Ukraine and Japan continue to work together on developing housing policy and preparing practical solutions for Ukrainian communities. The issue was discussed with a delegation from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on World Habitat Day. The meeting marked the next step in cooperation launched during a visit by a Ukrainian delegation to Tokyo.
“Ukraine is developing a new housing policy, and it is important for us to work simultaneously on new regulations and their practical implementation. This includes the development of social housing, the restoration of the housing stock and support for communities in reconstruction. Japan has significant experience in these areas, which is why we are interested in JICA’s support — from developing regulatory solutions to implementing specific projects in communities,” said Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons Nataliia Kozlovska.
The discussions focused on a JICA technical assistance project prepared at the request of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development. It covers both the development of a new housing policy and the preparation of pilot social housing projects in Ukrainian communities.
The Japanese side expressed its readiness to support the implementation of specific projects. Six prospective pilot communities have been identified at this stage, including communities in the Lviv and Kyiv regions. JICA will assess their needs, capacity and readiness to implement and manage social housing projects at the local level. Based on the assessment, further steps for implementing the pilot projects and approaches to their financing will be determined.
The creation of a coalition of partners in the social housing sector was another important topic. The initiative aims to bring together the government, local communities and international partners around specific social housing projects so that communities with demonstrated needs and the capacity to implement such projects can receive the necessary financial, technical and expert support. The ministry expects Japan and other partners to participate in this work.
The parties also discussed approaches to selecting communities for pilot social housing projects. In particular, they considered Ukraine’s experience of cooperation with the European Investment Bank, under which communities submit project proposals through an open competitive process. This approach makes it possible to comprehensively assess communities’ needs and capacities and identify projects that are most ready for implementation.
Further cooperation with JICA will combine work on housing policy with the practical implementation of pilot projects. This will make it possible to test new approaches directly in communities and use the experience gained to subsequently scale them up.
