- When: Wednesday 23 – Friday 25 April 2025
- Where: Durban, South Africa
- Facilitated and hosted by HIC, together with Abahlali baseMjondolo
What is Happening
From 23–25 April 2025, grassroots movements from across the world will come together in Durban, South Africa, for an international exchange of social and feminist movements working for land, housing, and habitat rights. The gathering is co-organized by Habitat International Coalition (HIC) and Abahlali baseMjondolo, South Africa’s largest shack dweller movement. It will create space for learning, sharing, and building solidarity among movements defending human rights.
Why this gathering?
Across the world, land, housing, and the right to the city are under threat. People are being displaced, while decisions about their lives are made far from their realities. In this context, it is essential to put the voices and struggles of social movements — especially feminist movements — at the center of our work. This gathering continues a long process of building collective strategies and action across different regions.
Background
Since 2022, HIC and its members have been working together to support grassroots and feminist movements to define shared goals, strategies, and principles. Exchanges in Argentina (2023) and online (2024) have shaped a collective agenda for action. The 2025 Durban gathering builds on this work and will deepen reflection, share practices of struggle, and strengthen a common voice for political advocacy.
What Comes Next
The shared declaration developed during the gathering will feed into regional and global advocacy spaces in the years ahead — including the C20 engagement in South Africa and the World Social Forum in Benin. Together, we are building stronger connections, shared priorities, and collective action to defend habitat rights and build more just and inclusive cities and territories.
For more info, click here.