The UN Committee on the Right to Adequate Housing has identified several essential conditions that must be met when constructing housing: legal security of tenure, affordability, habitability, availability of services, materials, facilities, and infrastructure, accessibility, location, and cultural adequacy. However, when examining most of the projects undertaken by successive Egyptian governments, it becomes evident that none of them align with the state’s international commitments. Most projects have been planned without a clear and thorough study of the proposed general location. Some of these projects completely lack the affordability criterion, as explained in General Comment No. 4 on Article 11-1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. This comment states that financial costs associated with housing should be at a level that does not threaten or compromise the fulfillment of other basic needs. States Parties must ensure that the percentage of housing-related costs is generally proportionate to income levels. They should also provide housing subsidies to those who cannot afford adequate housing and determine appropriate forms and levels of housing financing that reflect housing needs.

For example, the “Dar Misr” project was initially launched to target low-income groups. However, the price per square meter reached 4,200 Egyptian pounds, with unit sizes ranging from 100 to 150 square meters. This means that the price of a unit ranges from 420,000 to 630,000 Egyptian pounds, averaging around half a million pounds.

Additionally, other projects failed to meet the requirement of “availability of services, materials, facilities, and infrastructure.” According to this requirement, adequate housing must include essential facilities for health, security, comfort, and nutrition. Beneficiaries must have continuous access to natural and public resources, clean drinking water, energy for cooking, heating, and lighting, sanitation and washing facilities, food storage means, waste disposal systems, water drainage, and emergency services. The “Ebni Betak” project is a prime example of such failure, as the government did not fulfill its promise to provide basic infrastructure and public services. The project’s location selection was also inadequate, with parts of it situated behind a railway line, making the railway crossing the only access point. This has resulted in numerous accidents, a lack of job opportunities in the area, and ultimately, the abandonment of homes by many residents, leading to significant economic losses.

Decades of corruption, particularly during the 30-year rule of the National Democratic Party, have resulted in a chaotic housing policy. The shift from liberalism to socialism and later to an open-door economic policy left the state confused in its decision-making, regardless of which government or president was in power. Favoritism, land grabbing, and lack of legal security of tenure became widespread, leading to the emergence of informal settlements lacking basic services. Overcrowding increased within individual rooms, causing severe social and economic problems. The rising population density in the capital exacerbated traffic congestion.

The successive governments’ housing strategy has been characterized by grand promises of large-scale projects without any commitment to completion, in the absence of legal accountability for state officials. In fact, failure in one project often led to the same officials being entrusted with another, as sources indicate that the engineer responsible for the failed “Ebni Betak” project was also in charge of executing the “Dar Misr” project.

Security of Tenure: Legal Guarantee of Housing Occupancy

“Housing occupancy takes various forms, including public and private rental, cooperative housing, homeownership, emergency shelter, and informal settlements, including land or property occupation. Regardless of the type of housing occupancy, every person should enjoy a level of security that legally protects them from forced eviction, harassment, and other threats. Therefore, States Parties should take immediate measures to provide legal security of tenure for individuals and families who currently lack such protection through genuine consultation with affected persons and groups.”

In Egypt, homeownership constitutes the highest percentage of housing tenure, both public and private. According to statistics, 6,836,102 families, comprising 26,708,922 individuals, own housing units in urban areas, while 10,967,618 families, comprising 46,053,012 individuals, own housing in rural areas.

Old rental contracts represent the second most common type of tenure, with approximately 1,535,409 families (5,704,228 individuals) residing in old rental units in urban Egypt, and 107,820 families (429,992 individuals) in rural areas.

New rental contracts come in third place, with 1,196,981 families (4,682,492 individuals) in urban Egypt and 253,172 families (996,760 individuals) in rural Egypt.

Additionally, housing units granted as gifts accommodate 624,828 families (2,484,104 individuals) in urban areas, while the number doubles in rural areas to 1,775,633 families (7,071,611 individuals).

Housing classified as in-kind benefits is home to 84,532 families (342,927 individuals) in urban Egypt and 46,177 families (187,526 individuals) in rural Egypt.

Furnished rental units are relatively rare, with 19,085 families (61,516 individuals) in urban Egypt and 2,131 families (7,857 individuals) in rural Egypt.

Availability of Services, Materials, Facilities, and Infrastructure

Adequate housing must include essential facilities for health, security, comfort, and nutrition. All beneficiaries of the right to adequate housing should have continuous access to natural and public resources, clean drinking water, energy for cooking, heating, and lighting, sanitation and washing facilities, food storage means, waste disposal, water drainage, and emergency services.

Drinking Water Source

Egypt’s population is divided based on drinking water sources into two main categories:

1. Public water network: Connected to 10,183,099 families (39,514,614 individuals) in urban areas and 12,565,572 families (52,262,156 individuals) in rural areas.
2. Non-public water networks: Used by 117,782 families (483,884 individuals) in urban areas and 590,075 families (2,496,427 individuals) in rural areas.

These non-public sources include:

• Pumps: Used by 28,118 urban families (114,908 individuals) and 221,998 rural families (949,432 individuals).
• Wells: Used by 8,519 urban families (37,937 individuals) and 49,211 rural families (207,726 individuals).
• Bottled water: Used by 81,145 urban families (331,039 individuals) and 308,704 rural families (1,287,061 individuals).
• Rainwater: Used by 10,162 rural families (52,208 individuals).

Lighting Source

Most Egyptians rely on the public electricity network, but some remain deprived, relying on alternative sources:

• 45,150 families use generators (184,486 individuals).
• 7,160 families use solar energy (28,587 individuals).
• 9,088 families use gas (36,498 individuals).
• 6,508 families use kerosene (23,589 individuals).
• 3,006 families use other sources (11,053 individuals).

Sanitation

According to official statistics, 10,309,539 families lack access to the public sewage network, relying instead on:

• Private sewage networks: 2,747,314 families (11,148,277 individuals).
• Septic tanks: 7,434,575 families (31,882,451 individuals).
• Open land disposal: 85,898 families (336,048 individuals).
• Other methods: 41,752 families (170,529 individuals).
  Meanwhile, 13,146,989 families (51,219,776 individuals) are connected to the public sewage system.

Conclusion

Housing policies in Egypt must address rapid population growth and the increasing demand for adequate housing. Instead of merely relocating residents, urban planning should focus on desert development, utilizing governorates with desert hinterlands, and preserving agricultural land. Strengthening the role of the General Organization for Urban Planning and the Supreme Council for Planning, implementing strategic urban plans, and preventing real estate speculation are crucial steps. A unified housing and construction law should be enacted to ensure compliance with Egypt’s international obligations, particularly the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.