UN-Habitat has worked since 1992 for promoting and implementing projects for sustainable urban development and impactful improvement of living conditions for Afghan communities in vulnerable situations,, contributing to the physical and social reconstruction of the country for decades. While in prior years, our work has focused on assisting the government in the development of urban policies and regulations; strategic urban planning; increasing municipal revenue; establishing community-based organizations; addressing the land and housing needs of IDPs and returnees and contributing to the provision of basic urban services, UN-Habitat’s portfolio currently focuses on supporting the Afghan people through humanitarian as well as basic human needs projects.
UN-Habitat programmes and projects range from shelter projects to more sustainable housing solutions (including strong leadership on HLP rights); improved access to services, inc. water, education and social services and projects to reduce the impact of climate change and increasing resilience of communities.
Impact
Urban numbers
Challenges
Informality is not the exception but the rule. 80 % of urban Afghans live in informal areas. The vast majority of the population live in under-serviced, informal housing with little tenure security and very poor access to basic services such as water and sanitation.
Longstanding conflicts and political changes contribute to weak governance and considerable urban challenges including poverty, inequality, social exclusion, youth unemployment, and gender inequality. Lack of urban planning and investments in urban infrastructure and assets coupled with rapid Afghanistan’s urbanization process - steered by rural-urban migration plus the massive, forced returns of Afghans from neighboring countries and internally displaced due to the former conflicts and climate change impacts such as droughts or flooding, make Afghan cities underserviced.
However, Afghanistan’s future is urban. The population of Afghan cities is expected to double within the next 15 years and be 50% urban by 2060 and urbanization is a powerful driver for development. It is estimated that more than 50% of the national GDP is originated in Afghan cities.
Our Vision
Our Mission
Country Beneficiaries
"The UN-Habitat Shelter project had provided us windows and doors before the last winter came. Before that we were facing problems during the winter from snow and raining and during the summers from hot weather as well"
Gulab Khan, Resident in Dag-e-Tarakhail, Kabul, Afghanistan
Donors and partners
The success of UN-Habitat is dependent on the strategic and trustful relationships with the government, at the national and local level, and with the communities. With more than twenty years of impactful interventions, UN-Habitat has managed to meet the government and community needs due to the strong partnerships always driven and led by our local partners. Local ownership has always been at the center of our interventions.