National Human Settlements Development Policy.

This National Human Settlements Development Policy is a nationwide sectoral document aiming at (i) addressing and reversing the deterioration of human settlements' conditions; (ii) harnessing existing initiatives in shelter delivery and infrastructure investment by various actors in the public, private, informal and community sectors; (ii) guiding the rapid urban growth and the transformation of the settlement pattern. The goal is in line with the Vision of having a well organized, efficient, healthy, safe and secure, and sustainable human settlements where everyone has adequate and affordable shelter which is durable, healthy, safe and legally secure, accessible and which matches with the culture and living habits of the occupants. The Mission of the Government through its Ministry of Lands and Human Settlements Development is to facilitate and create a conducive environment and framework for the achievement of the goal. The main Strategic Objectives to achieve the goal are as follows (i) make serviced land available for shelter and human settlements development to all sections of the community; (ii) improve the level of the provision of infrastructure and social services; (iii) facilitate the creation of employment opportunities and eradication of poverty; (iv) promote a balanced development of a clearly defined hierarchy of settlements in promoting human settlements development; (v) promote and include the participation of the private and popular sectors, NGOs, cooperatives and communities in planning, development, and management of human settlements; (vi) protect the environment of human settlements and of ecosystems from pollution, degradation and destruction; (vii) promote the building of capacities in training and retraining of professionals in the concerned fields; (viii) increase the proportion of the annual national budget allocated for shelter delivery and human settlements development; (ix) ensure planning legislation, building regulations, standards and other controls are consistent with the capabilities, needs and aspirations of the various sections of the population; (x) promote the use of and production of local building materials that are affordable; (xi) assist the poor acquire decent shelter; (xii) encourage development of housing areas that arc functional, healthy, aesthetically pleasant and environmentally friendly; (xiii) streamline the legal and institutional machinery for human settlements development.
To make agriculture, in particular urban agriculture, more productive and sustainable, the Government will (i) regulate and research on the conduct of urban agriculture; (ii) ensure that it does not disrupt planned urban development; (iii) facilitate the construction of appropriate infrastructure to mitigate land degradation, water pollution, and health and safety hazards.
Rural poverty will be reduced through the village planning that is an important tool to ensure the best and optimum utilization of land resources in that areas. To this purpose, the Policy encourages to revamp rural economy by (i) facilitating the promotion of integrated programs that include infrastructure development in partnership with rural communities; (ii) facilitating the development of an environment attractive to investors wishing to establish industries in rural areas, promoting co-operative ventures in rural communities; (iii) collaborating with NGOs and CBOs to strengthen education campaigns aimed at combating cultural and social beliefs that inhibit development; (iv) facilitating implementation of rural integrated programs that (a) enhance rural economies that are aimed at assisting rural families to construct and improve their houses; (b) create employment and income through the production of building materials and provision of basic services; (c) promote agricultural production and create awareness on improved housing to the villagers; and (iv) improving living conditions in rural areas to discourage movement of people to urban areas.
To enhance more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems, the document envisages to facilitate the development of marketing outlets, which offer fair prices to rural produce.
The resilience of livelihoods to disasters shall be increased by (i) identifying key planning issues in land and environmental management and in the provision of housing infrastructure and services; (ii) preparing detailed land use plans for land development; (iii) proper use of small island and the exploitation of their resources so as to facilitate their environmental protection and sustainable development; (iv) regulating the development along the coastline in order to preserve the environment; (v) conducting research on building materials that are currently used with a view to making them more durable and affordable; (vi) setting environmental quality standards of gaseous emissions from industries, vehicles etc., and instituting a mechanism for monitoring air pollution levels; (vii) encourage the use of alternative, affordable and appropriate sources of energy.
As for Governance, the future steps that the Government will have to take are (i) collaborate with the Local Authorities in mobilizing resources from potential developers for financing the provision and maintenance of housing, services and infrastructure; (ii) review existing laws in order to remove inconsistencies; (iii) prepare a new Town and Country Planning Law; (iv) streamline the institutional arrangement for human settlements development in order to enhance accountability and efficiency and further ensure that the roles of the different actors are clearly defined.