It is currently estimated that about one eighth of the urban population of Iran (about four and half million people) live in informal settlements. A ratio which will increase to a quarter within the next decade representing a doubling in numbers. These settlements need to be upgraded urgently in a fundamentally different way reflecting national intentions with specific policies particularly in view of the worrying evidence their ever-increasing dimensions, making cities unsustainable. With the intention to develop a strategy at the macro level, MHUD and Ministry of Interior jointly proposed the adoption of a "National Document for Enabling and Regularizing Informal Settlements" by the cabinet. Approved on January 8, 2001, the Document establishes the main principles and strategies for a multi sectoral intervention for upgrading the informal settlements.
The National Enabling Task Force
