When we speak about poverty, we often focus on income. Yet poverty is also about insecurity, exclusion and vulnerability.
It is the absence of the conditions that allow people to live with dignity, access opportunities and build a better future for their families. This year's International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, observed under the theme 'Safe Homes for All', highlights a fundamental but often overlooked truth: adequate housing is not only a human right, but it is also a foundation for inclusive development.
A safe home provides far more than shelter. It creates the stability that lets children attend school, families access healthcare, communities participate in economic life and people withstand shocks that can push them deeper into poverty.
Without safe and secure housing, many other development gains become difficult to sustain. In Sindh, the connection between housing, vulnerability and poverty became painfully clear during the devastating floods of 2022.
The province accounted for 88% of the 2.1 million houses destroyed nationwide. Nearly half of Sindh's 44,000 government schools were affected, more than 500 health facilities were damaged or destroyed, and millions of people saw their livelihoods disrupted.
This understanding is reflected in the European Union-funded Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive Development Across Rural Sindh (PAIDAR) programme, implemented through a partnership between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Sindh People's Housing for Flood Affectees (SPHF) programme to support recovery in flood-affected communities.
While SPHF is reconstructing climate-resilient homes for thousands of families, PAIDAR is helping ensure that these homes are embedded within safe, resilient and thriving settlements. Through Climate Resilient Settlement Development Plans (CRSDPs), housing reconstruction is complemented by investments in infrastructure, public services and livelihood opportunities, recognising that a truly safe home extends beyond four walls and a roof.
Importantly, CRSDPs reflect all three priorities highlighted in this year's global call to action. First, the observance calls on governments and development partners to make safe housing a human-rights priority.
For vulnerable communities, the difference between secure and inadequate housing can determine whether climate shocks become temporary setbacks or long-term drivers of poverty. CRSDPs seek to reduce that vulnerability by supporting safer, more resilient living environments that protect lives, assets and livelihoods.
Second, the observance calls for designing policies with people experiencing poverty. This principle is at the core of the CRSDP process.
Village residents are not passive beneficiaries; they actively participate in identifying priorities, shaping investments, and overseeing implementation. The plans are developed through extensive community consultations, with women playing a central role in decision-making.
Third, the observance calls for greater efforts to mobilise resources for safe homes for all. PAIDAR demonstrates how partnerships can translate this ambition into action.
Through the programme, UNIDO has invested 5 million euros in communal infrastructure across flood-affected settlements, complementing 7 million euros in climate-resilient housing reconstruction delivered through SPHF. The impact of this approach is already visible in Lakho Bhambhro, a village in Thatta, where communities are rebuilding their lives.