International Housing Coalition
Weekly Update
November 20, 2015
In this Update 
 

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Acknowledging World Toilet Day

This Thursday, November 19th, was World Toilet Day, a day designated by the United Nations to highlight the importance of adequate sanitation, and to keep the momentum up for achieving Global Goal 11 as well as the goal of sanitation for for all. 

The IHC recognizes that sanitation is a critical component to adequate housing and important for a safe and resilient community. Cities present unique and particularly difficult challenges in providing adequate infrastructure and reducing the risk of disease in slums and informal settlements but are also well-placed to work with communities to find technically sound and contextually appropriate solutions. We are happy to see all of the work being highlighted this week in honor of the day. 

IHC Member Water Aid America released the "State of the World's Toilets 2015" this week. Read it here. 

Learn about the sanitation work and efforts of many other organizations by following the Twitter hashtag #WorldToiletDay.
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Housing Finance in Africa Yearbook 2015

IHC member the Affordable Housing Institute released the 2015 Housing Finance in Africa Yearbook this week.  The Yearbook is intended to provide housing finance practitioners, investors, developers, researchers and government officials with a current update of practice and developments in housing finance in Africa,  through a broad introduction followed by specific profiles of 48 countries in Africa. 

Five themes highlighted in the report include:
  1. Innovation in financing
  2. Growing awareness of the opportunity in residential development
  3. The identification of niche markets and an appreciation of the affordability challenge
  4. Policy & regulatory evolution to match investor interest
  5. Growing experience and investor sophistication
Read the full report here. 
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GDI Study: Making Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives Work 

The Global Development Incubator, an organization created to "advance and scale social impact by creating and expanding select ideas, organizations, and initiatives that address urgent global problems," recently released a review and study of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives. 

The report aims to assess  what makes MSIs succeed or fail, and when they are or aren't the best choice to address development challenges. The study looks at 17 Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives, including a program initiated by IHC partner Cities Alliance, and attempts to make qualified recommendations on what to consider when initiating, running and evaluating MSIs. 

The report concludes that MSIs can achieve "more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts results," but only when organized and implemented with care. 

Read the full report here. 
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Brookings Event: Housing, Inclusion and Social Equity 

Many nations face the challenge of promoting social inclusion and economic opportunity, and patterns of housing development have a direct impact on these efforts. 

Are there public policy lessons from around the world that can be helpful for all? Please join the  Brookings Institution, Washington University, Duke University, and the National University of Singapore for a discussion featuring a keynote address from the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, and contributions from scholars and policymakers from the U.S., Singapore, the United Kingdom, and India. 

WHEN: November 30th, 8:00 AM - 2:30 PM EST
WHERE: Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington D.C.

Learn more and RSVP here. This event will be live webcast. 
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Judith Hermanson Represents IHC at NAR Annual Conference 

Last week, IHC had the opportunity to address the Global Global Business and Alliances Committee at the Annual Meeting of IHC member and founding sponsor the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in San Diego, California. Judith Hermanson represented the IHC and reported on recent activities, focusing on the opportunities we see for private sector and civil society participation in the dialogue leading to the New Urban Agenda that will be a major outcome of Habitat III. We hope this agreement will include strategies for global property markets to work for everyone.

The mayor of San Diego, the Honorable Scott Faulconer gave the inspiring keynote address that reinforced by example the Global Goal 11. Mayor Faulconer shared with this international audience the San Diego's "One San Diego" strategy for inclusiveness and San Diego's robust partnership with neighboring Tijuana for sustainability and local prosperity. A record number of international delegates attended, ranging from Ukraine to the Philippines, from France to Brazil, indicating the growing globalization of the real estate industry, leading to a great exchange of ideas and experiences.

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In the News and Around the Web
  • Read an article discussing the concept of a "Lean Data Approach" for social enterprise organizations that want to have data-driven programs yet lack funding for traditional evaluations techniques here. 
  • Read an article from CityLab highlighting the connections between fragile states, urbanization and national security here.
  • Read a CitiScope article on the challenge of forced evictions for slum-dwellers in Bangladesh and the potential for 99-year long leases to help the situation here. 

International Housing Coalition
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phone: (202) 408-8507