Adequate housing is scarce in Serbia, where most of the multi-apartment buildings are dilapidated. The continuous decline in the quality of housing drives down the value of real estate and increases risks of injuries and health problems. Energy and water infrastructure are obsolete with an average leakage from water systems exceeding 30%. This has resulted in very high utilities costs. According to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Ms Leilani Farha, “Heating, electricity bills and other housing charges for homeowners and renters (in Serbia) alike are simply unaffordable”. The current migration crisis in Europe is an aggravating factor Urgent actions are thus needed to ensure decent affordable housing.
To address the issue, the Government of Serbia has elaborated a draft National Action Plan on Sustainable Housing and Urban Development with the support of UNECE and UN-Habitat, which was presented to a wide group of national and local stakeholders on 9 and 10 November in Belgrade.
The National Action Plan includes a comprehensive set of activities aiming at improving the quality and affordability of housing and at promoting sustainable urban development. This includes at least three new laws, including a new Law on Housing, as well as the development of a nationwide urban development plan.
The proposed new Law on Housing will help overcome the inconsistencies and overlaps in the housing national legal framework. This comprehensive law will help regulate the ownership of housing and establish a management system for multi-apartment buildings. It will also include procedures protecting the population from forced evictions, an issue affecting particularly the Roma minority living in informal settlements. This law will be based on the principles of the Geneva UN Charter on Sustainable Housing, endorsed by the 56 member States of UNECE in April 2015. The Civil Code’s section regulating property rights and the Law on Social Housing will also be amended as part of the National Action Plan implementation.
After the stakeholder discussion, the draft Action Plan is now expected to be adopted by the Government. UNECE, UN-Habitat and the UNDP Office in Belgrade intend to support the Government in its implementation.
For more information, please contact:
Gulnara Roll, Head, Housing and Land Management Unit
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 22 57
Note to editors:
The current workshop is organised as part of the UNECE and UN-Habitat joint project “Strengthening national capacities for sustainable housing and urban development in countries with economies in transition” supported by the UN Development Account. The project, which is implemented in 2014 – 2017, supports four selected countries with economies in transition (Armenia, Republic of Moldova, Serbia and Tajikistan) by assisting their national governments in the formulation and implementation of relevant policies and by developing National Action Plans for Sustainable Housing and Urban Development.
More information on the project is available at http://www.unece.org/housing/unda.html