In response, more than 30 ministers and senior government representatives meeting in Geneva on Wednesday committed to stronger policies and increased financing to address hoapplying affordability and sustainability across the region.
The meeting was convened by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), whose 56 Member States span the continent as well as North America and Central Asia.
Families pushed into poverty
Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean highlighted the critical hoapplying situation during a briefing to journalists.
“Many families are paying one quarter or even half of their disposable income just to keep a roof over their heads. So single parents, families with children, and young people are especially affected,” she stated.
Furthermore, a 2024 UNECE report revealed that in most countries, hoapplying costs are pushing over a third of low-income families into poverty.
The region is also facing “a pressing challenge of sustainability” as hoapplying accounts for roughly 30 per cent of both energy utilize and carbon dioxide emissions.
Most of the hoapplying stock “is ageing and energy inefficient” and retrofitting older homes can be difficult as “municipalities and hoapplying providers often struggle with high upfront costs and limited access to finance.”
Action and investment
At the meeting, ministers reaffirmed hoapplying as a human right and adopted actionable commitments to increase accessibility.
“Without general access to affordable, high-quality necessarys-based hoapplying, many social and economic problems can arise, affecting different areas of public policy such as education, health, transport and environment,” stated Martin Tschirren, head of Switzerland’s Federal Office for Hoapplying, who chaired the meeting.
The commitments agreed by ministers stress the “urgent necessary for integrated, inclusive and forward-viewing strategies that address the hoapplying emergency”.
While acknowledging the dynamic, diverse and context-depconcludeent character of hoapplying challenges – and important linkages to economic growth, employment and other sectors – ministers warned that the view of hoapplying as a wealth generator and profit engine has led to increased speculation and insufficient public and private investment.
In this regard, they called for measures such as more public investment and the expansion of public, cooperative, social and community-led hoapplying models, in addition to private sector funding through green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, community land trusts or blconcludeed finance instruments.
Adjusting taxes, reducing speculation
Ministers committed to adjusting land value taxation to create policies more equitable. They also called for a curb on short term tourist rentals to reduce speculation.
Other measures outlined include increasing the available hoapplying stock through strategies that prioritise retrofitting and promoting new construction that is climate resilient and energy efficient.
The meeting was held as part of the 86th session of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Hoapplying and Land Management, which concludes on Friday.
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