2009 World Habitat Day

 

The United Nations has designated the first Monday each October as World Habitat Day. This site was created to help others promote the 2009 World Habitat Day.
Content is from the site's 2009 archived pages and other outside sources.

BECOME INVOLVED!

 



World Habitat Day 2009: President Obama's speech.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Let's stand up on World Habitat Day and let it be known that affordable, adequate housing should be a priority everywhere—in our communities, in our towns, in our country, in our world.

 

 

As a housing contractor, I’ve spent most of my career thinking about foundations, framing, and roofs — the physical pieces that turn lumber and concrete into a home. But reading about the mission behind World Habitat Day reminded me that housing is really about something deeper than construction. It’s about stability, dignity, and giving people a place where life can begin to heal and grow.

This message resonated with me personally because my daughter recently completed treatment for binge eating disorder. It was a difficult time for our family watching her struggle, and during her recovery she made a decision that surprised me — she wanted to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity. She said she needed something positive to focus on, something that would help shift her attention away from constant thoughts about food and toward something meaningful.

At first I planned to simply support her from the sidelines, but as someone who works in housing construction I realized I could do more than that. I joined her. Together we helped organize a small fundraising effort and signed up to contribute sweat equity on a Habitat build in our neighborhood.

Those weekends working side-by-side turned out to be one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. As a contractor I’ve worked on many projects, but this one felt different. When you’re volunteering, you’re not focused on contracts or deadlines — you’re thinking about the family who will eventually live in that home and what it will mean for their future.

The most powerful part for me was seeing what the experience did for my daughter. Instead of battling constant food obsession, she was measuring lumber, helping organize materials, and working alongside people who shared the same purpose. Each wall we raised gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Volunteering gave her something positive to focus on and helped rebuild her confidence during recovery. It reminded both of us that service and community can be incredibly healing.

I’m grateful that initiatives like World Habitat Day and organizations like Habitat for Humanity help bring attention to the importance of safe, affordable housing. Having a stable home can change the trajectory of a family’s life.

For us, helping build one was more than volunteer work — it was a powerful reminder that sometimes the act of building something for others can help rebuild something within ourselves too. Roger Sherman II

 

 

News Facts

   
 

The United Nations has designated the first Monday each October as  
World Habitat Day.

This year on Oct. 5 in Washington, D.C. and around the world, please join Habitat for Humanity in support of this global observance as we come together and declare that the lack of decent, affordable housing is unacceptable.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 million people in the world today are homeless. Millions more face a severe housing problem living without adequate sanitation, with irregular or no electricity supply and without adequate security.
 
 
Worldwide, more than 2 million housing units per year are needed for the next 50 years to solve the present worldwide housing crisis. With our global population expanding, however, at the end of those 50 years, there would still be a need for another 1 billion houses. (UN-HABITAT: 2005)

Raising awareness and advocating for change are the first steps toward transforming systems that perpetuate the global plague of poverty housing. World Habitat Day serves as an important reminder that everyone must unite to ensure that everyone has a safe, decent place to call home.

The U.N. further states that both developed and developing countries, cities and towns are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, resource depletion, food insecurity, population growth and economic instability.

Rapid rates of urbanization cause serious negative consequences - overcrowding, poverty, slums with many poorly equipped to meet the service demands of ever growing urban populations.

With over half of the world’s population currently living in urban areas the U.N. believes there is no doubt that the "urban agenda" will increasingly become a priority for governments, local authorities and their non-governmental partners everywhere. 
 

