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DHAKA: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said the government is firmly committed to ensuring safe, sustainable and dignified housing for all citizens.
He made the remarks at a discussion held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka on Monday, October 5, marking World Habitat Day 2026.
The prime minister said the concept of World Habitat Day goes beyond simply providing a home. Sustainable housing also requires safe water, uninterrupted electricity, proper sanitation, public transport, improved roads, education and healthcare, as well as adequate employment opportunities.
“Above all, a safe environment is essential for living a dignified life,” he said.
Rahman acknowledged that ensuring safe and sustainable housing for all is more challenging in a densely populated country like Bangladesh than in developed nations. However, he said the country must address these challenges to keep pace with the rest of the world.
He said population pressure in Bangladesh’s cities and urban areas continues to increase, with Dhaka already facing severe overcrowding. Other cities are experiencing similar pressures, with urban populations exceeding their normal capacity.
Against this backdrop, he stressed the importance of “housing for all and sustainable urbanisation.” He said it is essential to ensure safe, quality and affordable housing while developing environmentally friendly and well-planned cities.
The prime minister said the government has taken various initiatives to promote universal housing and sustainable urban development. He described access to safe, affordable and environmentally friendly housing with basic services as a fundamental constitutional right of citizens.
Rahman said the government’s goal is to build planned, safe, environmentally friendly and inclusive cities. Providing safe and dignified housing for low- and lower-middle-income people is also a key priority, he said, adding that planned urbanisation and affordable housing are among the government’s major electoral commitments.
He said the Ministry of Housing and Public Works is preparing master plans for city corporations and districts to promote planned urban development. Development authorities have already been established for Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barishal, Cumilla, Rangpur and Narayanganj.
The prime minister said these initiatives would help Bangladesh achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11, which focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
To reduce pressure on urban areas, the government is also working to improve transport links between Dhaka and other parts of the country while expanding civic amenities in rural areas. Rahman said this would help reduce population pressure on major cities.
He said the government is pursuing decentralised and balanced urban and regional development instead of concentrating development in Dhaka and a few major cities.
The government has also undertaken plans to prepare a spatial development plan for the entire country and develop secondary townships around Dhaka, he said.
Rahman stressed that environmental protection must remain a priority in housing development. He said planned housing projects are being developed in divisional, district and upazila towns through the National Housing Authority and development authorities, with due consideration for the environment.
He said the government is continuing efforts to address urban housing challenges and ensure universal housing despite the changing global political and economic situation.
The prime minister also acknowledged that tackling the country’s housing crisis would be difficult for the government alone. He called for coordinated participation from private developers and other stakeholders in the housing sector.
Rahman said the government is encouraging block-based housing, along with the development of parks and playgrounds and the establishment of industrial areas in designated zones.
“I believe that if the government can gradually implement all the plans it has undertaken, ‘safe housing for all’ will become a reality for the citizens of the country,” he added.