David Ireland
Moderator
This event will celebrate the legacy of the World Habitat Awards, kickstarting the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the Awards.
• In 1985 the World Habitat Awards were established and a longstanding partnership between UN-Habitat and World Habitat began.
• Over the past four decades, 1000s of proven long-term sustainable solutions have been uncovered, addressing some of the most pressing challenges facing the housing sector today.
• The World Habitat Awards have recognised a wide range of work, from innovation at the local level, through to large scale programmes crossing borders and cultures.
• Some of the ideas acknowledged by the World Habitat Awards in the last 40 years have gone on to become part of mainstream policy discussions. For example, Housing First and Community Land Trust models were first spotted by the Awards as early innovations decades ago.
• The solutions presented by the Awards help countries to solve housing challenges, embed policies that promote the right to housing, and enable communities to thrive in sustainable and secure homes.
• The World Habitat Awards help to identify areas of concern in housing, for example drawing attention to the problem of speculation in housing markets and the need for a just transition to net-zero.
• The World Habitat Awards provide a legacy of innovation, housing trends, good practice and learning that can benefit countries and cities around the world.
• This event will shine a light on the long-standing collaboration between World Habitat and UN-Habitat and the lessons learnt in the last four decades.
• To highlight and celebrate the long-standing partnership between World Habitat and UN-Habitat and show how the Awards contribute to solving housing challenges.
• Demonstrate how communities and organisations working on the ground, nurtured by World Habitat and UN-Habitat, are leaders for positive change in housing policy and practice.
• Influence the housing sector to implement better solutions.
• Highlight the key lessons and case studies to be contextualised and implemented.
• Encourage new entries and interest in the World Habitat Awards.
• Highlight the richness and uniqueness of the Awards, how they demonstrate the evolution of housing trends, their influence on public policy and the international housing agenda.
• Provide national and city level examples of good practices, and the implications for policymakers.