FIABCI at United Nations in New York

Aug 29, 2018 Latest News

In mid-July the United Nations held a High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development with the theme of “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.” This event focused on select Sustainable Development Goals, including #11 – to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. FIABCI remains highly engaged in activities that support this goal, so it was an ideal opportunity to hold a parallel event attended by World President Makedonov. FIABCI’s activities planned around the UN Forum were organized by past FIABCI World Presidents Enrico Campagnoli (2010 ‐ ’11) and Danielle Grossenbacher (2015 ‐ ’16). Also involved in the event was Rusmin Lawin, Vice President of FIABCI’s Asia-Pacific Committee and Timothy Yi, President of Samkoo, sponsor of The City We Need Is Affordable Vol. III. Reed more about these series.

On July 10, FIABCI leaders met with representatives of the Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations (CoNGOs). President Makedonov made a presentation to the group noting the similarities between FIABCI and CoNGOs, including that both hold special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and both strive to participate with the UN in decision making and programming that will lead to a better world. Other presentations included one from Enrico Campagnoli on UN-Habitat’s City Prosperity Initiative (CPI). FIABCI continues to play an active role in promoting the CPI through its Chapters and global alliances.

FIABCI used this meeting to officially launch the 3^rd edition of “The City We Need is Affordable” book — the latest result of FIABCI’s partnership with the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign. The 2018 edition focuses on the need for culture and inclusion, as well as policy and construction innovations. The publication showcases affordable and workforce housing developments from around the world. Publication sponsor Timothy Yi, President of SamKoo Hawaii and SamKoo Pacific was on-hand for the launch.

“With our growing population and rising land values, creativity and innovation are needed to generate business opportunities that incentivize developers to build quality, affordable housing that support a sense of community,” noted FIABCI World President Assen Makedonov in conjunction with the launch of the book.

On July 12, following a meeting on the effective implementation, monitoring and financing of SDG 11 at the UN headquarters, FIABCI joined a gathering of UN-Habitat representatives, including featured speaker Eduardo Moreno, Director of Research and Capacity Development of UN-Habitat. President Makedonov also met with Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of the UN-Habitat and discussed the ongoing cooperation between UN-Habitat and FIABCI. The number one focus of UN-Habitat under her leadership is affordable housing, which nicely aligns with the efforts of FIABCI

Carol Weinrich Helsel
Chief Editor, FIABCI International