On 19–20 June 2025, an expert field discussion titled “Effective housing policy and protection of war-affected populations” took place in Kyiv. The event was organised by the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine with the support of the Council of Europe Project “Facilitating housing solutions for the war-affected people in Ukraine. Phase II.”
The event brought together representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament, government, territorial communities, sectoral associations, civil society organisations, as well as housing management professionals, national and international housing policy experts.
The discussion focused on key issues such as the development of social housing, legislative reform in the housing sector, and the protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and those affected by the war.
The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Mr. Maciej Janczak, opened the event with words of appreciation for the Ministry’s effective partnership, which has already delivered tangible results. In particular, he highlighted the development of a new regulatory framework for compensating destroyed or damaged housing, and the search for interim housing solutions for IDPs.
He also commended Ukraine’s efforts to align with European standards—from the recently presented Concept of State Housing Policy to the Government’s draft law “On the Fundamental Principles of Housing Policy.” “We would like to emphasize the importance of the Verkhovna Rada adopting this draft law in the first reading, as it will represent a significant step towards the further reform of housing legislation. We also welcome Ukraine’s efforts to develop social housing as a key instrument for addressing the needs of war-affected and internally displaced populations,” Mr. Janczak stated.
Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, echoed the need for a legislative initiative. She pointed out that the current housing legislation is outdated and prevents the adoption of necessary decisions. According to the RDNA report, approximately 13% of the housing stock has been damaged. Therefore, the next logical step after adopting the framework law should be the development and adoption of a law on social housing. “This concerns not only vulnerable groups, but the possibility for all low-income citizens to have access to housing,” Ms. Kozlovska emphasised.
In addition to the panel discussions, participants worked in thematic groups on “Social housing” and “Housing stock management.” These working sessions resulted in a set of concrete proposals and recommendations for the Ministry to consider in the drafting of relevant legislation.
The event served as a platform for professional dialogue among all stakeholders on the reform of social housing legislation and housing stock management, as well as the protection of the rights of IDPs and war-affected populations.
This discussion was organised by the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine with the support of the Council of Europe Project “Facilitating housing solutions for the war-affected people in Ukraine. Phase II.”
The event was organised as part of the Council of Europe Project "Facilitating housing solutions for war-affected people in Ukraine. Phase II" which is implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026.
