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Providing housing for internally displaced persons is one of the key challenges in Ukraine's housing policy

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and USAID organized a forum addressing the urgent need for housing policy reforms, sustainable funding, and strategic planning for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine.

The Parliamentary and Municipal Forum "Housing for Internally Displaced Persons" organized by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in cooperation with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) addressed the issue of housing for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the context of housing policy reform.

Mr. Serhii Komnatnyi, a housing expert working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), highlighted the main challenges in his speech at the forum:

  • The existing legal framework, established before the conflict, is largely declarative, does not take into account the current conditions and creates unrealistic expectations among citizens;

  • Housing programmes for IDPs lack sustainable funding;

  • There is no strategic planning.

To achieve sustainable housing solutions, the following steps are required:

  • Changes in housing legislation to create legal conditions for forming housing stocks that can be used as temporary housing or for social rent;

  • Ensuring transparency in housing policy;

  • Cooperation with international partners to attract financial resources for creating state and municipal housing funds, strengthening community capacity and establishing municipal housing companies;

  • Strategic planning through the development and adoption of national and regional housing strategies. This includes identifying priority areas for programme implementation and funding sources based on medium- and long-term needs and challenges.

According to the Ukraine Facility Plan and the Government's Action Plan, the reform of Ukraine's housing policy should begin with the adoption of the Law of Ukraine "On the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy", scheduled for July this year. By the end of the 2024, two additional draft laws should be developed to regulate housing stock management and social rental housing.

An important step will be the development of the State Housing Strategy within six months after the planned adoption of the Law "On the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy".

As part of the UN4UkrainianCities project, the expert team has already developed conceptual proposals for organizing the preparation of the State Housing Strategy and submitted them to the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine for review. One of the main goals of the proposals is to help shift the foundations of Ukraine's housing policy. The UN4UkrainianCities project is committed to continuing its support, providing the expertise needed to build a new housing policy for Ukraine that is rooted in sustainable development principles.