News & Highlights

Wilton Park Conference 974

Financing Affordable Housing for
low income groups : innovative funding
for urban housing

Monday 18 - Friday 22 May 2009

In co-operation with

and the International Institute for Environment and Development, London

Top down and bottom up strategies are both needed to address the housing crisis of the "bottom billion" - 15% of the world's population. UN-Habitat outlined the need for a global campaign for adequate and affordable housing - and showed the reality on the ground. Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under-Secretary General presented the stark challenge of 25 million more people pushed into inadequate housing every year, adding to the bottom billion. Slum conditions were graphically presented by the work on the UN agency's doorstep in Kibera, the million-strong Nairobi slum shown at the beginning of the John le Carre story dramatically filmed as The Constant Gardener.

Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under-Secretary General

International housing activists Jockin Arputham (India), Rose Molokoane (South Africa) and Somsook Boonyabancha (Thailand) showed how community organisation can produce low-cost housing solutions and negotiate improvements in conditions.

Jockin Arputham, President Slum\Shack Dwellers International - India and Salmon Odunga, Former Permanent Secretary Housing - Tanzania

Housing ministers and Mayors from Zimbabwe and Tanzania illustrated the interplay between national and city-level policies.

Fidelis Mhashu, Housing Minister - Zimbabwe

As part of the conference a BBC World Debate was filmed for TV broadcasting in August, featuring UN-Habitat Executive-Director Anna Tibaijuka, Somsook Boonyanbancha and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing Raquel Rolnik (Brazil), as well as private sector specialists on finance and housing development.

Preparing for the TV Debate: Raquel Rolnik (right), UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing - Brazil

Presentations featured case studies from Central and Latin America, Africa and Asia, as well as innovative funding models.

Michael Mutter and Anna Tibaijuka both UN Habitat relaxing during conference

The programme is available here

If you would like the conference report as soon as it is available, please click here, and specify the conference number in your request.

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To access presentations made at the conference, please click here

BBC One Planet interviews, please click here

For links to relevant partner organisations, please follow these links:

UN-Habitat
http://www.unhabitat.org/?gclid=CK_8kbXnz5oCFRAgZwody2Sz2w

International Institute for Environment and Development
http://www.iied.org/human-settlements/home

Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI)
http://www.sdinet.org/documents/doc16.htm

Jockin Arputham, President of SDI
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/03/01/learning_from_slums/

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing
http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/3E0645F6B6AE66CDC12575740059753F?OpenDocument

Rolnik Report 2009

http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G09/106/32/PDF/G0910632.pdf?OpenElement

During the conference a BBC World Debate: HOUSING THE FUTURE was recorded. The production company tve, who specialise in programmes on international development and environment, is producing this TV debate. Their website is available here.

For UN-Habitat's "State of the World's Cities, click here
http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/getPage.asp?page=bookView&book=2562

For the Special Rapporteur's February paper, click here:
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/housing/annual.htm