UNECE Representatives Participate in the 11th Baltic Housing Conference
Tallinn, September 10-11, 2024 – Representatives of the UN4UkrainianCities project, part of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), participated in the 11th Baltic Housing Conference in Tallinn, Estonia. The event, organized by the Estonian Union of Co-operative Housing Associations (EKYL), brought together housing experts from across Europe to discuss solutions for the renovation of multi-apartment buildings and explore financial mechanisms and challenges related to housing recovery in the EU and Ukraine.
Thamara Fortes, project manager for UN4UkrainianCities, showcased how housing is integrated across various aspects of the project and its key outcomes. Her presentation highlighted the project’s comprehensive approach to housing, including support to the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry of Infrastructure) on drafting the housing policies, the development of the municipal rental housing program in Kharkiv and the pilot projects: the housing competition in Kharkiv and the housing sector within the Innovation District in Mykolaiv. She emphasized that addressing housing challenges remains central to the project’s vision for sustainable urban development, especially in the face of ongoing conflict.
“The UN4UkrainianCities project seeks to enhance national, regional, and local capacities for planning sustainable urban development through a balanced, evidence-based approach. The project is designed to achieve several interconnected outcomes, each contributing to the overarching goal of strengthening the capabilities of various levels of government in Ukraine. The success of this transformation depends on key factors, including stakeholder engagement, data availability, and political stability”
Serhii Komnatnyi, the project housing expert, provided detailed information on the legislative assistance offered to the Ministry of Infrastructure, particularly regarding the Draft Law “On the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy.” This law aims to align Ukraine's housing policy with the principles outlined in the UNECE Geneva Charter on Sustainable Housing.
The project’s partner from Initiative Wohnungswirtschaft Osteuropa (IWO) also presented the development of the municipal rental housing program designed to support Ukraine's housing needs during its recovery phase.
Ms. Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, expressed gratitude to the partners for their support and shared insights into the ongoing housing policy reforms under the Ukraine Facility Plan and the Government's Action Plan. She emphasized that despite the extensive damage to Ukraine's housing infrastructure, the country is making strides in modernizing its housing policy and has introduced compensation mechanisms for damaged and destroyed property.
“Amid the conflict which has caused extensive destruction of housing infrastructure, with the support of many international partners, Ukraine is pushing forward with efforts to modernize its housing policy. Despite the ongoing challenges, we have successfully implemented a compensation policy for damaged and destroyed property. We cannot afford to wait for the conflict’s end; our recovery is already underway, guided by the principle of ‘Build back better’.”
The conference also featured renovation projects for multi-apartment buildings in Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, and Zhytomyr, which were developed in collaboration with Estonia. Practical issues concerning the application of comprehensive renovation experiences to Ukraine's housing sector were discussed, along with plans for further dissemination of these practices across the country.
Participants were also given the opportunity to observe renovation processes in Estonia firsthand, including visits to a factory producing environment-friendly renovation elements/panels and renovated multi-apartment buildings.
The Ukrainian delegation’s working visit to Estonia is part of the project "Towards Ukraine's Residential Reconstruction: A Capacity-Building and Cooperation Programme for Housing Recovery in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Zhytomyr." This program is implemented by EKYL in cooperation with UNECE, with support from the Estonian Government.