of the country, both men and women, equally enjoy the protection of the law and enjoy all human,
political, economic, social, and cultural rights, in conformity with Islamic criteria.” These laws
seemingly guarantee access to adequate living conditions for all, including ethnic minorities.
In recent decades, the Iranian government has implemented various plans and programs to reduce
the problems associated with providing housing in Iran. But over the years, and with the
implementation of many projects and construction, housing-related problems, including the need
for affordable housing for all, especially the low-income and vulnerable individuals, many of
whom are members of ethnic minorities, still exist. The Housing Foundation and the Imam
Khomeini Relief Committee, as the two bodies responsible for providing housing for the lowincome and "responsible for organizing and addressing the livelihoods of the poor and needy,"
signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2016 for the construction of 20,000 units of
"supportive housing" in rural areas, yet there is a scarcity of reports that would indicate that this
measure has alleviated the affordable housing crisis in Iran.24
In 2007, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad introduced the Mehr housing plan which planned to create 2.2
billion new housing opportunities for low income and disadvantaged individuals. By the time
Hassan Rouhani came to power, this plan had not been implemented and only around 700 thousand
housing units had been built. Additionally, this housing project focused on building houses outside
of the main urban areas with lack of access to transportation and basic necessities. In 2019, Hassan
Rouhani once again vowed to implement this housing initiative, yet no major progress has been
reported in the months since and low-income families still struggle to find affordable and adequate
housing in the midst of heavy sanctions by the United States, which have devalued the Rial
greatly.25 Reports indicate that Iranian low-income families still struggle to find housing
opportunities that provide the most basic human necessities like sanitation, running water and
heat.26 As of March 2021, there are no readily available updates on the progress of this project.
Ethnic minority-rich regions in Iran have historically experienced low levels of development due
to neglect from the Iranian Government. Sistan-Baluchestan, predominantly inhabited by the
Balouch ethnic group, is Iran’s poorest province27 with the majority of its population living below
the poverty line. 28 Despite the region’s rich oil reserves which has led to major investments from
the government, such developments have not benefited the Balouch people. 29
24
http://www.jahannews.com/sdcez78nejh8pzi.b9bj.html and
https://www.maskanco.ir/Components/News/View/NewsPDF.aspx?id=920&lcid=1033
25
Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/iranians-struggle-afford-housing-prices-soar-190730150209889.html
26
Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/iranians-struggle-afford-housing-prices-soar-190730150209889.html
27
Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/publications/seeking-justice-and-an-end-to-neglect-irans-minorities-todayfebruary-2011/
28
Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rights-Denied-Violations-against-ethnic-andreligious-minorities-in-Iran.pdf
29
Minority Rights Group, https://minorityrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rights-Denied-Violations-against-ethnic-andreligious-minorities-in-Iran.pdf
4