Shelter and Housing: UN-HABITAT in Disaster and Conflict Contexts

Housing reconstruction enables people to rebuild their lives and their communities. Following a disaster, houses are the most prolific area of destruction. It is not only people’s largest asset, but also a huge financial component of the overall reconstruction cost. While a tragic event, disasters also represent a possibility for building hazard resistant homes, for improving human settlements and for strengthening community and government capacity.

Investment in pre-crisis measures to reduce risk is always preferable to reconstruction. When crisis does occur, people will start rebuilding from the first day and the focus should be to enable people to return home safely and to begin permanent housing reconstruction as early as possible. UNHABITAT works in partnership with, and in support of, local authorities and provide technical advice and capacity building. Housing reconstruction should build on - and
improve - local designs, techniques, building materials and skills, by strengthening awareness, quality assurance, collective responsibility, prevention and preparedness.