With the premise that Latin America and the Caribbean are the second most disaster-prone region globally, in terms of climate-related events, authorities, and climate change experts gather this week in Bogotá to analyze the current effects of the climate crisis on housing in Colombia and the region. They aim to explore affordable and resilient solutions to address the current housing deficit, which worsened following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The analysis takes place during the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum, a regional event organized by Habitat for Humanity and convened through the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH). The forum is co-hosted by the Ministry of Housing, City, and Territory of Colombia, the Secretariat of Habitat in Bogotá, and the Mayor's Office of Bogotá. Over the course of three days, the event will feature the participation of representatives from the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the private sector, academia, civil society representatives, community leaders, local and regional governments, among others.
Colombia was chosen as the venue for the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum due to its regional prominence and its role as a laboratory for policies and important cross-sector initiatives between housing and the environment, the public and private sectors, and national and local stakeholders, all aimed at building more sustainable and efficient housing and cities.
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Bogotá serves as the host city for the event because of its leadership in housing and habitat matters, as well as the programs promoting access to and improvement of housing, spearheaded by the Mayor's Office and the Secretariat of Habitat.
Here's a tweet in which Mayor Claudia López shared details about the conditions of the new Master Plan to advance urban renewal and revitalization in Bogotá:
En el #VForoDeViviendaYElHabitat explicamos las condiciones del nuevo POT para llevar a cabo la renovación y revitalización urbana:
— Claudia López Hernández (@ClaudiaLopez) July 31, 2023
1. Protección a moradores, residentes y comerciantes, sin expulsión ni gentrificación.
2. Más espacio público, reverdecimiento y más equipamientos… pic.twitter.com/nrDLSSM7hq
Colombian and Latin American Reality
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) estimates that 45% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean lacks a dignified place to live. Focusing on Colombia, the latest annual report from the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) published in 2021 indicates that 31% of households are part of the housing deficit in the country. These families reside in dwellings constructed with precarious materials, which are not resilient to climate change, lack basic services, and many of them with earthen floors on land they do not own.
"Housing is a cornerstone for the sustainable development of a community, a village, a nation. It is necessary to redouble efforts to address the current climate and social crisis with urgent measures to adapt to climate change through more resilient and secure housing and settlements, in compliance with the New Urban Agenda. At Habitat for Humanity, we are clear that we are called not only to reduce the housing deficit but to do so in a sustainable way, adapting to the realities imposed by our planet. What we are facing is a challenge of enormous proportions, with serious consequences for the most vulnerable. It is a challenge we cannot confront in isolation; we must do it together with others," stated Ernesto Castro, Vice President of the LAC region at Habitat for Humanity.
Hurricanes, droughts, and other disasters are the reality that millions of Latin Americans face from their homes every year. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the worsening of climate change and the combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have stalled decades of progress against poverty, food insecurity, and inequality reduction. The same commission estimates that the total value of all direct and indirect damages and economic losses related to disasters that occurred in the region in 2022 amounted to $1.789 billion USD.
"From governments, a much more comprehensive approach is required. It is crucial to make a transformation from public housing and habitat policies. There is nothing more important for the quality of life than access to clean water and sanitation. The goal is to provide access to adequate housing with a new model of public policy that involves effective management, recognizing the importance of community water organizations, and understanding how government resources should be directed to invest in housing improvements and new housing. This requires collaborative efforts with the private sector and a clear understanding of how to advance in habitat construction," expressed Catalina Velasco, Minister of Housing, City, and Territory of Colombia.
Celebrating that Habitat for Humanity has chosen Bogotá as the host city for the fifth edition of the forum, Mayor Claudia López Hernández presented a comprehensive overview of the city's economic and social recovery after the pandemic. She explained that one of her main focuses is on women.
"Our goal is to create housing within the city and a city with dignified housing. These two aspects go hand in hand, both requiring public investment, planning, and private investment. To close the gap, we need to prioritize investment in households in the rural population of the city. That is the great challenge, and with the historic investments we are making, we will achieve a point of balance," explained the mayor.
The current housing crisis disproportionately affects the most vulnerable sectors of the population, including women, migrants, ethnic communities, youth, and the elderly. They experience the daily health and security impacts of not having a safe place to call home. In light of this reality, the Forum aims to help authorities recognize the urgent climate and social challenges in housing and habitat, as well as to share and propose innovative, scalable, and climate-responsible solutions. Lastly, it seeks to rally commitment, investments, and resources to address this emergency.
"We believe that gatherings like the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum are of vital importance in the necessary process of socio-economic recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean, in the post-COVID-19 context, which is also experiencing a global crisis affecting the region. In our organization, we have identified housing and habitat-related issues as one of the priority areas for action and intervention, and one of the priority areas for both public and private investment that we must promote," said Elkin Velásquez, Regional Representative of UN-Habitat for Latin America and the Caribbean.
As part of the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum, 12 innovative initiatives that strengthen housing against the effects of climate change will be reviewed and recognized in a special award ceremony. These are the winning initiatives of the UHPH 2023 Inspiring Practices competition, held every two years to acknowledge and highlight housing initiatives that, through innovation and collaboration, contribute to improving the quality of life for low-income families in the region.
The 5th Housing and Habitat Forum is supported by The Hilti Foundation as the global presenter and sponsored by regional partners such as Whirlpool Corporation, Grupo Argos, UN-Habitat, Development Bank of Latin America - CAF, Swisscontact, World Vision, the International Habitat Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, Miyamoto, Eternit, and the Peruvian Real Estate Association. Previous editions were held virtually from Costa Rica in 2021, the Dominican Republic in 2018, Mexico in 2015, and Colombia in 2012.
About Habitat for Humanity
Driven by the vision that every person deserves a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began on a community farm in southern Georgia, United States. The organization has grown into a global non-governmental organization focused on affordable housing, operating in all 50 states of the U.S. and in over 70 countries worldwide. Today, more than 46 million people around the world have a safe place to call home, thanks to Habitat's work. We provide families with access to adequate housing through construction or improvements, financing, advocacy on public policies and systems, and training, among other initiatives. In the fiscal year 2022, Habitat contributed to improving housing conditions for over 7.1 million people worldwide, of which 1.7 million were in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through housing, we empower people.
For more information, visit https://www.habitat.org/lac-en.
The following is the broadcast of the inauguration of the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum, taking place in Bogotá.
