Geoffrey Payne is active in many research and consultancy networks. He was a co-founder of the Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanisation in the South (N-AERUS ). He is also a member of the Core Group of the Development from Disasters Network, a Commissioner on the RICS President’s Disaster Management Commission and a member of the RIBA Knowledge Community on Disaster Relief.

In 1984, Geoff organised an Inter-Schools conference on development at Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University) which later become a major annual event hosted by different colleges each year. He has been an external examiner to several British universities and examined PhD candidates in the UK and other countries.

Geoff was an initial member of the Management Council of the UK charity Homeless International and was chair of the Projects Committee until 1996 when he resigned from the Management Council due to other commitments. He has been a trustee of the Building and Social Housing Foundation since 2007 and is a member of the advisory group which assesses the shortlist for the annual UN-HABITAT Awards.

Geoff has contributed papers to numerous international conferences in Austria, Benin, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Egypt, Kenya, Lebanon, Pakistan, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sweden, Swizerland, Tanzania and the USA. He is on the editorial board of Habitat International, the International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development, and Open House International journals.

Gliding has been a major interest since Geoff went solo in 1957 (just after the Wright Brothers!). He holds all three diamond badges, has competed in regional and national championships and taken part in expeditions to France, Spain, Germany, Macedonia and South Africa. He has been a gliding instructor for many years and is a member of the London Gliding Club and the BBC Gliding Group and is a committee member on both. Geoff is also plays tennis and is a member of the Ealing Lawn Tennis Club.

Geoff’s wife Rita, was previously Asia Editor of BBC World Television and became Chair of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (UK) and Editorial Director of the journal ‘Global’ after her retirement. Daughter Tania has returned to UK after more than two years travelling the world.

2011
UK and Kenya
Commissioned by the Commonwealth Secretariat to prepare a paper and presentation for Commonwealth Environment Ministers on land tenure issues and options in urban areas, which was presented for discussion in Nairobi.

2010
Brazil
Invited by the Global Land Tool Network at UN-HABITAT to act as a panellist at the fifth World Urban Forum held in Rio de Janeiro between 22-26 March.
UK
Invited to become a member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Presidential Commission on Disaster Management and Mitigation.
Invited to become a member of an Expert Peer Panel to Article 25, the RIBA Knowledge Community on Disaster Management.
On behalf of the Development from Disasters Network, drafted and facilitated a joint submission by the presidents of the UK Institution of Engineers (ICE), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to the review being chaired by Lord Ashdown of DFID’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Review.

2008
China
Invited by UN-HABITAT to make a presentation on land tenure research projects at the fourth World Urban Forum in Nanjing held in November.
Cuba
Keynote speaker on ‘Building sustainable communities: A look towards 2050’ at the first MACDES Congress on sustainable development, Havana, 02-05 December.
London
Interviewed on BBC World Television in connection with the release of a United Nations report confirming that more than half of the world’s population now live in urban areas and that most growth is in developing countries.
London
Invited to join the Commonwealth Association of Surveyors and Land Economy (CASLE) to prepare a meeting of senior officials in east Africa on innovations in land registration.

2007
Development from Disasters Network (DFDN)
Founding member of the DFDN and member of the Steering Group. The network seeks to assist and advise international and local professionals involved in reconstruction and redevelopment following disasters (www.developmentfromdisasters.net).
Building and Social Housing Foundation
Invited to become a trustee of BSHF, in addition to being a member foof the Advisory Group assessing the shortlisted projects and organisations for the annual UN-HABITAT Awards.

2003-05
Framework Arrangement with DFID
Founder member of the ‘Framework Arrangement for Architectural, Physical Planning and Urban Development Advice’ for the Infrastructure and Urban Development Department (IUDD), DFID, coordinated by the Development Planning Unit (DPU), University College London.

2003
World Bank Urban Research Symposium
Invited to present a paper ‘Getting ahead of the game: A twin-track approach to urban development’ to be presented in Washington DC in December.
Technical University, Munich
Guest lecturer on housing and land tenure issues.

2002
UN-Habitat, Nairobi
Presented a paper and acted as facilitator for a session at the Global Urban Forum as part of the official UK delegation. Launched book on innovative approaches to land tenure and property rights (details below).
Lund, Sweden
Guest lecturer at international course on housing and urban development at the Housing Development and Management Centre, Lund University.
World Bank, Washington DC
Invited by Cities Alliance to present a paper at a special seminar on land tenure and property rights chaired by the Managing Director of the World Bank and the Executive Director of UN-Habitat. Launched book at the Seminar.
World Bank seminar, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Respondent to paper at the World Bank Asia regional Seminar on Land Policy.
Manila, Philippines
Invited by UN-Habitat to participate in the launch of the national Campaign for Secure Tenure.

2001
Lebanon
Presenting keynote paper at international conference on the regeneration of South Lebanon
Kenya
Presented paper and participated in plenary Panel Presentation as a member of UK delegation at UN Commission on Human Settlements
UK
Participant in the Consultation on 'Information and Communication technologies for a sustainable future' organised by the Building and Social Housing Foundation at St George's House, Windsor Castle.

2000
World Bank Urban Forum
Presented paper on urban land tenure policy issues and options
Kenya
Presented paper on tenure at UN Istanbul+5 PrepCom conference
Belgium
Member of the Commission evaluating research and training courses at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

1999
Benin
Presented paper on 'Housing in Africa During the Next Millennium' at the annual symposium of Shelter Afrique, in Cotonou, Benin. UK Presented keynote paper at the 1999 Inter-Schools conference on development at Westminster University.
South Africa
Presented paper on land tenure issues and policy options at conference organised by the International Research Group on Law and Urban Space (IRGLUS).

1998-99
Belgium - Urban Poverty Study
Prepared Urban Poverty Review and policy options for study commissioned by the Belgian Ministry of International Co-operation.

1998
Network-Association of European Researchers on Urbanisation in the South (N-AERUS)
Elected a member of the Core Group with joint responsibility for links with international agencies. Cuba, Germany and USA Presented papers on housing, land and public-private partnerships at conferences in Havana, Berlin and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Studies, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

1996-97
European Commission
Urban sector evaluation study, with Marie-Therese Manchotte. UK Participated in an international consultation on Housing, Self-Help and Co-operation at St George's House, Windsor Castle, organised by the Building and Social Housing Foundation.
Turkey
Presented paper on Housing for Low-Income Groups at the NGO Forum, Habitat II conference in Istanbul.

1995
Lebanon
Invited by the Arab University of Beirut to present a paper at the First Conference on Low-Income Housing in Lebanon.

1994
UK
Appointed External Associate Adviser to the British Council on architecture, housing studies, built environment studies, urban design and land policy and management (ongoing). Member of the editorial boards of Habitat International, Open House International and Our Common Estate journals.

1993
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
Commissioned to prepare overview report on metropolitan decentralisation in developing countries.