On April 16-17, Habitat for Humanity invited UNECE to participate in the 2024 Europe Housing Forum in Warsaw, to discuss innovative solutions to address housing challenges and to promote sustainable urban development and economic growth.
On 3 April 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, the World Bank, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, organized a Housing Policy Reform Workshop in Kyiv, to initiate development of a national housing strategy, as a roadmap for the implementation of the housing reform.
Representatives from the municipal and national levels in Ukraine as well as civil society and academic implementing partners, met with international architects and urban planners to exchange approaches to urban development practice, providing them with an opportunity to examine these practices for their own needs.
Developed in 1983, the Housing Code of Ukraine - despite having been amended several times - is outdated and unable to address the large-scale housing destruction and internal displacement of citizens caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
February 1, 2024
Mayor of Kharkiv Mr. Ihor Terekhov was joined by representatives of NFF, UNECE, and professors from Oxford and Harvard Universities, to discuss the development of Kharkiv’s Economic Strategy and its approach to the "Science Neighborhood" pilot project, which is one of five pilot projects based on the vision of the masterplan for Kharkiv.
June 5, 2023
Enhancing urban planning in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv, Ukraine. This initiative supports the implementation of new master plans and promotes investments in sustainable urban infrastructure.
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Building Back Better
The UN4UkrainianCities initiative offers support to Ukraine's government in planning a phased urban recovery in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv. At the request of Ukraine's Ministry of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development, pilot projects are underway to help these cities emphasise the need to “build back better”.
Since April 2022, at the request of the Ministry for Communities, Territories Development and Infrastructure of Ukraine, UNECE has taken the lead to provide support to both national and local governments in Ukraine, to assist with the development of concept master plans to support the cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv to “build back better”.
Since June 2023, this work is being carried out under the UN4UkrainianCities Initiative, which aims to support the implementation of the reconstruction master plans and help the cities to “build back better” following a balanced, evidence-based, participatory approach that links emergency and long-term strategic objectives.
"Nobody expects it to be easy to create a master plan for Mykolaiv, but I can see that local architects are taking into consideration all the requests of local inhabitants. I am sure that we will be able to rebuild a flourishing beautiful city that will attract tourists and economic partners."
-Mr. Dmytro Falko, Chairman, Mykolaiv City Council, Ukraine, at a task force meeting on November 22, 2022.
"The master plan for Kharkiv is a pioneer for other Ukrainian cities. We are thinking of a future economic model for Kharkiv because besides beautiful architecture, we also need economic development for our citizens. It is a complex project that combines cultural & historical heritage, with green zones and scientific institutions."
- Ihor Terekhov, Mayor of Kharkiv, at a task force meeting on November 22, 2022
On April 29th and 30th, as part of the study visit initiated and co-organized by the UN4UkrainianCities project, a delegation from Ukraine visited Helsinki, Finland to explore practices related to the management of construction and demolition waste, alongside insights into the construction and maintenance of civil defense shelters.
The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the Organization of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning, in collaboration with the Ministry of Restoration of Ukraine and experts from the UN4UkrainianCities project, recently held a series of public consultations. .
On April 16-17, Habitat for Humanity invited UNECE to participate in the 2024 Europe Housing Forum in Warsaw, to discuss innovative solutions to address housing challenges and to promote sustainable urban development and economic growth.
On 3 April, 2024, the Ukrainian Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, the World Bank, the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, organized a Housing Policy Reform Workshop in Kyiv with a range of stakeholders, to initiate development of a national housing strategy, as a roadmap for the implementation of the housing reform.
On 6 and 7 March, 2024, the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building and the Ukrainian Ministry for Restoration hosted the preparatory conference for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 “Unlocking opportunities, creating momentum: Transformative Urban Reconstruction in Ukraine”, in Berlin, Germany. The conference was part of preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024, which will take place in Berlin in June 2024.
Developed in 1983, the Housing Code of Ukraine - despite having been amended several times - is outdated and unable to address the large-scale housing destruction and internal displacement of citizens caused by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In collaboration with UNECE and with the financial support of the German government, Kharkiv has embarked on a first-of-its-kind effort to ensure housing is within reach for every citizen.
On February 1, 2024, Mayor of Kharkiv Mr. Ihor Terekhov was joined by representatives of the Norman Foster Foundation (NFF), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and professors from Oxford and Harvard Universities, to discuss the development of Kharkiv’s Economic Strategy and its approach to the "Science Neighborhood" pilot project, which is one of five pilot projects based on the vision of the masterplan for Kharkiv.
From January 23 to 26, Ukrainian government officials and representatives from international financial institutions and UN agencies, addressed the urgent need for Ukraine to establish a model of affordable rental housing, following large-scale destruction of the housing stock and a growing population of internally displaced persons.
A Regional Consultant of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Serhii Komnatnyi, discussed the activities of the UN4Ukrainian Cities project, its objectives and its significance in rebuilding Ukrainian cities during interviews on "Ukrainian Radio" and "Public Radio" on 14 and 21 December 2023, respectively. He highlighted the project's work in supporting the efforts of Ukraine's Ministry of Infrastructure to modernize the national framework for housing policy, noting that the expert group is focused on practical expertise to support the Ministry of Restoration of Ukraine
The workshop focused on Housing Management Models for Ukraine by drawing on the Estonian experience, and was attended by over 80 participants.
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 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.
The UN4UkrainianCities initiative started in April 2022, at the Second UNECE Forum of Mayors, when the Mayor of Kharkiv invited the architect Norman Foster to lead the development of the reconstruction plan for the future of the city.
Since July 2022, UNECE has been working to help the city of Mykolaiv through the UN4Mykolaiv Task Force. One Works, a global design and architecture company, has collaborated on a pro-bono basis with Ukrainian architects to develop a new master plan to support the future rebuilding of the city.