U.S. Housing Facts
  • About 95 million people, one third of the nation, have housing problems including a high-cost burden, overcrowding, poor quality shelter and homelessness. (National Low Income Housing Coalition: 2004) 
     
  • One in three American households spend more than 30 percent of income on housing, and one in seven spends more than 50 percent. (Joint Center for Housing Studies: 2006)  
     
  • The number of low-income families that lack safe and affordable housing is related to the number of children that suffer from asthma, viral infections, anemia, stunted growth and other health problems. About 21,000 children have stunted growth attributable to the lack of stable housing; 10,000 children between the ages of 4 and 9 are hospitalized for asthma attacks each year because of cockroach infestation at home; and more than 180 children die each year in house fires attributable to faulty electrical heating and electrical equipment. (Sandel, et al: 1999) 
 

Global poverty facts 
  • By the year 2030, an additional 3 billion people, about 40 percent of the world’s population, will need access to housing. This translates into a demand for 96,150 new affordable units every day and 4,000 every hour. (UN-HABITAT: 2005) 
     
  • One out of every three city dwellers – nearly a billion people – lives in a slum. (Slum indicators include: lack of water, lack of sanitation, overcrowding, non-durable structures and insecure tenure.) (UN-HABITAT: 2006) 
     
  • UN-Habitat has reported that because of poor living conditions, women living in slums are more likely to contract HIV/AIDS than their rural counterparts, and children in slums are more likely to die from water-borne and respiratory illness. (UN-HABITAT: 2006)
     
  • Housing formation generates non-housing related expenditures that help drive the economy. (Kissick, et al: 2006)  
     
  • Investing in housing expands the local tax base. (Kissick, et al: 2006)

