EXPERTS FROM UKRAINE STUDY THE EXPERIENCE OF CEB IN IMPLEMENTING HOUSING PROGRAMS FOR IDPS
From July 17 to 23, 2023, the Ukrainian delegation is visiting Belgrade (Serbia) and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Representatives of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, the SFYH, local governments and experts are studying the practical experience of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) in developing and implementing housing programs for internally displaced persons in countries that have experienced war and massive internal displacement.
The delegation is headed by Nataliia Kozlovska, Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine. The delegation includes, among others, Serhii Komnatnyi, Chairman of the Board of the SFYH, Mykhailo Fateev, Deputy Mayor of Kharkiv, Vitaliy Lukov, First Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv, and Andriy Pyatnytskyi, Deputy Mayor of Zaporizhzhia.
The purpose of the visit is to provide Ukrainian experts with information on the results of the Regional Housing Program implementation in the Balkan countries, organize discussions with stakeholders, and exchange information on best practices in the field of public housing policy.
Training seminars were organized for Ukrainian specialists on "Preparation of CEB projects and the project cycle, CEB experience in financing housing construction" and "Presentation of the Regional Housing Program (RHP)".
Members of the delegation visited the Serbian capital, Belgrade, where they inspected housing projects for displaced persons.
The review of the projects implemented under the Regional Housing Program continued in "Novi Sad" (Serbia), where the emphasis was placed on the specifics of procurement of building materials and the purchase of apartments and individual houses.
A working meeting was held with potential donors of future housing projects for IDPs in Ukraine and stakeholders interested in their implementation.
The delegation's work continued in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a seminar "Regional Housing Programs in B&H: Reconstruction/construction of houses and apartment buildings" was held in the capital Sarajevo.
Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation visited housing facilities in Sarajevo built for IDPs with the support of the CEB.
"Considering the expertise and many years of experience accumulated by the Bank, we are confident that the Council of Europe Development Bank will become an important partner of Ukraine in the reconstruction of war-damaged apartment buildings," Nataliia Kozlovska said.
"We are sincerely grateful to the Bank for organizing this certainly useful and informative trip," said Serhii Komnatnyi, "We will actively work on applying the best European experience in providing housing for IDPs in our country."
It should be mentioned that the Council of Europe Development Bank is a multilateral financial institution with a unique social focus. The CEB was established in 1956 to help European states address the reintegration of refugees, displaced persons and migrants.
From the first day of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, the Bank has been involved in providing assistance to war victims, including those forced to flee Ukraine.
On May 29, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada passed the Law "On Accession of the Articles of Agreement of the Council of Europe to the Third Protocol to the General Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the Council of Europe", introduced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On June 15, 2023, Ukraine became the 43rd member state of the CEB. As a gesture of goodwill on the part of the Bank's management, our country's accession to the CEB was made without having to pay an accession fee from the state budget of Ukraine.
Ukraine's membership in the Bank significantly expands the range of opportunities for developing and implementing social programs for internally displaced persons in our country, in particular, providing housing for IDPs.