Affordable Housing - Concept
Programme des Nations Unies pour les établissements humains • Programa de las Naciones Unidas para los Asentamientos Humanos
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Concept Note on Affordable Housing and Housing Finance in the Face of the Global Financial Crisis for the Luncheon Meeting, New York, 25 June 2009
Introduction In its resolution A/RES/63/221 entitled “Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT)”, the General Assembly “invites the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT to keep under review developments in the housing finance systems in view of the current financial crisis, and further decides to explore the possibility of convening a high level event of the General Assembly on this subject.” As a follow up the theme of the 22nd Session of the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT, was “Promoting affordable housing finance systems in an urbanising world in the face of the global financial crisis and climate change” and the theme paper of that title was published on the UN-HABITAT web-site as a pre-session document (HSP/GC/22/4). During the discussion the Governing Council noted that the global economic crisis is having a detrimental effect on the progress being made to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in general and on affordable housing finance in particular, especially in developing countries, with new pressures being brought on inflation and high interest rates. Several representatives saw opportunities arising from those challenges, which could be a springboard for the development of innovative mechanisms to promote affordable housing. There was some discussion of the role of the State in that process, with a number of representatives speaking of the need for the public sector to facilitate the sustainable development of human settlements through supportive policy formulation and legislation, priority
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Concept Note on Affordable Housing and Housing Finance in the Face of the Global Financial Crisis for the Luncheon Meeting, New York, 25 June 2009
Introduction In its resolution A/RES/63/221 entitled “Implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT)”, the General Assembly “invites the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT to keep under review developments in the housing finance systems in view of the current financial crisis, and further decides to explore the possibility of convening a high level event of the General Assembly on this subject.” As a follow up the theme of the 22nd Session of the Governing Council of UN-HABITAT, was “Promoting affordable housing finance systems in an urbanising world in the face of the global financial crisis and climate change” and the theme paper of that title was published on the UN-HABITAT web-site as a pre-session document (HSP/GC/22/4). During the discussion the Governing Council noted that the global economic crisis is having a detrimental effect on the progress being made to the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals in general and on affordable housing finance in particular, especially in developing countries, with new pressures being brought on inflation and high interest rates. Several representatives saw opportunities arising from those challenges, which could be a springboard for the development of innovative mechanisms to promote affordable housing. There was some discussion of the role of the State in that process, with a number of representatives speaking of the need for the public sector to facilitate the sustainable development of human settlements through supportive policy formulation and legislation, priority