Housing Cooperatives and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) has made it a strategic priority to engage cooperatives worldwide in helping meet the United Nations Sustainable Goals (SDGs) for 2030. ICA believes that its various sector organizations can make an important contribution towards meeting the SDGs. Each sector can contribute in different ways. The role that cooperative housing plays in relieving poverty, inequality and insecurity of tenure, among other challenges is important in meeting many of the SDGs.

The Board of Directors of CHI has committed to playing an active role in identifying which of the SDGs housing can help in meeting and what targets the housing sector can set in order to achieve that purpose.

There are 17 SDGs altogether. You can find a description of all the goals on this website. You will find that several of the SDGs are relevant to your priorities as cooperative housing organizations. We have identified 11 goals that housing coops can most effectively focus on along with targets and indicators described below. (Some sections are still being updated.)

GOAL 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal and target: 1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

Target for housing coops: Reduction of family and individual poverty (proportion of the population living below the national poverty line) through the provision of cooperative housing that is affordable to a range of low and moderate-income households

Indicator(s) for housing coops: Numbers of households relieved from poverty through access to affordable cooperative housing

UN Goal and target: 1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

Target for housing coops: Increased secure housing tenure, providing increased social protection for at-risk population groups

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers of households in housing coops securely and safely housed and not at risk

UN Goal and target: 1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, and financial services, including microfinance

Target for housing coops: Increased proportion of the population living in households with access to basic services

Indicators for housing coops:

• Numbers of households living in housing cooperatives with access to acceptable standards of sanitation and water quality
• Numbers of households with control over property rights and secure ownership through cooperative housing membership.

UN Goal and target: 1.2 By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women, and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

Target for housing coops: Reduction of family and individual poverty (proportion of the population living below the national poverty line) through the provision of cooperative housing that is affordable to a range of low and moderate-income households

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers of households relieved from poverty through access to affordable cooperative housing

UN Goal and target: 1.3 Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

Target for housing coops: Increased secure housing tenure, providing increased social protection for at-risk population groups

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers of households in housing coops securely and safely housed and not at risk

UN Goal and target: 1.4 By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology, and financial services, including microfinance

Target for housing coops: Increased proportion of the population living in households with access to basic services

Indicators for housing coops:

• Numbers of households living in housing cooperatives with access to acceptable standards of sanitation and water quality
• Numbers of households with control over property rights and secure ownership through cooperative housing membership

GOAL 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

UN Goal and target: 2.1 By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

Target for housing coops: Improved nutrition due to tenure stability in a housing co‑op

Indicator for housing coops: Number of households that benefit from a sustainable diet

UN Goal and target: 2.4 By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

Target for housing coops: Increased capacity to  grow food through secure tenure on co-operative housing land

Indicator for housing coops: Number of coops making use of their lands to supplement a fresh food diet

GOAL 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all

UN Goal and target: 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

Target for housing coops: Greater opportunities provided to coop members to learn about the co-op movement and the co‑op principles

Indicator for housing coops: Number of co‑ops providing information about the co-op movement and its principles.

Target for housing coops: Increased opportunities for coop members to access education, vocational training and personal development

Indicator for housing coops: Number of households whose children have access to quality schooling

GOAL 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

UN Goal and target: 5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

Target for housing coops: Reduction of violence against all women, girls and LGBTQ+ in cooperative housing

Indicator for housing coops: Number of women, women-led and LGBTQ+ households fleeing violence that are housed

UN Goal and target: 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

Target for housing coops: Increased proportion of women in leadership and management positions within CHI member organisations and their member housing cooperatives

Indicators for housing coops:

• Number of women in leadership and management positions within member organizations and their member housing coops
• Number of policies that support women in leadership

UN Goal and target: 5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

Target for housing coops: Increased formal recognition of unpaid voluntary work in housing cooperatives

Indicators for housing coops:

• Amount of time spent in unpaid voluntary work by gender
• Number of housing cooperatives adopting formal recognition of voluntary work

UN Goal and target: 5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

Target for housing coops: More acceptance of gender diversity in cooperative housings

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers housed of non-binary gender individuals escaping discrimination and persecution

UN Goal and target: 5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

Target for housing coops: Increased equality rights to land ownership, stewardship and control in housing cooperatives

Indicator for housing coops: The proportion of housing cooperatives where the governing legal framework and policies (including customary law) guarantee women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control

GOAL 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

UN SDG Goal and target: 6.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

 Target for housing coops: Improved availability of clean drinking water and clean water for bathing and cleaning purposes

