Former UN-HABITAT Chief Is Keynote Speaker At The 3rd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum In Bangkok
April 11th, 2011
Organized By Habitat For Humanity And Red Cross, Three-Day Event Will Feature Inaugural Exhibition Of Products And Services For Shelter Needs Of The Poor And Vulnerable
Anna Tibaijuka (left), former executive director of UN-HABITAT, is the keynote speaker for the 3rd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum. About 800 people are expected to attend the forum which will be held in Bangkok in September. The inaugural forum in 2007 (right) attracted 230 participants.
BANGKOK, 11th April 2011: Former executive director of UN-HABITAT Anna Tibaijuka has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the 3rd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum which will be held later this year in Bangkok.
Tibaijuka is a champion of development planning and advocate for the rights of women, youth and children.
She will share insights on the forum’s theme of sustainable shelter in an age of climate change and disasters.
From 2000 to 2010, Tibaijuka was the executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat and the second highest ranking African woman at the UN.
Tibaijuka is currently the Minister of Land, Housing and Human Settlements Development of the United Republic of Tanzania.
The 3rd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum is organized by Habitat for Humanity and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It will be held at The Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel from 7th to 9th September 2011.
The three-day event is expected to attract about 800 participants, up from the 230 people who attended the inaugural forum in Singapore in 2007. Previous fora were held in Singapore (2007) and Manila (2009).
The forum will focus on four major topics comprising housing policy and climate change; housing finance in response to climate change and disasters; disaster mitigation, response and sustainable development and technologies for more resilient homes and communities.
For the first time, there will be an exhibition featuring technologies, designs, services and products that address the shelter needs of the poor and vulnerable.
The forum includes a “Thought Leaders Panel” which will feature the exchange of ideas by leading global thinkers and practitioners. Some of the leaders include:
• Vice President Jejomar Binay, Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Republic of the Philippines.
• Somsook Boonyabancha, Secretary General, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights.
• Dr. Marja C. Hoek-Smit, Director of the International Housing Finance Program, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
• Roy Prosterman, Landesa’s Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Landesa (Rural Development Institute), USA.
The co-organizers are now seeking abstracts to be considered for presentation at the event. Organizations and individuals that have been noticed for their outstanding track record on shelter, sustainable ideas and solutions are encouraged to present their papers. Visit the forum’s website for more information.