 

~~~

AN ASIDE: Jump ahead a decade to 2019.World Habitat Day is still celebrated. This is a good sign.

"Solutions begin with small steps individuals can take to alter the way our cities function. We must reduce the amount of waste we produce, and, at the same time, start seeing it as a valuable resource that can be re-used and recycled, including for energy." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres

This year’s Global Observance of World Habitat Day was held in Mexico City on Monday, 7 October. Celebrations were held across the world, including in the capital of Cameroon - Yaounde, Nakuru in Kenya, and Vancouver in Canada. The 2019 theme: Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to wealth built on last year’s theme “Municipal Solid Waste Management” which focused mainly on managing garbage, the focus of this year’s World Habitat Day is promoting the contribution of innovative frontier technologies to sustainable waste management to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11: inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. Going beyond solid waste this includes all waste produced by human activity (solid, liquid, domestic, industrial and commercial), which continues to have a devastating impact on climate change, public health and the environment.

I planned to travel to Mexico City and bring with me a selection of womens glasses that would be donated with the help of the International Women's Club of Mexico City which supports a number of charities. I had contacted a local eyeglass store in Connecticut where I live to see if they would donate some women's frames. Eyeglasses.com has a large presence online as well as three brick and mortor stores. I order from their online store all the time. The owner was receptive to my request so I actually took more than three dozen eyeglass frames with me. I really enjoyed visiting the National Anthropology Museum of Mexico City where World Habitat Day was celebrated this year. Global observance of World Habitat Day in Mexico was enthusiastically supported by UN-Habitat Executive Director Maimunah Sharif, who attended the event and took part in the joint declaration together with Martha Delgado, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, in her role as UN-Habitat Assembly President, and Mexico City Environment Secretary Marina Robles.

The day after the World Habitat Day celebration I returned to the museum to spend some time. The National Museum of Anthropology (Museo Nacional de Antropologia) in Mexico City contains the world's largest collection of ancient Mexican art and also has ethnographic exhibits about Mexico's present-day indigenous groups. The museum has 23 permanent exhibit halls. Archaeology exhibits are located on the ground floor and ethnographic exhibits about present-day indigenous groups in Mexico are on the upper level. It's well worth visiting if you are ever in Mexico City. I spent two days walking through the exhibits. Don't miss the large courtyard in the museum, which is a nice place to rest when you want to take a break.

 

 

The theme for World Habitat Day 2009 is "Planning our Urban Future"

Celebrations of World Habitat Day in Washington, D.C. will be an excellent opportunity to foster global discussion and raise the profile of shelter and urban issues at the national and international level. Events in the United States and around the world include policy forums, award presentations, luncheons, dinners, house-building and exhibitions.

 

 

 



World Habitat Day 2009: Dr. Anna Tibaijuka
Dr. Anna Tibaijuka, UN-HABITAT executive director, speaks at the kick-off event for the 2009 World Habitat Day global observance. To become an advocate for Habitat, visit www.habitat.org/gov

 

What can you do for World Habitat Day?
 
Advocate - Educate - Donate
 
ADVOCATE Photo by photo, Habitat for Humanity advocates have created this mosaic that has already been sent to the White House. Now it is time to deliver a strong message to Congress: Make housing a priority. Pass legislation that would prioritize adequate and affordable housing. Ask Congress to Make Housing A Priority on World Habitat Day!
 


EDUCATE your community with Habitat for Humanity’s World Habitat Day handbook to learn more about the importance of secure tenure and neighborhood revitalization.  Get even more information about the issue of insecure tenure by reading Habitat’s Shelter Report: building a secure future through effective land policies.

Brainstorm ways to get more people involved. Learn from the successes of last year’s campaign, and come up with brand-new ways to celebrate and publicize the important work of Habitat for Humanity.

Take a virtual tour of the Capotillo informal settlement in the Dominican Republic and put yourself in the shoes of those who live in a broken community of violence, poverty and danger.

Link to Habitat for Humanity’s World Habitat Day 2009 resources page on your social media pages, personal web site or blog to spread the word and raise awareness.
 
DONATE to be a part of making the world a better place and support Habitat’s efforts. Donate online today!
 
 
 

Photos
 
So many people need your help
 
ARMAVIR, ARMENIA (10/10/08)- Six year-old Diego Manasyan lives with his mother, Ellada, and his two sisters in this deserted and crumbling Soviet-era building. ©Habitat for Humanity/Ezra Millstein
 
   
NAIROBI, KENYA (06/10/09) -- With an estimated population of more than one million people, Kibera is the largest slum in all of Africa.
-- ©Habitat for Humanity/Steffan Hacker 
 
 
MAAI MAHIU, KENYA 06/02/09 – Future Habitat homeowner Linet Gesare Maroko with her son, John. They are pictured in front of the makeshift tent she and her family, including children orphaned by her sister’s death, currently occupy. The tent is situated near the construction site of their future Habitat house (seen in background.) They have been living in a tent since their home in Narok, Kenya, was destroyed during the periods of violence in December 2007 and January 2008 that followed a disputed national election. She and her family were among the thousands forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict. Now, they are part of a self-help group of internally displaced people (IDP) that collectively purchased land in the area in which they now live. The group is partnering with Habitat Kenya to build houses on the land. --- ©Habitat for Humanity/Steffan Hacker
 