Indicator(s) for housing coops: Numbers of co-op households with access to potable and uncontaminated domestic water supplies

UN Goal and target: 6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

Target for housing coops: Increase in numbers of housing cooperatives housing equipped with effective sanitation and wastewater treatment

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers of households in less developed countries/regions gaining access to effective sanitation and wastewater treatment

UN Goal and target: 6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

Target for housing coops: Greater measures adopted in water conservation

Indicator(s) for housing coops: Numbers of co-op households with access to potable and uncontaminated domestic water supplies

GOAL 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

UN Goal and target: 7.1 By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

Target for housing coops: Increased availability of electricity in cooperative housing homes

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers of cooperative housing homes in less developed countries/regions gaining access to electricity

UN Goal and target: 7.2 By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

Target for housing coops: Increased proportion of cooperatives with increasing reliance on clean fuels and technology relative to total energy consumption

Indicator for housing coops: The proportion of cooperatives using clean fuels and technology relative to total energy consumption

UN Goal and target: 7.3 By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

Target for housing coops: Increased energy efficiency in cooperative housing

Indicators for housing coops:

• Increased spending on energy-efficient property retrofits and renovations, proportionate to the number of households
• The proportion of new-build coop homes that are using energy-efficient construction method and materials

GOAL 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

UN Goal and target: 8.1 Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries

Target for housing coops: Economic growth of households living in cooperative housing in the least developed countries

Indicator for housing coops: Numbers of households in housing coops in the least developed countries reporting increased economic well-being

UN Goal and target: 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

Target for housing coops: Increase in paid employment created in housing cooperatives across population groups.

Indicators for housing coops:

• Numbers of people employed by housing cooperatives including young people and people with disabilities .
• Quantity of cooperative housing members who are employed including young people and people with disabilities
• Equal pay is provided for equal work of equal value regardless of gender, ethnicity or degree of disability.
• Total housing coops offering Internships for training youth

Goal 10 – Reduced inequality within and among countries

UN Goal and target: 10.2  Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status

Target for housing coops: Increased awareness of the importance of inclusionary practices and the link between cooperative values of equity and equality.

Indicators for housing coops:

• Increased focus on inclusionary membership development practices that promote the rights of marginalized peoples.
• Set aside a/some unit(s) to house refugees, people at risk, or indigenous peoples to support them in their specific needs.
• All employees and contractors doing paid work for housing coops receive fair and adequate compensation relative to the cost of living with dignity.

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

UN Goal and target: 11.1 By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums

Target for housing coops: Increased access to adequate, safe and affordable housing with basic community and housing services and greater protection against extreme weather events.

Indicators for housing coops:

• Proportion of households escaping inadequate/poorly served housing by moving into housing coops
• Amount of households escaping informal settlements by moving into housing coops
• Numbers of and/or spending on capital projects making coops more resilient to extreme weather events

UN Goal and target: 11.c.1: Proportion of financial support to the least developed countries that is allocated to the

construction and retrofitting of sustainable, resilient and resource-efficient buildings utilizing local materials

Target for housing coops: Increase of use of sustainable design technologies and low-emission construction practices in cooperative housing.

Indicator for housing coops: Proportion of new developments using sustainable design technologies and low-emission construction practices

Goal  12.  Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

UN Goal and target: 12.1 Implement the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns, all countries taking action, with developed countries and capabilities of developing countries.

Target for housing coops: Reduce the overall carbon footprint of the cooperative by committing to energy efficiency and waste management and anti-contamination practices

Indicators for housing coops:

• Rate of reduced energy consumption from non-renewable energy sources
• Proportion of coops using recycling, composting and reusing programs
• Amount of coops formally committed to environmentally responsible procurement of services and goods
• Quantity of coops adopting sustainable wastewater and chemical disposal practices
• Total coops working towards long-term goal of carbon neutrality

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

UN Goal and target: 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

Target for housing coops: Improved preparedness for climate-related and other natural hazards and disasters

Indicators for housing coops:

• Numbers of coops developing emergency preparedness plans
• Total coops with business continuity plans
• Quantity of coops identifying emergency options for shelter and power alternatives

Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

UN Goal and target: 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

Target for housing coops:

Implement responsible stewardship practices for lands held by housing coops

Indicators for housing coops:

• Numbers of coops creating habitats for wildlife
• Increased proportion of coop lands and gardens tended to organically
• Quantity of coops adapting strategies to conserve water through sustainable planting practices