Premier urges concerted global efforts to address habitat challenges

Bahrain will join the other nations in celebrating the United Nations (UN) World Habitat Day, which falls on Monday.

The 2017 edition is being celebrated under the theme: Housing Polices: Affordable Homes”. The United Nations designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.
His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al-Khalifa urged more efficient work to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Developments Goals which were globally endorsed at the United Nations in September 2016.

“The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development represents a roadmap for states and governments to achieve a security and stable life for their peoples.

He reiterated Bahrain’s commitment to cooperation with the UN Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to achieve sustainable development goals.

“Bahrain shares the world the visions and objectives which aim at enhancing and elevating human life everywhere”, he said, stressing firm belief in the viability of collective work to meet ambitious goals for a more prosperous future for humanity.

In a keynote message to the world, he said that decent housing is incorporated in Bahrain’s social and economic development plans and programmes.

He underlined Bahrain’s long-standing adopted policy of building towns and expanding more housing units that meet present needs and future requirements.

He paid tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, stressing Bahrain’s dedicated effort to find housing solutions and developed and sustainable programmes that meet the needs of low-income families.

He underlined Bahrain’s urban strides, stressing the expansion of housing projects and the improvement of residential standards as part of efforts to ensure decent housing to all categories of citizens.

“These goals feature in the Government Action Plan (GAP) which aims to meet citizens’ basic needs through ambitious and multi-phased development programmes”, he said.

HRH the Premier highlighted the tangible progress of work on housing projects in Bahrain, stressing viable partnership with the private sector to provide decent housing.

He underlined efforts to promote partnership between the public and private sectors to carry various programmes and initiatives, citing the social housing project and other conventional needs.

He took pride in Bahrain’s urban development stride which won international recognition, being a model for sustainable development.

“Bahrain was one of the first countries in the region which strove as early as the 1960s to provide housing services, in implementation of the constitutional provisions”, he said.

The Premier hailed standing cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and United Nations, stressing in this regard, the cooperation agreement which was signed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to update the housing plan so as to keep abreast of national economic and social shifts.

He hailed the UN-Habitat focus this year on providing adequate decent housing which represents a core issue of the New Urban Agenda officially adopted in Quito, Ecuador last year, aiming to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

The Premier underscored the importance of providing decent housing which, he said, represents a challenge to numerous societies, calling for innovative solutions, viable initiatives and international partnerships to optimize the use of resources.

He urged the international community to pay heed to poverty-stricken zones in dire need for assistance to alleviate people’s suffering and meet housing, health and educational needs, which will impact positively on global security, stability and peace.

He cautioned against mounting global challenges, urging more dedicated efforts to achieve the global development goals and spare humanity potential dangers.

The Premier cited the recent alarming UN-Habitat statistics, which revealed that 1.6 billion people live in insalubrious housing conditions – of whom 1 billion people live in slums and poor neighbourhoods.

He commended the UN-Habitat strenuous efforts to bolster urban sustainable urban development worldwide through pioneering initiatives that aim to elevate human beings.

Source: BNA