From crisis response to systemic reform: UNECE's contribution to the transformation of Ukraine's housing policy
Mykolaiv © Svitlana Vovk
Ukraine is transitioning from emergency housing responses toward the development of a long-term, sustainable housing policy framework. A major milestone in this shift was the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the Law of Ukraine “On the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy.” The law establishes a new model for state housing policy and provides the foundation for comprehensive reform of the country’s housing sector.
Through the UN4UkrainianCities project, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has become one of the key international partners of the Ukrainian government in shaping this reform, providing expert support, international coordination and integration of European approaches into the policy development process.
Recovery through reform: a new vision for housing policy
The large-scale destruction of the housing stock, the need to provide housing for millions of citizens and the need to modernise the outdated housing legislation system have created the conditions for a profound transformation of the sector.
Ukraine's housing reform is part of the implementation of the Ukraine Facility Plan and is seen as a structural reform that combines social policy, economic recovery, community development and European integration.
In the new model, housing is defined not only as a social need, but also as a factor in human security, social cohesion and the country's economic stability.
UNECE as a strategic partner in the reform
The UN4UkrainianCities project supports the Government of Ukraine in its transition to a systematic housing policy, providing expert support at all key stages of the policy cycle, from the formation of a conceptual framework to the preparation of specific legislative decisions.
The main areas of support include:
facilitating expert coordination between national and international partners;
ensuring alignment of legislation with international standards and Sustainable Development Goals;
integrating sustainable housing development principles into national policy frameworks;
strengthening strategic planning within the housing sector.
This approach allows short-term decisions to be transformed into a long-term policy framework focused on sustainable development.
The Law of Ukraine ‘On the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy’: the foundation of a new housing system
Its adoption marks a pivotal moment in the transformation of Ukraine’s housing system. As the first comprehensive framework law in this area, it fundamentally redefines the philosophy of state housing policy and establishes new regulatory architecture for the housing sector. The law marks a departure from the administrative distribution model, which was based on outdated approaches, to a modern system of ensuring access to housing.
The key change is the transition from ‘provision of housing by the state’ to ‘creation of conditions for ensuring access to housing’.
This means reorienting policy towards the development of various instruments: social rental, affordable housing, financial support, municipal programmes and mechanisms for partnership with the private sector.
The law serves as a framework law, i.e. it creates a basic policy framework for:
developing a State Housing Strategy (ongoing);
preparing specialized legislation (in particular on social housing);
implementing a digital infrastructure for housing policy;
forming modern mechanisms for managing the housing stock.
The law not only defines policy directions, but also forms the principles on which it should be based:
targeted and social justice;
transparency and accountability;
institutional responsibility of the state and communities;
non-discriminatory access to housing;
integration with recovery and sustainable development policies.
Compliance with international standards
The law was developed taking into account international instruments in the field of housing rights and sustainable development principles.
To ensure the integration of Ukraine’s housing policy into the broader European and global policy architecture, the provisions of the law are aligned with: approaches to ensuring the realisation of the right to adequate housing;
principles of social inclusion and non-discrimination;
provisions of the Geneva Charter on Sustainable Housing;
UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities.
Next stage: Strategy Development and Specialized Legislation
Following the adoption of the framework law, the reform moves on to the stage of strategic and institutional development. Through the UN4UkrainianCities project, the UNECE is actively involved in the work of the Technical Working Group on the development of Ukraine's State Housing Strategy, contributing to:
the formulation of strategic and operational objectives;
the integration of social housing and housing stock renovation issues;
the alignment of policy decisions with the real needs of communities and households.
In parallel, the Project's experts are supporting the preparation of the draft law ‘On Social Housing’, which is intended to lay the foundation for a sustainable social rental sector in Ukraine.
International partnership as the basis for sustainable change
The cooperation between the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine and the UNECE reflects a new model of international support, one that moves beyond individual projects to accompany and strengthen systemic reforms.
Thanks to this partnership, Ukraine's housing policy:
is harmonised with international standards and principles of sustainable development;
creates the conditions for attracting international investment in housing renovation;
forms a modern institutional system for managing the housing sector.