Government’s Goal is to Empower People to Build Decent Homes: Prime Minister Harini

06-Oct-2026

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The Government’s goal is to empower everyone, with the genuine participation of the community, to build a decent home of their own. The Government will provide the necessary guidance and facilities to achieve this, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the World Habitat Day ceremony held at Temple Trees on 5 October 2026. The event was organised by the Ministry of Construction and Water Supply in accordance with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, under the theme “Adequate for All – A Roof for Everyone,” to mark World Habitat Day 2026.

She further stated:

“What is a home, in the true sense of the word? A home is not merely a structure constructed by combining bricks, cement and sand. It is a loving environment in which a person’s fundamental human rights, dignity, security and a family’s happiness are safeguarded.

“Our Government is moving completely away from the traditional approach adopted by successive governments, under which people were provided with some form of assistance and reduced to mere beneficiaries. The Government’s role is to provide guidance and the necessary facilities. Our sole objective is to empower everyone, with the genuine participation of the community, to build a decent home of their own.

“To achieve this objective, we are introducing several new policy changes centred on nine fundamental principles as part of our future sustainable housing policy. Accordingly, we recognise housing as a fundamental human right of every citizen and as an integral component of the overall settlement system rather than as isolated units. For this purpose, an integrated administrative system will be established, and steps will be taken to construct homes taking into consideration human and regional characteristics.

“Our objective is to ensure that no citizen is left behind, promote data-driven scientific development, and establish a housing system that ensures environmental sustainability, high-quality construction standards and economic affordability.

“In addition, development programmes for underserved urban settlements and vocational training and employment-centred programmes for young people have been launched under the name ‘Settlement Revitalisation Day’. Steps have also been taken to provide piped water to settlements without adequate water facilities and to open several community water projects. Houses have also been constructed with community-led voluntary labour, while ownership of lands released in the Northern and Eastern Provinces has been transferred to the people.”