Mario Flores: Ignoring property rights delays recovery from crises

Mario Flores: Ignoring property rights delays recovery from crises

Property and housing rights issues must be considered from the very outset of humanitarian crises, otherwise they can delay recovery and reconstruction processes, Mario Flores, director of International Field Operations for Housing Disaster Resilience and Recovery at Habitat for Humanity International, said at WUF13 in Baku, Olaylar informs.

He noted that property rights are among the first rights to be affected during humanitarian crises and natural disasters.

"At the beginning of a crisis, the focus is on life-saving measures, so property rights issues are often not considered a priority," Flores noted.

He emphasized that the failure to timely record housing, land, and property rights can negatively impact later stages of recovery.

He added that most sustainable recovery programs cannot be implemented without understanding the type of housing or land tenure families had prior to the crisis or disaster.

Flores noted that Habitat for Humanity applies the Pathways to Permanence principle, which encompasses not only emergency assistance but also long-term recovery planning for affected communities.

He also noted that formal title deeds are not always a prerequisite.

Itchr("39")s important to confirm the level of secure tenure that existed before the crisis so that people can return with confidence that they wonchr("39")t be evicted again during reconstruction," Flores added.