In 1986, the United Nations General Assembly designated the first Monday of October every year as World Habitat Day. This day is to prompt us to reflect on the state of our towns and cities and the basic right of all people to adequate shelter.

In 2009, the global celebration was jointly hosted by UN-HABITAT and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on 5 October in Washington, D.C. The theme of World Habitat Day 2009 was "Planning Our Urban Future".

Within the framework of this event, Peter Götz, President of the Global Parliamentarians on Habitat (GPH), invited the Board of Directors of the GPH to meet in Washington. The main themes were progress by the regional groups, especially the African group, as well as planning of the next GPH Global Forum in March 2010. In addition to the meeting of the Board of Directors, a parliamentarians' meeting took place.