UN-Habitat: Weak property rights exclude vulnerable groups from housing access

A weak property rights system excludes vulnerable groups in society from housing access, Haesung Ahn, Project Management Specialist at UN-Habitat, said during the event From Policy to Impact: Scaling Up Housing Provision held within the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Report informs.

According to him, National Urban Policy and urban legislation are crucial: "They are two key action points of the New Urban Agenda. Why is urban legislation important? Because housing outcomes depend on how legal systems align. Urban legal frameworks interact with planning, infrastructure, land and housing management, as well as investment mechanisms. All these form a unified system that must be coordinated. If urban legislation is missing or weak, it leads to many problems – for example, restricting housing provision. A weak property rights system excludes vulnerable groups, while overlapping authorities delay housing provision and reduce accountability."

He added that integrating policy and legislation is essential: "Without legislation, urban policy is just a vision without a driving force; without policy, legislation is a mandatory framework without direction. Therefore, we must combine policy and legislation to harmonize the entire system. This also relates to governance and financing mechanisms. Another key point is inclusivity – decisions must involve all stakeholders at different levels. That is the key to developing and implementing housing policy. Finally, it is about institutional capacity. Strengthening local capacity is vital so that what is written on paper can have real impact in practice."