Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2016-07-26

The International Year of Shelter for the Homeless (IYSH) 1987

- With a view to finding solutions for the homeless people around the world, on a proposal made by Hon. Ranasinghe Premadasa, the then Prime Minister and the Minister of Housing of Sri Lanka, at the 35th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, the year 1987 was declared as the 'International Year of Shelter for the Homeless'. Concurrently, Sri Lanka carried out a number of various human settlement projects, in collaboration with several other developing countries. The 30th Anniversary of the International Year of Shelter for the Homeless falls on the year 2017 and accordingly, the proposal made by Hon. Sajith Premadasa, the Minister of Housing and Construction, to commence the development of a series of 'Model Villages' and 'Re‑awakened Villages' in several selected district in the island, on 1st of January 2017, to complete and open several selected human settlement projects and to organize several commemorative programmes in commemoration of the IYSH, was approved by the Cabinet.