Main achievements in 2005
The role of housing, land administration, and spatial planning in the
broader context of social and economic development, with particular attention
to the countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA)
and South Eastern Europe (SEE) was at the centre of discussions in the
UNECE during this past year. The ability of the human settlements sector
to contribute towards the MDGs areas of concern (poverty reduction, environmental
sustainability, and partnerships for development) was recognized.
A number of Country Profiles (CP) on the housing sector are either in
progress or have been finalized during the past years, relating to
Armenia, Serbia and Montenegro, the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan.
UNECE countries stressed the importance of following up the implementation
of past country profiles. The same concern was expressed concerning the
guidelines for social housing which were endorsed. This latter study constitutes
a tool for policymakers to assess the different options that are currently
available for the provision of social housing.
Jointly with the Council of Europe Development Bank and the Council
of Europe and in close cooperation with the Stability Pact for South
East Europe, the UNECE finalized a study on trends and progress in housing
reforms in South-East Europe. In order to support policymakers in
countries in transition to develop effective housing finance strategies
and to implement the most appropriate housing finance systems, a study
on housing finance systems was published.
Major challenges for 2006
Priority will be given to the human settlements concerns of the countries
of the EECCA region and South-East Europe, in particular strengthening
the link between the country profiles programme and the land administration
reviews. A fact finding mission to Azerbaijan is foreseen at
the beginning of 2006.
Workshops on land administration are planned in Georgia (spring 2006),
the Czech Republic (autumn 2006), Germany (spring 2007) and Ireland
(autumn 2007).
The 10th Conference on Urban and Regional Research will be held in
Slovakia (Bratislava) in May 2006 bringing together policymakers,
researchers and urban planners to assist policymakers in their decision-making
task and at the same time contributing to a better understanding
of future research requirements in this area.