On the occasion of an NGO meeting at the first session of the UN Committee on Human Settlements (UN Habitat), at New York, 5–7 April 1978, the Committee elected its first President Han van Putten of the International Union of Local Authorities (The Hague), which undertook to host the NGO Committee's secretariat.

Following a four-year term, Mr. van Putten was succeeded as president in 1982 by Benno Heinen, director of DESWOS (the German Federation of Housing Corporations) in Düsseldorf. At that time, the name of the organization was changed to Habitat International Council.

In 1984 David Hall, director of the Town and Country Planning Association (London) became president, serving until 1989. During that period, a seminar held by members in Limuru, Kenya, in 1987, formed a turning point in the members' collective philosophy and composition, committing itself to the service of people and communities living in poverty and deprivation. A special General Assembly held at Berlin, in 1987, culminated in the transformation of the movement's name and Constitution. It thus emerged as a federated organization under the name Habitat International Coalition.

On 1 September 1988, Enrique Ortiz, of Mexico, began his work as secretary-general at the new HIC Secretariat in Mexico City. For more than ten years, HIC had developed its base in the Latin American region with a clear and defined mandate. The composition of the Coalition also has evolved further to incorporate and represent these groups and assume a predominantly Southern and developing-world character.

In 1989, Han van Putten returned to the presidency of HIC for a four-year term. Kirtee Shah, of the Ahmedabad Study Action Group (India), was elected to succeed Mr. van Putten, and Mr. Shah was re-elected in 1997. In 2003, the HIC membership elected Enrique Ortíz as president for a four-year term.

By constitutional provision, the HIC Secretariat moves to a new center in the South every decade. In 1999, Enrique Ortiz resigned and the Secretariat moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where it operated as the coordinating hub of HIC today. Mr. Eldridge Jerry (South Africa) served as secretary-general in 1999–2000. In 2001, Cesare Ottolini (Padua, Italy) was appointed as interim general coordinator, pending the recruitment of a new secretary-general. In 2003, the HIC Board appointed Ana Sugranyes as secretary-general, who then established the HIC General Secretariat in Santiago, Chile.

	Benno Heinen	David Hall	Han van Putten	Kirtee Shah	Enrique Ortiz	Davinder Lamba
	1978-1984	1984-1989	1990-1998	1999-2003	2003-2007	2007-
General Secretaries Han van Putten Enrique Ortiz Eldrige Jerry Cesare Ottonlini (coordinator) Ana Sugranyes 1978-1987 1988 - 1999 2000 - 2001 2002 2003 - present