LINKS TO CONFERENCE WILL BE LISTED ON EVENT DAY

Global Housing Foundation Commemorates United Nations Day with International Virtual Conference Focusing on Innovative, Creative and Sustainable Solutions for Workforce Housing

To address the workforce housing crisis, the Global Housing Foundation (GHF), in partnership with UN-Habitat, is hosting a free virtual international conference focused on the theme: “The Future of Workforce Housing is Now: Innovative, Creative & Sustainable Solutions from Around the World.” Scheduled for Monday, October 25 at 12 noon EST, the annual event, which also honors United Nations Day, will mark its second year as a virtual program, allowing for the reach of a larger audience across the globe.

This year’s theme highlights how creativity, innovation, and sustainability must play an integral role when building housing for the working poor. For many, the idea of workforce housing, often brings to mind drab, bland architecture devoid of personality and function. The GHF program will shift that conversation and will introduce innovative ways of thinking from conceptual design to final product. The conversation will center around building sustainable workforce housing that is unique in function and form while fitting into the landscape and personality of the local community. Attendees will learn about the latest technology, sustainability, and green living options and what is being done to offer otherwise absent services and opportunities to workforce housing globally.

The program will be moderated by Ellis Henican, Pulitzer Prize Journalist, Columnist with Dow Jones MarketWatch and the New York Times bestseller author of more than a dozen books. Program speakers are some of the most creative and brilliant minds from all regions of the world and include:

Christopher W. Williams, Ph.D.

Director, New York Office of UNHabitat

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Chris Lee

Founding Principal AIA • Design Associates Architects

Board of Directors • Global Housing Foundation

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Zaigham M. Rizvi

Expert Consultant: Affordable Housing and Alternate Energy for Houses

Secretary General, ASIA PACIFIC UNION FOR HOUSING FINANCE (APUHF)

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Andrew P. McCoy, Ph.D.

Beliveau Professor, Department of Building Construction

Associate Director, Myers Lawson School of Construction

Director, Virginia Center for Housing Research

Virginia Tech

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Richard Coutts

Director – FRIBA

Baca architects

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Sam Ruben

Chief Sustainability Officer/Co-Founder

Mighty Buildings

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Christy Finsel (Osage)

Citizen of the Osage Nation

Executive Director

Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition, Inc

As part of the program, GHF will introduce the GHF’s Ambassadors’ Program, which is comprised of enthusiastic and motivated experts who will further the ongoing GHF mission to stimulate action related to workforce housing. The ambassadors focus on leveraging the power and effectiveness of public-private partnerships and will offer guidance and support to find innovative solution to address the global housing crisis.

The Global Housing Foundation is committed to the belief that communities with proper housing display upward trends in education, economic growth, a motivated workforce in addition to healthcare systems and social protection. The UN Day conference is designed to mobilize action and encourage attendees to take action and inspire global groundbreaking solutions.

Registration for the live conference is free. To register, go to www.ghfunitednationsprogram.com.

About Global Housing Foundation

Global Housing Foundation, in partnership with UN-Habitat, facilitates alliances between public, private, academic, foundational, community and governmental organizations designed to develop and leverage their power and effectiveness for the common cause of providing innovative solutions for workforce housing challenges. For more information, visit www.globalhousingfoundation.org.