HLP: Urban Humanitarian Response 2019

Context
This document is a Good Practice Review (GPR) that was produced with the support of the Global Alliance for Urban Crises. The document is intended to provide guidance to help enable cities and urban communities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to urban crises. Chapter 4 of the document focuses on sectoral approaches to the humanitarian response in cities and covers housing, land, and property (HLP) rights, and discusses the difficulties involved in addressing this issue in conflict, disaster, and returnee situations. Following this, the section on shelter and settlements emphasizes the need to explore approaches beyond the provision of temporary structures. The section on debris and disaster waste management includes good practices in post-disaster clearance, explosive remnants of war, and mine clearance. 

Summary 
In discussing Sectoral Responses, the document suggests that HLP can be a complex area to work in given the large amounts of varied tenure arrangements and are a vital part of shelter and settlements programming. The document suggests that tenure is key to HLP rights and uses the Global Shelter Cluster definition of HLP as the “relationship among people, as groups or individuals, with respect to housing and land, established through statutory law or customary, informal or religious arrangements. In discussing HLP rights in informal settlements, the document states it is important to distinguish between tenure, that is de jure (how things should happen per law) and de facto (how they happen in reality). This is important in relation to informal settlements as by law, settlements should not exist, but they account for the tenure arrangements of numerous people.

The document discusses HLP in urban areas, challenges in HLP programming, and guidance on addressing HLP issues in shelter programs. The section provides a table of Gradation of Tenure Options table that details forms of tenure, the meaning of each form of tenure, and the associated level of rights. The section also provides case studies and additional resources. This includes HLP due diligence requirements in camp settings based on an example from northern Syria and examples of land tenure issues in Haiti, community rental agreements in Lebanon, evictions in Lebanon, and further resources for HLP guidance. The Shelter and Settlements section discusses the challenges and opportunities in enacting urban shelter and settlements activities, and includes linkages of HLP rights and shelter programming, particularly as it relates to land ownership and highlights the challenges of urban shelter programming versus rural shelter programming. The section also suggests that a settlements-based approach requires not just housing and shelter, but also infrastructure, roads, and additional services.