Ministers pledge action and finance to tackle housing emergency

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) convened more than 30 ministers and senior government representatives who committed to stronger policies and increased financing to address housing affordability and sustainability.

• Main announcement and commitments: Ministers (30+ attendees) meeting in Geneva under UNECE committed to increase financing and adopt policy measures including more public investment, expansion of public, cooperative, social and community-led housing models, and mobilising private funding via green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, community land trusts, and blended finance; they also called to adjust land value taxation, curb short-term tourist rentals, prioritise retrofitting, and promote climate-resilient, energy-efficient new construction. The UNECE represents 56 Member States; the region’s housing accounts for roughly 30 per cent of energy use and CO2 emissions, a 2024 UNECE report found housing costs are pushing over a third of low-income families into poverty, and many families pay one quarter or even half of disposable income for housing.
• Background, meeting details and leadership: The meeting was chaired by Martin Tschirren (head of Switzerland’s Federal Office for Housing); Tatiana Molcean, UNECE Executive Secretary, briefed journalists on the crisis and data.
  • Date: 8 October 2025
  • Location: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Event: 86th session of the UNECE Committee on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management (session ends Friday)
  • Agenda/subject: commitments to address housing affordability and sustainability, measures on taxation, rental restrictions, retrofitting, and mobilising public/private finance.