MY THO, VIETNAM 12/14/08- MY THO, VIETNAM (12/14/08)-Houses crowd the banks of the Mekong River. ©Habitat for Humanity/Ezra Millstein
 
SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR 5/19/09- Children play in front of their family's shack, in the Las Victorias squatter community on the outskirts of the capital. --© Habitat for Humanity/Ezra Millstein
 
Supporting organizations for 2009 World Habitat Day include:
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Rockefeller Foundation
  • Woodrow Wilson Centre
  • Global Housing Foundation
  • CHF International
  • American Planners Association
  • International Housing Coalition
  • the Urban Institute
  • USAID, Cities Alliance
  • the World Bank
  • the US Department of Agriculture
  • the Cooperative Housing Foundation
  • the National Law Centre
  • the Mortgage Bankers Association

 

DONATE

 

 
 
 
Did you know that your gift does much more than help families escape from unsafe, unhealthy living conditions?
 
You’re helping families to break the cycle of poverty and build long-term financial security. Habitat’s affordable, no-profit house payments free up money for food, child care, medicine and other necessities. And research has shown that decent housing improves health, increases children’s educational achievement and strengthens community ties.
 
Thanks to your support, Habitat has transformed the lives of more than 1 million people around the world! Let’s help even more!
 
Click here to donate now
 
 
 

A look back: 2008 World Habitat Day successes
 

  • Online advocates of Habitat for Humanity sent nearly 6,000 letters to U.S. presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, urging them to make housing a priority in their prospective administrations. Habitat Canada sent a similar letter to Canadian candidates for prime minister.
     
  • Affiliates across the United States sponsored special wall-raisings; appeared on radio, TV and public education programs; hosted volunteer appreciation and recruitment events; issued World Habitat Day proclamations; and served potluck dinners and pancake breakfasts, among many other activities.
     
  • Habitat for Humanity Guatemala engaged government officials in conversations about poverty housing and also facilitated several advocacy training workshops.
     
  • Habitat’s Europe/Central Asia area office organized, planned and hosted an intensive social housing conference focused on the global state of human habitat. Sixty academics, NGO leaders and government officials took part.
     
  • Habitat for Humanity South Korea hosted a two-day event that included a disaster simulation for 450 participants and a Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra Concert attended by 3,000 people.
     
  • Habitat for Humanity New Zealand held a nationwide online photography competition.
     
  • Habitat for Humanity Kenya exhibited Habitat’s work at the World Habitat Day celebration hosted by the Kenyan’s Ministry of Housing/UN-HABITAT.
 
 
 

About Habitat for Humanity
 
Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built more than 300,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1.5 million people. For more information, visit www.habitat.org.
 
Visit the Habitat for Humanity Web site
 
 
 
 
 
  • Habitat for Humanity’s World Habitat Day 2009 Web page
  • Ongoing advocacy information and Build Louder updates
  • World Habitat Day Handbook
  • Shelter Report: building a secure future through effective land policies
  • Washington gears up for World Habitat Day 2009
 
"The Place We Live" www.theplaceswelive.com
A unique, immersive, multimedia installation from Magnum photographer Jonas Bendiksen, "The Places We Live" illuminates what it means to be an urban citizen in the 21st century by presenting views of twenty homes found in the fastest growing human habitat on the planet: the world's slums. The exhibition is sponsored by Canon, and its presentation at the National Building Museum through Nov. 15, is made possible by Cities Alliance, USAID, and The World Bank.
 
 

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More Background On WorldHabitatDayNews.com

 

WorldHabitatDayNews.com is an informational website dedicated to raising awareness about World Habitat Day, an annual global observance established by the United Nations to highlight the importance of adequate housing and sustainable urban development. The site focuses particularly on the activities and advocacy surrounding the 2009 World Habitat Day campaign, but its content also provides broader context about global housing challenges, nonprofit initiatives, and international policy discussions related to urbanization.

Although relatively small in scale compared with major international news portals or government websites, WorldHabitatDayNews.com serves an important role as a digital resource that explains the purpose of World Habitat Day and promotes public engagement with housing-related issues. The website functions as a blend of educational resource, advocacy platform, and historical archive documenting the campaigns and conversations surrounding housing policy and urban development during the late 2000s.

Through statistics, commentary, organizational partnerships, and descriptions of global initiatives, the site helps readers understand the scale of the worldwide housing crisis and the collaborative efforts required to address it.

The Global Importance of World Habitat Day

World Habitat Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1985 and is observed on the first Monday of October every year. The day was created to encourage reflection on the state of human settlements and the fundamental right to adequate housing.

Each year the observance focuses on a specific theme related to housing and urban development. These themes address pressing global concerns such as slum development, climate change, sustainable cities, waste management, and the challenges associated with rapid urbanization.

Governments, nonprofit organizations, urban planners, housing advocates, and community leaders around the world organize events to mark the occasion. These may include public forums, policy discussions, educational campaigns, exhibitions, volunteer building projects, and fundraising efforts.

