From 7 to 9 October 2013, the 74th Session of the Commission on Housing and Land Management and the UNECE Ministerial Conference on Housing and Land Management took place at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

Ministers and heads of departments for housing, urban development and land use made presentations highlighting the problems and challenges facing their countries and achievements in combating them over the past ten years.

The Commission's session on 7 and 9 October included presentations by high-level representatives of UNECE member countries, as well as experts on housing, urban development and land use. They also organized thematic discussions on energy efficiency in housing and population aging and on the accessibility of urban infrastructure to serving the aging population.

The Ministerial Conference provided an international platform for exchanging high-level views on sustainable housing and urban development, land management and land use, spatial planning and the stability of the real estate market in the region.

The conference was attended by a delegation from Ukraine, which included a FIABCI delegate to the UN in Vienna, a real estate specialist - Telman Abbasov. Representatives of the delegation reported on the state of land management and land reform in Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation expressed interest in holding a seminar on land policy in Ukraine in cooperation with the Working Party. The delegation of Ukraine presented a draft country profile on housing and land management for Ukraine and its main recommendations.

It should be noted that the Committee approved the draft basic principles for housing and land management for participating countries. The Committee approved the principles and directions of housing and land use for Ukraine and their publication.

It was determined at the session that within the next two years the working group of the Committee on Housing and Land Management of the Economic Commission for Europe would conduct a study on land administration systems in different member states on the basis of two questionnaires. The work of the Real Estate Market Advisory Group will complement this study, including a study of the national legal framework for real estate valuation, transactions with it, financing issues and ratings. Follow-up will be considered based on the results of this study, including the publication of an updated version of the land management system inventory document.

In parallel, a work program of the Consultative Group (REM) on the real estate market for 2014-2015 was developed, according to which the Advisory Group (REM) will prepare brief training manuals for use by member states and other stakeholders on the following topics related to housing :

• how to certify the building for energy efficiency; how to invest in social housing on the market with the involvement of the private sector;
• How to ensure the provision of effective services to consumers;
• How to protect consumers; • how to apply practical methods for building eco-friendly buildings;