Role of Property Rights and Property Markets

The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the International Real Property Foundation (IRPF) co-hosted a panel discussion on the role of property rights and property markets in sustainable urbanization and economic growth.

Property rights and institutions that support them–ranging from appropriate regulation to transparent financial markets–are key to sustainable development. Robust private property markets promote social stability, strengthen democratic institutions, and promote economic growth. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for equal rights, in particular by the poor and the vulnerable, to ownership and control over land and other forms of property. The SDGs also call for inclusive and sustainable urbanization, an imperative echoed at the recent United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (HABITAT III). Important progress has been made. Yet, billions of people around the world today still remain without access to secure property rights and the means to build sustainable settlements and economies.

Panel speakers explored global reform priorities, and how to accelerate and measure progress. This event took place on the sidelines of the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty.

Watch the Full Video:

Panelists:

• Bill Endsley, Secretary General, International Real Estate Federation – US Chapter
• Jane Katz, Director of International Affairs and Programs, Habitat for Humanity
• Sylvia Luchini, Managing Director, International Real Property Foundation
• Dr. Jolyne Sanjak, Chief Program Officer, Landesa
• Anna Kompanek, Director for Multiregional Programs, CIPE (discussion moderator)

About the Panelists:

• William (Bill) Endsley is the Principal Consultant for World Citizen Consulting. He has over 15 years of experience in developing international market strategy and has traveled throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, and North Africa working to develop professionals in the finance and real estate sector as a means for broader economic development and global security. He is currently serving as the Secretary General of FIABCI-USA, the International Real Estate Federation – US Chapter and working with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the International Real Property Foundation (IRPF) on the International Property Markets Scorecard Methodology. Endsley is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and has been a guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins and George Washington University. He previously served as the Director of International Relations for the Appraisal Institute where he directed the organization’s entry into China, Germany, Korea and Turkey.
• Jane Katz is Director of International Affairs and Programs in Habitat for Humanity International’s Washington D.C. Office of Government Relations and Advocacy, where she focuses on global housing policies, advocacy issues, including HFHI’s “Solid Ground” land campaign, and manages the Global Housing Indicators initiative. Previously, Katz worked in the public and private sectors on mortgage finance issues, regulatory oversight, and housing policy at Fannie Mae and in United States government agencies as the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She received her Master’s degree in Government and Politics in urban affairs and public administration from the University of Maryland and Bachelor’s Degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Cincinnati. She was elected Co-Chair of the General Assembly of Partners Civil Society Group towards Habitat III, represents CSOs on the standing committee of UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Campaign, and is on the Advisory Board for the Global Land Tool Network and management committee of IHC Global, as well as serving on a variety of advisory boards and coalitions.
• Sylvia Luchini has over 15 years of experience designing and implementing economic growth programs including private sector development, financial services, and small and medium-sized real estate enterprises in Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. As the Managing Director for the International Real Property Foundation, Luchini has been instrumental in the design, implementation, and growth of a Ugandan Women’s Program which informs women on secure property rights and supports women’s entrance into the real estate industry. Moreover, Luchini has been working with the Center for International Private Enterprise and World Citizen Consulting in the development and strengthening of the International Property Markets Scorecard Methodology—a tool to collect data from 54 different indicators and map the institutional components of property markets and evaluate their effectiveness. As the Grants Manager for DuPage County, Luchini developed a charitable fund for disfranchised residents and made it grow six times from its original giving level. Luchini holds a MA from North Central College and a BA in English from the Cordoba National University.
• Dr. Jolyne Sanjak is an agricultural economist with specialization in development economics. She has more than 30 years of experience related to inclusive global economic development. Her principle expertise areas include rural and urban land governance, rural livelihoods and agricultural development. Currently serving as Landesa’s Chief Program Officer, she provides strategic leadership, oversight and technical support to Landesa’s programmatic work worldwide. Prior to joining Landesa, Sanjak founded and was the Executive Director of the Land Alliance, a not-for-profit organization engaged in supporting land-based development around the globe. Her earlier professional experiences include being an Assistant Professor of Economics, joint with Latin American Studies and a land tenure consultant for the World Bank, IFPRI, the FAO and the IADB with specialized expertise in land markets, land tenure, land policy, property registration, agricultural productivity and gender and impact evaluation. Sanjak holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics & Development Economics from the University of Wisconsin, M.S. in Agricultural Economics & Natural Resources from Penn State University, and B.S. in Agricultural Economics & Rural Sociology also from Penn State.
• Anna Kompanek (discussion moderator) is the Director for Multiregional Programs at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington, DC. She leads programs spanning emerging and frontier markets in different regions focused on CIPE’s core themes of democratic governance, legal and regulatory reform, access to information, combating corruption, property rights, entrepreneurship, and women and youth. Her expertise also includes association capacity building and governance. Kompanek has authored and co-authored numerous publications addressing the challenges of political and economic reform around the world and is a regular contributor to Thomson Reuters TrustLaw blog. Prior to joining CIPE, she worked as a business consultant in her native Poland on the issues of competitiveness and market entry in Central and Eastern Europe, and in Washington, DC on industry benchmarking and corporate strategy. She holds a BA from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in German and European Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with the honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy.