The 2nd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum was held in Manila, Philippines from 7th to 9th September 2009. Organized by Habitat for Humanity International, in cooperation with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the City of Taguig, Philippines, the Forum aims to form strategies and solutions to convert slums into productive assets of cities; present concrete cases or innovations to make the urban housing value chain work for the poor; forge partnerships between and among key stakeholders to effectively implement innovative solutions for urban poverty housing and development; and explore alternatives that would bridge gaps between emergency relief and sustainable redevelopment.
Today 1.6 billion people live in inadequate shelter around the world ? one billion of those live in slums ? with about 60 per cent of them calling Asia-Pacific their home. These are alarming figures that demand we heed the call for Habitat's work to move up to another level.
Building on the results of the 1st Asia-Pacific Housing Forum held in 2007, which brought together key stakeholders to Singapore to harness private sector role in addressing housing concerns in the region, the 2nd Asia-Pacific Housing Forum gathered representatives from the social, private, and public sectors, academia, and international organizations to share best practices, solutions, and resource needs for the large and growing number of people living in substandard housing environments. The forum had approximately 1000 participants for three days.