ICA Housing E-Bulletin #3 - Jul/Aug 2009

Welcome to the third ICA Housing E-Bulletin for July/August 2009 after taking a summer break!

We hope to include some of the newest and most useful information regarding housing co-operatives around the world and plan to send an E-Bulletin every two months. Please feel free to forward this E-Bulletin to your colleagues and fellow co-operators. Between E-Bulletins please feel free to check out website at http://www.icahousing.org.

If you would like it translated into other languages please email webmaster@icahousing.coop.

ICA Housing is a sectoral organisation of the International Co-operative Alliance. It was established to promote the development of co-operative housing in all countries, and in particular developing countries, as an economic and social contribution to the problem of providing shelter.

ICA Housing is one of the nine sectors of the International Co-operative Alliance. We are very proud of the fact that we are the apex body of the worldwide co‑operative housing movement. Our mission is to unite, represent and serve the international movement for co‑operative and mutual self-help housing.

Upcoming Events:

SEPTEMBER

2-4          ICA Research Conference, People before profit: the response of co-operatives to the global financial crisis and economic recession, Oxford (UK) www.ica.coop/icaccr/ 

9-11       ICA Board Meeting (Norway)

21-25     ICA Americas Regional Conference, Guadalajara, (Mexico). More info: www.aciamericas.coop

                OCTOBER

1-3          The ICMIF 2009 Biennial Conference, Toronto, (Canada)  More info: www.icmif.org/toronto2009

22-24     9th ICA Africa Co-operative Ministerial Conference, Nairobi (Kenya) imbsen@ica.coop     

26-27     Cooperatives Europe Board Meeting and South-East Seminar, Nicosia (Cyprus)

NOVEMBER

                             16-20        ICA General Assembly, ICA Board Meetings and Sectoral Meetings (Geneva). Click here for more information.

In this E-Bulletin:

Three New Co-operative Housing Country Profiles – Portugal, Pakistan, India

FENACHE Charter on Ensuring Quality Cooperative Housing

ICA Housing Survey

ICA General Assembly, 16-20 November 2009

The ICA Housing Forum is live!

New ICA Housing Membership Rules

Three New Co-operative Housing Country Profiles – Portugal, Pakistan, India

Since the beginning of the New Year ICA Housing has continued to post new Housing Co-operative Country Profiles. The latest now appear on the website for Portugal (click here to read it), Pakistan (click here to read it) and India (click here to read it). These country profiles provide invaluable information on the many different housing co-operative organizations, as well as the financial and legal frameworks that exist for them in their respective countries.

FENACHE Charter on Ensuring Quality Cooperative Housing

The Charter outlines FENACHE’s approach in ensuring quality cooperative housing in Portugal and can be read on the ICA Housing website. FENACHE is the National Federation of Economic Housing Co-operatives in Portugal, its website (in Portuguese) can be accessed by clicking here.

ICA Housing Survey

To enable ICA Housing to better understand the needs of housing co-operatives around the world we have set up a simple, easy to answer survey that should take up no more than 5 minutes of your time. We would appreciate if you would spend a little of your time to aid ICA Housing in better tailoring its services to your needs. Click here to participate in the ICA Housing Survey.

ICA General Assembly, 16-20 November 2009

 Meeting registration and hotel booking now available "Global Crisis - Co-operative Opportunity" is the theme of the Assembly. Featuring Jeremy Rifkin, President of the Foundation on Economic Trends as keynote speaker, it will address the potential leadership role of co-operatives in a new economic model that will enable a fairer distribution of resources - a "Third Industrial Revolution". He and other speakers will address how co-operatives are facing economic as well as the larger sustainable development and climate threat challenges. Click here for more information. More information on the ICA Housing Seminar will appear in the next E-Bulletin.

The Assembly will also have important statutory matters to address including the election of the ICA president and board, amendments to the ICA Rules and Bye-Laws and a series of resolutions.

With a large number of regional, sectoral and thematic meetings being held in conjunction with the Assembly, this is truly global co-operative event. Join us! Register now by clicking here.

The ICA Housing Forum is live!

The ICA Housing Forum is a place for you to ask each other questions, share your stories of success and tribulations and create a resource of shared knowledge on cooperative housing around the world.  For this to work, it requires you to participate.  Answer the questions submitted, or submit one of your own.  Place important events you hear about on the forum calendar.  This is a space meant entirely for you, so make it your own! To post a question or see what is going on in the housing co-operative world, click here.

New ICA Housing Membership Rules

From January 1^st 2009, ICA Housing along with the International Co-operative  Alliance has adopted new membership rules. The ICA Global Rule changes now permit a greater range of organizations to join ICA and its sectoral and regional organizations. They have also made it affordable to members from less affluent countries. To read more about the changes, click here.

Please feel free to make comments, suggestions and submissions to be included to mbaker@icahousing.coop.