COMMITTEE
ON HOUSING AND LAND MANAGEMENT
In 1947, the Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE) set up a Panel on Housing Problems,
which later evolved into the Committee on Human
Settlements and after the reform in 2005/2006
into the Committee on Housing and Land Management.
The Committee is an intergovernmental body of
all UNECE member States. It provides a forum for
the compilation, dissemination and exchange of
information and experience on housing, urban development,
land administration policies. Through various
workshops, research on urban issues, land administration,
and analyses of the housing and real estate sector, the Committee
advises member countries on human settlements
policies and strategies and encourages their practical
implementation. The Committee supports the economic
and social stabilization of central and eastern
Europe by suggesting innovative ways of
cooperation between different levels of government
(terms of reference).
In September 2006 the Ministerial Declaration on Social and Economic Challenges in Distressed Urban Areas in the UNECE Region was adopted during the Ministerial Segment of the meeting of the Committee. Through this Declaration, UNECE Ministers of housing, spatial planning and land administration committed themselves to contributing to social cohesion, through development of affordable housing, to further address the effective management of the multifamily housing estates and to support the activites in land management and spatial planning. They furthermore decided to convene a High-level meeting in five years' time to assess the progress in the implementation of their commitments. The Declaration validates the goals and challenges of the "ECE
Strategy for a Sustainable Quality in Life in
Human Settlements in the 21st Century"
(english/french/russian)
(adopted by Ministers in 2000). The Ministerial Declaration along with the Strategy will guide the Committee's work in the next five years.
The Working
Party on Land Administration was established
in 1999 with the aim to promote land administration through security
of tenure, to develop real estate markets
in countries in transition and to modernize
land registration systems in the not advanced countries in the region.
The Committee promotes partnership
between the public, NGOs and the business sector
of the ECE countries at regional, national and
local levels. In 1997 the Housing
and Urban Management Advisory Network (HUMAN)
was established. It consists of experts from the
private sector, including industry, financial
institutions, non-governmental organizations,
professional associations, research institutions
and local authorities.
The Committee
works closely with the European Union, the Organization
for Economic Co-operation and Development, the
Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Development
Bank, the United Nations Programme for Human Settlements
(UN-HABITAT), and other UN regional commissions
and specialized agencies.
At its
annual session the Committee elects its Bureau
and the Chairperson, who supervise the implementation
of the programme of work between the Committee's
sessions.
Brochure on EHLM work E F R