News in 2020

Habitat Professionals Forum Meeting and Statement on COVID-19

22 July 2020

The Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF) was established in 1999 under the auspices of UN-HABITAT as an interdisciplinary partnership of Human Settlement Professionals and UN HABITAT. The Forum was established to promote the delivery of sustainable urbanization and equitable human settlements development. It consists of international associations of human settlements professions which are democratic, non-profit, non-political and non-governmental. FIG is part of this partnership.

Habitat Professionals Forum Meeting

FIG Vice President Diane Dumashie attended the virtual Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF) meeting on 22 July 2020.    

Noteworthy from this meeting is the focus on the next steps to consider the role and  place of the land and built environmental professional.   

The meeting agreed that the members should divide into 3 working groups to consider,

  • WG1 to reviewing of HPF’s Constitution, TORs, and crafting a vision and Strategy
  • WG 2 to consider HPF’s Visibility Strategy (social media, publications etc.)

These WG’s follow FIG’s strategic path that was set by the FIG general assembly in 2009 with the establishment of the FIG Task force on Governance.

In addition HPF will also have a  WG on the HPF Covid-19 Roadmap which follows the recent HPF Habitat statement- that may be viewed here:
https://unhabitat.org/habitat-professionals-forum-hpf-statement-on-covid-19-pandemic

For the full HPF charter see https://www.fig.net/news/archive/news_2010/rio_march_2010/un-habitat_professional_forum_charter.pdf

THe HPF Statement on COVID-19 Pandemic

The HPF statement on Covid-19 Pandemic builds upon a survey conducted amongst the Habitat Professionals Forum (HPF) and its members on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on achieving resilient human settlements. Responses received, representing thousands of professionals around the globe, have resulted in the statement which recognises front-line professionals in the crisis, and highlights pressing areas of focus/needs in cities.

In response to these concerns, the HPF will develop a Road map document offering guiding principles on how to build resilience, response and recovery during and after a pandemic. Through this, the HPF also commits to support the Campaign “Take Action with Us in Cities and Communities” and the UN-Habitat Covid-19 Response Plan working to assist cities, regional and national governments in building resilience.The HPF encourages and supports all professionals globally to participate, contribute to and engage with all the initiatives taken by professional organizations seeking solutions for the pandemic crisis.

 

Louise Friis-Hansen
28 May 2020