The UN Economic Commission for Europe's (UNECE) Committee on Housing and Land Management (CHLM) held a ministerial session on Tuesday, 8 October at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. This is the third CHLM ministerial session, with others held in 2000 and 2006.

Andrey Vasilyev, UNECE Deputy Executive Secretary, urged participants to bear in mind three goals for the ministerial: taking stock of progress made in developing sustainable housing and land management systems; learning about member state needs as they confront current and future challenges; and agreeing on a strategy to meet the identified needs. He also highlighted the proposal to negotiate a framework convention on sustainable housing and how it could help address key housing issues in the region.

In the morning, during a session co-chaired by Navarsete Liv Signe, Minister for Local Government and Regional Development, Norway, and Frantisek Palko, Secretary of State, Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development, Slovakia, participants heard presentations from 20 ministers and other high-level officials on their national challenges and priorities in housing, including energy efficiency, climate and disaster resilience, affordability, informal settlements, adaptation of housing for an aging population and provision of housing for refugees.

In the afternoon, during sessions reviewing progress made and future challenges in land management and urban development, co-chaired by Rafig Jalilov, Deputy Chair, State Committee on Property Issues, Azerbaijan, and Marko Canovic, Vice Minister for Tourism and Environmental Protection, participants heard presentations from 12 ministers and other high level officials on their national concerns. Among the issues highlighted were transforming land registry and cadastral systems, spatial planning, improving transparency, ensuring ownership rights, and addressing urban sprawl.

CHLM Secretary Gulnara Roll presented the draft UNECE Strategy on Sustainable Housing and Land Management 2014-2020, its organization, 15 objectives and its four themes of: sustainable housing and real estate markets; sustainable urban development; sustainable land administration and management; and cross-cutting themes. The ministerial formally adopted the Strategy.

CHLM Chair Wolfgang Förster thanked ministers for their overview of the challenges they face and their national priorities, and assured them of the CHLM’s readiness to deliver the expertise and guidelines member states need to address the challenges and realize the objectives of the Strategy.

Virginia Cram-Martos, Director, UNECE Trade and Sustainable Land Management Division, congratulated Chair Förster and commended the ministers for adopting the Strategy, stressing how helpful it will be to the Secretariat in addressing the needs and priorities of member states in housing, land management and urban development.

The ministerial session closed at 4:30pm.