Exchange of Experience in the Development and Implementation of Housing Policy between Ukraine and Finland
Destroyed building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Photo credit: Kharkiv City.
Exchange of Experience in the Development and Implementation of Housing Policy between Ukraine and Finland in cooperation with UNECE
14 August, 2023
14:30-16:30 EEST / 13:30-15:30 CET
Background
The current Housing Code in Ukraine was developed in 1983 and has been in force since 1984. The existing terms of the legislation are not only outdated but also susceptible to fraud, as they enable local government officials and citizens to register as persons in need of housing to receive housing from the state for use or compensation for the cost of housing (Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine). This practice of state financed housing construction cannot continue in the current context of the housing crisis, caused by large-scale housing destruction and internal displacement of citizens.
Current legislation in Ukraine
There is an urgent and undeniable need for new innovative approaches to housing in Ukraine. However, the current regulation is not sufficient to provide an adequate framework. UNECE is providing support in facilitating the exchange of best practices from other countries to Ukraine in developing its legislation. On August 14th 2023, the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine and the Ministry of Environment of Finland, in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), organized a virtual workshop to exchange national experiences in the development and implementation of housing policy.
Ukraine’s approach moving forward
During the workshop, Mr. Serhii Komnatnyi, the event moderator and a member of the Ministerial working group developing the updated housing policy in Ukraine, noted that the primary goal of updating the housing codes and laws is to facilitate a future where Ukrainian citizens can effectively meet their housing needs. Ms. Svitlana Startseva, Head of the Housing Policy and Improvement Department at the Ministry, presented their plans and directions for the development of its new housing legislation. She noted that the Ministry is facilitating the formation of municipal housing stocks to meet the existing needs of local communities and to address the needs of the most vulnerable population groups. Another area of importance will be to protect citizens’ rights to acquire housing ownership through preferential terms or financial and credit mechanisms of state support, as well as to ensure rental housing is affordable. The updated legislation will focus on ensuring that all processes remain transparent and that the state of housing issues are digitalized (Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine). In the process of developing a modern and practical regulatory framework for housing legislation, Mr. Komnatnyi expressed that it will prove useful to study the best practices of European countries in housing provision and the creation and management of housing stocks.
Finland’s experience
During the discussion, Mr. Tommi Laanti, Head of the Housing and Cultural Environment Unit at the Finnish Ministry of Environment and Ms. Raija Hynynen, Senior Ministerial Adviser of the Housing and Cultural Environment Unit, spoke about the practical aspects of developing and implementing Finland’s housing policy to solve the housing problems of its citizens. They shared details of the role of the state in the housing market, as well as their experience with the practical challenges of housing policy implementation in Finland. The co-operation programme to halve homelessness 2020−2022, was highlighted as an example of how specific legislative measures are required to address the needs of vulnerable groups. In this case, it demonstrated how the state addressed homelessness through the use of social services and allocation of affordable housing (Finnish Ministry of Environment). The exchange of best practices was highly productive and Mr. Komnatnyi noted that "we [the Ministry] will consider the recommendations and best practices of our European counterparts as we develop and update the housing legislation of Ukraine".
UN4UkrainianCities
This project workshop was the first in a series of meetings taking place under the USD 5 million project to support the local and national governments for the reconstruction of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The next project meeting will take place on October 6th 2023, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, during the 84th session of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management, where the Mayors of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv will speak further on the UN4UkrainianCities project.