UNECE recommends intensifying the implementation of sustainable housing policies and programmes in Azerbaijan
Geneva, 15 December 2009 --
“This is just the beginning”, said Mr. Alexander Ilyich Seleznev, Minister of Architecture and Construction of Belarus, when officially receiving the Country Profile of the Housing Sector of Belarus from the Director of the UNECE Environment, Housing and Land Management Division, Mr. Marco Keiner. The Minister expressed his gratitude for the recommendations in the UNECE report and promised to continue to implement measures leading to a sustainable housing sector.
At a conference dedicated to the launch of the Country Profile, organized by the Ministry of Architecture and Construction (MoAC) in cooperation with UNECE, participants reviewed the actions taken to date by the Government to take up the Profile’s recommendations and guidance. Examples of positive measures include the country’s focus on energy efficiency in housing, the greater role of local authorities, the increased involvement of the private sector, and advances in needed construction and adequate housing for all citizens.
“Housing maintenance policies, which are of crucial importance in the region due to the large amount of khrushchovki (pre-fabricated 5-storey houses from the 1960s), are well developed and comprehensive. As a result, most of the existing housing stock is well refurbished and safe”, said Mr. Keiner.
Representatives of the housing sector in Belarus noted that many of the recommendations have already been undertaken or are planned for the near future. “The recommendations in the report have served to undertake structural changes in the sector”, said Mr. Vladimir Doropievich, Deputy Head of the Ministry’s Housing Construction Department.
The meeting was opened and chaired by Mr. Aleksandr Nichkasov, Deputy Minister of MoAC, and involved participants from all the relevant sectors and Ministries dealing with housing and construction, including Government officials, developers, local authorities, non-governmental organizations and international organizations
To learn more about the UNECE country profiles, please visit the dedicated webpage (http://www.unece.org/hlm/prgm/cph/welcome.html).
For more information on the UNECE Housing programme, please contact:
Jakob Krupka
Capacity Building Officer
UNECE Environment, Housing and Land Management Division
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 2477
Ref: ECE/ENV/09/P33