Seminars about continued public sector investment in co-operative housing in Austria and Canada, innovative funding arrangements created by the co-operative housing sector in Italy and harnessing member investment through co-operative saving and housing organisations in Germany and Sweden.

“A key benefit of membership of a global co-operative organisation, like the ICA, is the opportunity to share expertise and best practices with colleagues from other countries around the world” said David Rodgers, former CHI President.

UK Perspective on financing housing development – Professor Steve Wilcox, Centre for Housing Policy, University of York, (England) and Adrian Coles, Chair, Commission on Co-operative and Mutual Housing, Director General, Building Societies Association (England)

A Successful Lobbying Campaign For Co-op Housing Renovation –  Nicholas Gazzard, Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, Vice President, ICA Housing

The Ethical Housing Fund Established by Italian Cooperative Housing Foundation – Luciano Caffini, President ANCAB, National Association of Housing Co-operatives (Italy),  former President, Co-operatives Section, CECODHAS Housing Europe

Harnessing Member Investment – Franz-Bernd Große-Wilde – Spar- und Bauverein eG Dortmund, Berlin (Germany) and Mårten Lilja – Riksbyggen (Sweden)

A Housing Policy FIT for the Big Society – Stephen Hill, Director, C2O futureplanners

The Climate Change Challenge And The International Co-operative Alliance’s Response To It  – Bob Burlton, Principal, ACT! (Co-operatives Addressing the Climate Threat), former Chair, Co-operative Financial Services (England)

Six Climate Change Initiatives

Initiative 1: Reducing Carbon Emissions by 50% by 2023 – Linn Matic, Senior Advisor Housing Policy, HSB Riksförbund – National Association of Housing Co-operatives (Sweden)

Initiative 2: Reducing carbon emissions by 60% – Jim Noble, Chair, Sanford Housing Co-operative, New Cross, London (England), winner of Inside Housing Magazine’s “most sustainable affordable housing regeneration project” award 2008.

Initiative 3: A Carbon Neutral Co-operative Housing Federation, Thom Armstrong, Executive Director, Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia (Canada)

Initiative 4: Zero Carbon in Design and Use Alistair Gould, Chair, Chairman, The Bay Trust, St Margaret’s Bay, Dover (England)

Initiative 5: The Borneo Initiative – Implementing Sustainable Forestry Through Certification, Wim Ellenbroek, Programme Director, The Borneo Initiative, Breukelen, Netherlands

Initiative 6: LILAC Mutual Home Ownership Society, Leeds – Dr Paul Chatterton & Dr Tash Gordon, Founder Members, LILAC (England)

Closing Keynote Speech

The United Nations International Year of Co-operatives 2012 – Dame Pauline Green, President, International Co-operative Alliance

Financing and Development Global