The United Nations also uses the observance to present the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, one of the most prestigious global awards recognizing contributions to human settlements and housing policy.

By highlighting the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of housing, World Habitat Day serves as an important platform for encouraging international cooperation and public awareness.

The Role and Mission of WorldHabitatDayNews.com

WorldHabitatDayNews.com was created primarily to support awareness efforts related to the 2009 observance of World Habitat Day. The site’s mission centers on informing readers about the global housing crisis and encouraging individuals and communities to participate in advocacy and volunteer initiatives.

The website promotes three primary forms of engagement:

Advocacy

Encouraging citizens to support policies that prioritize affordable housing and improved urban planning.

Education

Providing statistics, reports, and educational materials that explain the scale of housing insecurity worldwide.

Donation and Volunteerism

Supporting nonprofit organizations working to provide safe and affordable housing.

By combining these elements, the site encourages visitors to move beyond awareness and toward meaningful action.

Historical Background of the Website

Based on archived versions available through digital preservation platforms such as the Internet Archive, WorldHabitatDayNews.com appears to have emerged in the late 2000s during a period when housing affordability and urban development were receiving significant international attention.

The 2008 global financial crisis, which had strong links to housing markets, placed housing policy at the center of political and economic discussions worldwide. Issues such as foreclosure, homelessness, and the need for sustainable housing became widely debated topics in government and media circles.

Against this backdrop, websites like WorldHabitatDayNews.com served as informational hubs that helped translate complex global housing issues into accessible public messaging.

The website compiled resources, statistics, and advocacy materials that could be shared by activists, educators, and community organizations.

The 2009 World Habitat Day Campaign

A central focus of the website is the 2009 World Habitat Day observance, whose theme was “Planning Our Urban Future.”

The theme addressed the growing challenges posed by rapid urbanization. By the early twenty-first century, more than half of the world’s population lived in cities, and this proportion continues to grow each year.

Urban expansion has created both opportunities and challenges:

  • Increased economic activity and innovation
  • Pressure on housing supply
  • Infrastructure demands
  • Expansion of informal settlements and slums
  • Environmental stress

The 2009 campaign emphasized the need for governments and urban planners to anticipate these trends and develop sustainable strategies for housing and urban development.

Events related to the observance were held in Washington, D.C., as well as in cities around the world.

Housing Challenges Around the World

One of the most compelling aspects of WorldHabitatDayNews.com is its presentation of statistics that highlight the scale of global housing problems.

Housing insecurity remains one of the most persistent social challenges facing humanity. Several factors contribute to the crisis:

Rapid Urbanization

Urban populations have grown dramatically in recent decades. As people migrate from rural areas to cities in search of employment and education, housing supply often fails to keep pace with demand.

This imbalance leads to overcrowded neighborhoods, informal settlements, and expanding slums.

Poverty Housing

In many regions of the world, millions of people live in structures lacking basic infrastructure such as clean water, sanitation systems, electricity, and secure building materials.

These conditions can create significant health risks and limit economic mobility.

Infrastructure Gaps

Cities facing rapid population growth often struggle to provide essential services such as transportation, waste management, schools, and hospitals.

Urban planning policies therefore play a crucial role in shaping how cities develop.

The Role of Nonprofit Organizations

The website highlights the contributions of nonprofit organizations that work to address housing inequality.

One of the most well-known organizations in this field is Habitat for Humanity, an international nonprofit founded in 1976. The organization partners with families and volunteers to build affordable housing around the world.

Habitat for Humanity has built or improved millions of homes globally and operates in dozens of countries. Its model combines volunteer labor, community participation, and affordable financing to help families achieve homeownership.

World Habitat Day campaigns often involve Habitat for Humanity affiliates hosting events such as:

  • Volunteer house-building projects
  • Advocacy campaigns
  • Educational workshops
  • Community outreach initiatives

These efforts demonstrate how grassroots engagement can complement policy-level solutions.

Supporting Organizations and Institutional Partners

WorldHabitatDayNews.com lists numerous organizations that support housing advocacy and urban development initiatives.

These include:

  • Global housing research institutions
  • International development agencies
  • Policy think tanks
  • Urban planning organizations

Such partnerships illustrate how housing policy intersects with multiple disciplines, including economics, environmental science, public health, and social policy.

Large institutions such as the World Bank and development agencies often fund housing infrastructure projects, while research organizations contribute data and policy recommendations.

Educational and Advocacy Resources

Another key feature of the website is its emphasis on education.

The site encourages visitors to learn more about housing policy by exploring reports, advocacy toolkits, and educational materials produced by housing organizations.

Educational initiatives may include:

  • Community workshops about housing rights
  • Policy briefings for local officials
  • Research publications about urban planning
  • Awareness campaigns highlighting housing statistics

These educational resources help transform housing issues from abstract global concerns into topics that communities can address locally.

 

WorldHabitatDayNews.com