Table of Contents Message from Habitat for Humanity 1 APHF5 by the numbers 2 Joining the Global Debate on Urban Housing 3 Events Summaries Hong Kong 4 India 5 Philippines 6 Speakers and Moderators 7 Acknowledgements 17 On the cover: Mithu Danuwar, 68, lives with her family in a Habitat house which was unscathed by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal in April 2015. On this page: Seo Yun Yang and other delegates in Hong Kong hear one of the major plenaries of the Asia-Pacific Housing Forum. Message from Habitat for Humanity Dear delegates and guests, In Delhi, the satellite event, guided by the theme Thank you for participating in the 5th Asia-Pacific ‘Building Impact through Ecosystems for Bottom of the Housing Forum in September. For the first time, the Pyramid Affordable Housing,’ discussions encouraged events that happened simultaneously in Hong Kong, an exchange of ideas, experiences, and policy analysis India and in the Philippines brought together over 1,300 and consensus building. Topics ranged from affordable delegates, and contributed to yet another successful housing to proper sanitation and seeking market and productive forum. Following this year’s theme solutions and technologies toward achieving housing of ‘Building Impact,’ the events in the three locations for all. Delegates were also encouraged to support the were able to attract a diverse audience, including goal of ending open defecation in India with sanitation representatives from multilateral organizations, solutions. The event gathered union ministers and corporations and nongovernmental organizations; celebrities, such as Bollywood stars Vivek Oberoi and government officials and academics who took advantage Evelyn Sharma, to pave the way for new products, of this platform to network and forge new alliances that initiatives and renewed partnerships and commitments. will impact the sector of affordable housing in Asia- Pacific in the near future. At the Manila satellite event, the forum came in advance of the Philippines’ Joint Congressional Urban and Most importantly, this edition of the Asia-Pacific Housing Development Summit 2016, and participants Housing Forum arrived at a potential turning point for had the chance to record their ideas and opinions on the discussions on housing and shelter worldwide, with the solutions to poverty housing for next year’s event. the upcoming United Nations Conference on Housing The housing forum in Manila also saw the beginning and Sustainable Urban Development in October of important partnerships, including a memorandum 2016 (Habitat III). This is an exciting time for actors with the province of Zambales and an agreement with and stakeholders in the fields of poverty reduction, ABS-CBN, one of the leading television networks in the urbanization and all those who work for more sustainable Philippines. urban development, especially since 55 percent of the world’s population now lives in urban areas. Overall, the 5th Asia-Pacific Housing Forum served not only to showcase best practices around the region but The main event in Hong Kong gathered representatives to bring different sectors together to advocate for the from organizations present in 26 countries and provided future we want to achieve: more people having access to an energetic environment for networking and sharing. affordable housing and decent living conditions. At the forum’s marketplace sessions, organizations showcased their projects on sustainable building We are confident that the benefits of this housing forum technology and social innovation for the benefit of low- will have an ongoing, positive impact on the Asia-Pacific income families in the region. Hong Kong also hosted region’s future, as participants share ideas and spark the Wharton-Habitat for Humanity Housing Finance enthusiasm in their home countries. We trust that new Course, where a full house of 80 participants learned policies will emerge to reduce substandard housing in about the latest trends in housing finance and how to the region. We look forward to seeing the impact in the scale it to the lower income segment of the market. housing landscape for Asia-Pacific. Rick Hathaway Vice President, Asia-Pacific Habitat for Humanity International 1 3 locations (Hong Kong, India and the Philippines) 1,365 delegates (572 in Delhi, 557 in Manila, 236 in Hong Kong) 30 different countries represented by attending organizations 192 experts among the speakers 80 trained in the Wharton-Habitat for Humanity housing finance course 2 signed partnerships (Habitat India and partners for “100 districts free of open defecation by 2019” and Habitat Philippines with the government of the province of Zambales) 345 signatures (from delegates endorsing the 8 recommendations for Habitat III) 139 articles of media coverage APHF5 by the numbers (June to September 2015) 2 Joining the Global Debate on Urban Housing Closing plenary: (from left), moderator Shaun Koh, speakers Renee Glover, Stanley Chan and Richard Northcote. Paving the Way for Habitat III The 5th Asia-Pacific Housing Forum was a significant event in the lead-up to Habitat III – the third conference to be hosted by the United Nations on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development – taking place in 2016. Habitat for Humanity has been elected civil society representative for this global meeting. To highlight APHF5 as part of the journey toward Habitat III, Habitat for Humanity identified eight key recommendations that global leaders must prioritize for the development of the New Urban Agenda at the 2016 conference. These recommendations highlight the importance of housing as part of the Sustainable Development Goals agenda. Also known as Global Goals, the SDGs were adopted on 25 September 2015 by United Nations countries which pledged to end poverty in all forms by 2030. The recommendations urge that the Habitat III conference: • Continue to prioritize housing • Work to implement the Sustainable Development Goals agenda • Prioritize security of tenure • Include the voices of local communities and their partners • Have measured outcomes • Support market approaches • Prioritize access to urban basic services • Recognize the need to implement disaster preparedness strategies More than 340 participants at APHF5’s three locations signed postcards and pledges showing their support for the development of the New Urban Agenda. Despite the wide range of topics, participants were able to address pressing issues, such as the importance of solid government policies in streamlining urban growth and development in the coming decades amid increasing rural-urban migration. Participants also examined the issues of access to secure land tenure, and involving local communities, integrating their needs and tapping their capacities in the urban development context. This effort demands that the non-profit sector comes together with developers, lending institutions, governments and civil society groups to find the common ground for the development of successful and innovative policies. 3 Event Summary Hong Kong Serving for the first time as the main location for the biennial Asia-Pacific Housing Forum, Hong Kong hosted more than 230 representatives from important organizations that work on housing in the region. Most importantly, the event in Hong Kong was a stepping stone in the lead up to Habitat III, as a platform in which institutions and individuals could share their views and solutions for the most pressing needs related to affordable housing. The event included a roundtable, with the objective to launch an issue paper prepared by Habitat for Humanity in partnership with Cities Alliance, on ‘Secure Tenure for Urban Slums,’ spotlighting issues surrounding the ownership of land in Asia. The presentation was followed by an expert panel discussion on the problem of inadequate housing, its place on the global policy agenda and how governments, communities and other players in the housing sector respond to the current trends for the eradication of poverty housing. In his opening speech at the housing forum, Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford highlighted the role that different actors could play in scaling up the needs and concerns of local communities and how they could be part of major global initiatives, such as Habitat III and its New Urban Agenda, and the recent Sustainable Development Goals. “The next few months are critical for debate,” Reckford said, “and we need to keep housing at the forefront of conversations concerning sustainable cities.” The forum also included plenaries and track sessions in which Hong Kong and regional speakers shared their expert views and recommendations for affordable housing. The diversity of programs, technologies and impact stories brought up by the participants was among the main achievements of this year’s event. The Marketplace sessions also showcased innovative solutions and methods used by different organizations in providing shelter for families in need due to poverty or natural disasters while also adapting to the country’s local needs. As more and more companies and social enterprises focus attention on finding business opportunities for affordable housing solutions, the Marketplace offered the perfect scenario for businesses and non-profits to work together for the development of partnerships and strategies for the provision of sustainable and low-cost housing. The forum’s closing summarized the main achievements of the satellite locations, while also calling for a shared vision among all the participants for