Within the frame of the conference „Ways to affordable Housing“ of the German Network Renting & Housing, Sept. 16 & 17 in Berlin, Humboldt University <GERMAN PROGRAM HERE> housing right internationalists are organizing workshops dealing with critical views on Habitat III and political proposals for the regulation of financialized real estate corporations.
With the support of Heinrich-Böll-Foundation we were able to invite activists from India and Catalonia. Als0 the German NGO Forum Environment & Development is supporting the meetings in the German capital, which recently has suffered much from fast rent increases and gentrification. Regional elections will take place just one day after the conference, and housing is a major issue in the campaigns.
PROGRAM
contents are povisional
Workshops Fri, Sept. 16 15:00h to 19:00h
German-English translations
Housing – human right or financial asset?
International struggles for the right to housing and land
Within this workshop we will present and discuss demands prepared by the Intrenational Working Group on market regulation and market alternatives at Habitat III during the past months. Our aim is to confront Habitat III in Quito with an improved set of international demands. We hope to be able to use this occasion as a starting point for a better targeted and effective international networking among urban social movements,
15 h: Housing for People, not for Profit!
Critical voices on Habitat III. Grassroot struggles for the Right to Housing.
KEYNOTE: Shivani Chaudhry, Housing and Land Rights Network (HIC Habitat International Coalition – South Asia) , Delhi: The „New Urban Agenda“ and the Human Rights. Critical positions of on HIC on Habitat III. Right to land, housing, city from an Indian point of view.
17 h: Social regulation of real estate markets
International dialogues on housing right movements and political instruments.
KEYNOTE: Santi Mas de Xaxàs Faus and Luis Manuel Sanmartín Cava, Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH), Barcelona: Mortgage and housing struggles in Spain. The grass root initiative for a social housing law in Catalonia. What’s next?
Introductions to the International Working Group: Knut Unger, Witten Tenants Association/ Habitat Net
Moderation: Klaus Teschner, trialog
Workshops Sat., Sept. 10:00h to ca. 13:00 h
Headwind against Property Corps
Social movements‘ and political demands responding to the business models of financialized real estate companies and transnational financial funds
- Short presentations of movements and networks which organize against the business of (multinational) real estate corporations (English/German
- Development of legal instruments responding to the business models of financialized landlords in Germany. Impulse: Knut Unger, Witten Tenatns Association/Habitat Net. (German discussion with translations into English)
- Perspectives for organizing, action and campaigning.
After ca. 13h: TENANTS AND BANK TENANTS UNITED AGAINST TTIP!
The Initiators of the workshop will join the big protest against TTIP.
For the reasons see: