Modernising housing policies in Bahrain

Manama :  The Ministry of Housing, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN-HABITAT signed a project yesterday to revise Bahrain’s housing policy to develop an effective, efficient and sustainable housing and land sector in line with new economic realities. 

The agreement, “Bahrain Housing Policy Revision”, is the first of its kind in Bahrain between two UN agencies and works effectively towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The signing ceremony was attended by Basim Alhamer, Minister of Housing, Amin El Sharkawi, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, and Dr. Tarek ElSheikh, Regional Representative for Gulf States, UN-HABITAT, in the presence of top officials and other guests. The project document, which implies new roles for the public sector, the private sector and civil society to move towards an enabling efficient housing system, is in line with Bahrain’s Government Action Plan (2015-2018).

Building on the Royal Order of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa to provide 40,000 housing units for citizens, the Ministry of Housing has been working to provide at least 25,000 new housing units by 2018. Another 15,000 units are planned for subsequent years, amounting to a total of 40,000 units. 

The Ministry is also working on preparing a new housing policy to ensure continuity of the smooth implementation of the housing projects and to discuss the proposed cooperation with the private sector and the relevant authorities in order to implement the government work programme. 

Putting housing at the centre of development is a key element that member states including Bahrain stressed in their statements at the HABITAT III conference last year in Quito, Ecuador.

Two phases

 The project will be conducted in two phases. The first phase will focus on developing a housing profile which analyses in detail the housing sector and provides recommendations for revised housing policy and strategies. The second includes producing a Revised Housing Policy Framework while also integrating the UN-HABITAT Global Housing Strategy (GHS) framework. 

Private sector participation 

The new policy strategy will seek to support the development of the housing sector, while enhancing the government’s enabling role, in parallel with increased housing production in direct and indirect cooperation with the private sector. 

The strategy will also focus on improving the availability of land and improving real estate market monitoring mechanisms; Housing and diversification of financial options and guidance for the benefit of low-income families, while fully adhering to the importance of preserving the environment.