UN Authority Figures

UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Governing Council: Afghanistan


Property rights protection is weak due to a lack of cadasters or a comprehensive land titling system, disputed land titles, incapacity of commercial courts, and widespread corruption. Photo: Houses in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Source: Export.gov, November 2, 2016

Mission of the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT): "Habitat's mandate was strengthened and its status elevated to a fully-fledged programme in the UN system, giving birth to UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.... It is through this structure and mandate that UN-Habitat contributes to the overall objective of the United Nations system to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable development. " (UN-HABITAT website, "Our Mission")
"UN-HABITAT's Land and Tenure Section ... helps governments, local authorities and civil society partners around the world develop land management and tenure systems, policies and legislation that help achieve adequate shelter, security of tenure and equal access to economic resources for all, with a specific focus on gender equality. The main focus areas and mandate are: Implementation of land, housing and property rights, particularly women's secure tenure, affordable land management systems and pro-poor flexible types of tenure. " (UN-HABITAT website, "Land, Tenure & Property Administration")

Afghanistan's Term of office: 2017-2020

Afghanistan's Record on Sustainable Human Settlements:
"Continuing internal conflict resulted in ... property damage, displacement of residents, and other abuses... There were reports that [security] forces looted and burned civilian houses.... During the year there were reports of "land grabbing" by both private and public actors. The most common type occurred when businesses illegally obtained property deeds from corrupt officials and sold the deeds to unsuspecting "homeowners," who would then be caught up in criminal prosecutions. Other reports indicated government officials grabbed land without compensation to exchange it for contracts or political favors. Occasionally provincial governments illegally confiscated land without due process or compensation to build public facilities."
(U.S. State Department's Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2016, Afghanistan)

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