Decades of conflict and natural disasters have internally displaced an estimated 6.3 million Afghans, forcing many to seek refuge in urban and peri-urban areas. Since September 2023, large-scale returns from Pakistan and Iran have further intensified the protracted humanitarian crisis. More than 4 million people have been repatriated since 2023, including over 2 million in 2025 alone, often with little more than what they can carry. This continued influx is placing immense pressure on the availability of shelter and housing, essential services, and livelihoods.

Displaced populations, as well as other vulnerable groups, frequently settle in informal, unplanned, and underserviced areas with inadequate access to basic infrastructures (including WASH facilities). Many have built houses with limited resources and technical knowledge in risk-prone areas, leaving them especially vulnerable to environmental hazards such as earthquakes and floods. Without secure tenure rights (HLP rights), they are vulnerable to forced evictions, which in turn prevents long-term investment in their homes and property.
UN-Habitat has been at the forefront of addressing these shelter challenges, delivering life-saving assistance and enhancing living conditions, recognizing that adequate shelter and housing as well as HLP rights are central to the durable solutions strategy, enabling people to achieve self-reliance and resilience...

Le présent rapport examine les défis fondamentaux à relever dans le financement desadministrations publiques locales, les principales sources de recettes des collectivitéslocales et l’expérience acquise dans la fourniture de services durables. Il étudie égalementles systèmes et pratiques innovantes de gestion financière appliqués en Afrique.Cette analyse est complétée par une étude de cas consacrée à la ville de Gaborone(Botswana). Enfin, nous proposons certaines pistes pour l’amélioration des financeslocales sur le continent africain.

This evaluation of social housing finance in Europe is placed in the context of the purpose of social housing, the sources of funds and the institutions that are used for provision. The effectiveness of social housing finance systems and the transferability of European approaches to other countries, particularly the developing world, are discussed. 

The analysis shows that an examination of the appropriate standards for decent housing and the barriers to market sector institutions meeting housing needs can usefully be investigated before alternative new institutions are created. If existing institutions are judged to be capable of delivery but financial incentives are inadequate, the focus should be on the best form of incentives. The use of a contractual form of provision is seen as a useful means of tying incentives to supply and potentially promoting good value for money.

It is argued that the European experience shows that housing finance that supports low income households is likely to involve a subsidy and that some form of subsidy and thus some form of transfer of resources into social housing will be needed if social housing is to have a social purpose that includes meeting housing needs as opposed to satisfying housing demand.

The Experimental Reimbursable Seeding Operations (ERSO) programme was designed and implemented to increase sustainable financing for affordable and social housing and infrastructure during a four-year experimental pilot period, 2007–2011.

This report is the evaluation carried out to assess progress on implementation of the ERSO programme during the experimental pilot period, and to suggest alternatives for more effective implementation of future activities.