Description

The Urban Development Policy was drafted by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and adopted by the Council of Ministers in March 2004. One pillar of the policy focuses on comprehensively guiding the development of urban centers so that they drive national growth, provide efficient services to dwellers, become suitable environments for living, and grow solely based on priorly determined plans. Critical elements of the right to adequate housing - including 'availability of services, materials, facilities and infrastructure', 'affordability' and 'accessibility' are touched upon in the document as subjects of policy direction and future action. Two components of the policy relate to 'housing development' and 'facilitation of land provision and infrastructure' for housing. While the pro-poor and citizenship orientation of the policy is clearly discerned and it is true that there is no specific mention of how this involves refugees, it is nevertheless evident the policy’s multifaced interventions are generally meant to benefit all inhabitants, foreigners included. Throughout, the reference has frequently been to ‘urban dwellers’ and ‘people’.