Housing one of the highest priorities of Govt: Ministry Secy. tells APAC forum

“The Sri Lankan Government of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, has launched a multi-faceted program of balance development identifying housing and management of urban growth as key areas of focus.

Housing has been elevated as one of the highest priorities of the Government’s development effort and pledged to empower citizens become land and home owners.”

This was said by R.M. Abeyratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Construction who led the Sri Lankan delegation for the Bureau meeting of Asian Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (APMCHUD) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia recently. 

L.S. Palansuriya, Chairman of National Housing Development Authority and Dr. Jagath Munasinghe, Chairman of Urban Development Authority participated as the Sri Lankan delegation for this Bureau meeting. Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Secretaries to the Ministries, senior officials and the representatives of international organisations participated in this Bureau meeting which chaired by Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State of Housing and Urban Affairs in India

At this meeting Abeyratne further said, “The Asian Pacific region is going through a very bright era of economic growth. With 60% of humanity, this region has vast human resources promising future potential for growth and development. However Asia Pacific Region is faced with critical challenges in regards to sustainable urbanisation. The poverty, rapid growth of informal settlements and inadequate basic services, natural disasters and climate change are some of them.

Sri Lanka as a member of APMCHUD continues the support and adhere the APMCHUD principals as far as possible in planning and implementing housing and urban development programs in our country.

At present a major initiative taken by Sri Lanka, is revising the National Housing Policy in the year 2017, in collaboration with the UN Habitat, in keeping with the guidelines of the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal No. 11.

As large-scale housing and urban development programs are envisaged in the urban development programs of Sri Lanka, this policy focus have been placed for additional investment in the improvement for integrated infrastructure provision and basic services, access to effective sewerage, water supply and electricity, adequate transport, schools, healthcare services in appropriate locations that best serve the community.

We were the first countries to commit ourselves of securing adequate shelter for all in sustainable human settlement promoted in Habitat 1 and adopting the Community Contract System in delivering the basic services efficiently for the poor communities in underserved settlements.

We are a country with a history for introducing innovative housing and human settlements solutions. We were in the forefront in developing and practicing the enabling strategy in housing development.

The Ministry of Housing and Construction under the spearheading of Minister of Housing and Construction Sajith Premadasa, has been tasked with the responsibility for ensuring ‘Shelter for All’. The national shelter program, which has been structured to realise this task will be further, expanded towards the alleviation of rural sector poverty through livelihood improvement combined with the provision of shelter.”

All representing countries who participated in this Bureau meeting have made special presentations on their own countries and they have been discussed various shelter and urban issues relevant to their countries and Asia Pacific region.