The New Draft Law of Ukraine: presentation and discussion with local government associations
Pictured left to right: Serhiy Komnatnyi, UNECE Consultant, Kristina Pastushchenko, Head of the Office of the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine, Svitlana Startseva, Head of Housing Policy and Utilities Department, Ministry of Restoration of Ukraine, Pavlo Kozyrev, Chairman of the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine.
November 28, 2023 13:00-15:00 CET
"On the Fundamental Principles of the State Housing Policy of Ukraine"
The workshop titled "Presentation and Discussion of the Concept and Draft Law of Ukraine ‘On the Fundamental Principles of the State Housing Policy of Ukraine’ with Local Government Associations" was organized by the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure (Ministry of Restoration), in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the All-Ukrainian Association of Communities and the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine.
The workshop was attended by over 500 representatives from territorial communities across Ukraine, including the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, which are pilot cities within the UN4UkrainianCities project. Notable participants included the First Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv, Mr. Vitaliy Lukov, and the Deputy Mayor of Kharkiv, Mr. Mykhailo Fateyev.
A local perspective
The workshop focused on the developments of Ukraine’s housing legislation, which aims at creating better conditions for citizens to access affordable and decent housing and establishing an effective management system for housing funds.
Representatives of the Ministry of Restoration and experts from international organizations involved in the working group, presented the concept and structure of the draft Law. They emphasized the crucial role of local self-government bodies in implementing housing policy. With this in mind, the new housing legislation not only organizes and expands the capacities of local authorities, but also mandates the development and implementation of regional housing strategies.
Community representatives expressed their views on the proposed changes in the housing legislation framework and highlighted their challenges and needs depending on their specific region. Overall, the proposed guiding principles of the new housing policy were positively received by represented local communities, and represented Association leaders were grateful to UNECE and the Ministry for their work.
For further reading, please refer to our article on the meeting of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, who presented their conceptual directions for reforming the state housing policy.