Nihal Al-Megatbel says housing issues in Arab region pose structural risks

The risks related to the housing problem for the Arab region are turning from temporary into structural risks, stated Nihal El-Meghatbel, former Deputy Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Administrative Reform of Egypt, at the event "From Policy to Impact: Scaling Up Housing Provision" held within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), Report informs.

According to her, the issue of housing provision is truly a very important topic for the Arab region: "The Arab region consists of different countries. If we take into account all the existing political and economic differences, different conditions, these 22 countries are not of the same type. However, housing problems are of great importance in essence for this region and the different countries within it, especially considering that they face many risks. Unfortunately, these risks are not temporary but are already turning into structural risks. We see that these risks include pressures related to housing affordability, informal settlements, climate risks, forced displacement due to conflicts, and the growing expectations of citizens regarding access to basic services along with better housing conditions."

She added that therefore, national housing policies become a very important issue: "This is a global problem, but it has its own distinct nuances in different regions. We need data and an approach that we call 'evidence-based policy' in this area."