Reforming Ukraine's Housing Policy: UNECE, Ministry of Infrastructure, EKYL and Housing Ukraine Hold Expert Webinar
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Estonian Union of Cooperative Housing Associations (EKYL) and Housing Ukraine, and in partnership with the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), hosted a webinar titled "Increasing the level of institutional capacity of “hromadas” to manage housing stocks" on 22 May 2024.
The webinar, conducted within the framework of the UN4UkrainianCities project and "Towards Ukraine's Residential Reconstruction: A Capacity-Building and Cooperation Programme for Housing Recovery in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr", brought together experts to discuss housing policy reform in Ukraine, focusing on improving legislation on housing management. The event comes at a critical time as Ukraine prepares for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in June, which will focus on the country's recovery and reconstruction.
The event brought together a diverse group of participants, including government officials, international organizations, housing experts, and representatives from local authorities in Ukraine. It aimed to foster knowledge sharing and capacity building to support the reconstruction and recovery of housing in Ukraine.
Svitlana Startseva, Head of Housing Policy and Utilities Department at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, delivered opening remarks, emphasizing the importance of addressing problematic issues in the management of housing stocks within Ukrainian legislation. "We realize that it is high time for amending our legislation," Startseva noted, highlighting the Ministry's readiness to learn from the experience and recommendations of Estonian experts.
Experts involved in the discussion included Andres Jaadla, Chairman at EKYL and Head of the UNECE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Housing in Estonia, who spoke about participants involved in the management process, their functions and powers, interactions, and the digitalization of housing management and accounting. Urmas Mardi, Head of Legal Department of EKYL and Member of Tallinn City Council, discussed control mechanisms in housing stock management, insurance measures, and land plots under and around multi-apartment buildings as part of common joint property. Anu Sarnet, Member of the professional qualification commission of professions for real estate management, shared insights on professional management requirements, including standards, procedures, and rules.
The webinar identified problematic issues in housing stock management within Ukrainian legislation and explored potential solutions employed by European countries. Key takeaways included the need for effective and transparent housing policies, the importance of digitalizing housing management and accounting processes, the establishment of professional management standards, and the implementation of medium and long-term planning in housing management contracts.