and introduced the UN-Habitat 2023 resolution on an open-ended working group for adequate housing.
Mr. Hamid Mumtaz. Deputy Program Manager, UN-Habitat briefed the participants on land governance and administration system in Pakistan, UN Habitat role in land digitization and women entitlement after disasters. Mr. Waseem Hayat Bajwa, DG, Ministry of Housing and Works outlined Pakistan’s draft National Housing Policy, which seeks to promote “adequate, affordable, and sustainable housing for all.” He shared the policy’s emphasis on integrated planning for intermediate towns, climate-resilient construction, and legal reforms including the Urban Regeneration Act and the Condominium Act. Ch. Anwar, Chief (technical, Ministry of Planning, development and Special Initiatives stressed on the need for mortgage finance reform and institutional coordination to bridge Pakistan’s housing gap. Dr. Khalid Hafiz, Member Planning, CDA shared that CDA has completed digitizing land records for established sectors in Islamabad, with ongoing work to digitize rural areas in coordination with the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA).
Mr. Imran Ali Sultan, from Punjab Affordable Housing Program, explained that Punjab is leading the affordable housing sector for building sustainable communities by creating digital systems (HMIS, PMIS, BMIS), making new laws (RERA, JV Rules, APHS Rules and planning standards), by taking bold initiatives for housing construction in public as well as private sector.
The panel discussion focused on strengthening institutional collaboration and harmonizing land and housing policies across all levels of governance to improve access to housing for marginalized groups. The panel also stressed the importance of promoting inclusive and sustainable urban planning, public-private initiatives, and establishing a national housing and land database. Enhancing tenure security and providing legal aid, particularly for vulnerable populations in post-disaster contexts, were highlighted as critical steps forward.
Participants emphasized the need to integrate informal settlements into planning frameworks, enhance data systems, and ensure community participation. Recommendations included accelerating the digitization of land records, simplifying registration processes, and enacting supportive legislation such as the Urban Regeneration and Condominium Acts. The workshop concluded as a vital platform for dialogue, reflecting a collective commitment to addressing Pakistan’s housing challenges through coordinated action, institutional reform, and technical support. UN-Habitat reaffirmed its dedication to advancing this agenda in close collaboration with national and provincial stakeholders.