Representatives from Whirlpool attended the 5th Housing and Habitat Forum, Latin America and the Caribbean in Bogota, Colombia July 31 to August 3, 2023. The event is organized by Habitat for Humanity with strategic allies and hosted by the Urban Housing Practitioners Hub (UHPH).
The focus of the 2023 event was housing as a necessary tool to address the current climate and social crises, which has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that has increased the housing deficit.
Juan Carlos Puente, president of Whirlpool Latin America and executive vice president of Whirlpool Corporation addressed Private Sector Commitments in Support of Resilient Communities. In addition, Rosa Skinner, Whirlpool Corporation global social responsibility senior manager, was part of a high-level dialogue about actions toward carbon neutrality and climate change mitigation and presented the Whirlpool sponsored innovation award.
This global housing forum is a major feature of the multifaceted work between Whirlpool Corporation and Habitat for Humanity International. Whirlpool Corporation is a sponsor of these forums, which bring together a spectrum of thought leaders and experts to spur innovation that helps meet the housing needs of the planet’s growing population. In attendance were governors and mayors from many Latin American countries including the Mayor of Bogota and representatives from the UN World Habitat. Whirlpool representatives convened with leaders from governments, the private sector, academia, civil society, community, banks and Habitat for Humanity to discuss the status of housing in the region as well as gather knowledge and facilitate comprehensive, innovative and scalable solutions that contribute to the forum’s sustainability goals and agenda.
One key component of each of the housing forums is the Shelter Technology competitions, which Whirlpool Corporation also sponsored. Each forum will identify some of the most innovative initiatives in each region in the categories of shelter technology, public policy and inspiring practices.
After the forum, Whirlpool Corporation will have the opportunity to participate in the Acceleration and Collaboration Laboratory for the winners of the competitions and organize webinars with UHPH and the winners to find out more about their winning initiatives and how Whirlpool can help be a part of the initiatives.
For more information, visit the event site: www.uhph.org/en/forum