Strengthening Housing Inclusion: Global Lessons on Housing Cooperative from the ILRAI Report

Across the world, housing remains an indispensable pillar of human dignity, social inclusion, and sustainable development. As urbanisation accelerates, global housing deficit expands, and there is growing recognition that traditional market-driven housing systems cannot, on their own, meet the needs of diverse populations. Cooperative housing has therefore re-emerged as a scalable, democratic, and socially protective model that responds directly to affordability pressures and community-oriented housing aspirations. The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), through Cooperative Housing International, conducted the International Legal Research and Analysis Initiative (ILRAI), a global comparative legal analysis of housing cooperative laws, covering several jurisdictions across Africa, Europe, America, Asia, and the Pacific. The report was formally presented at the Peace Palace, The Hague, seat of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), signifying its global significance for policymaking, legal harmonisation, and sustainable housing development. This webinar seeks to amplify the knowledge embedded in this landmark report by bringing together legal scholars, policymakers, cooperative practitioners, development experts, and young scholars to discuss the findings, implications, and opportunities inherent in the ILRAI report, particularly as they relate to strengthening housing cooperatives and promoting sustainable, rights-based housing systems globally